I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in hospitality administration from Georgia State University in 2012. As a student member of MPI, I reached out to an MPI Georgia Chapter member that connected me with her colleague at a third-party event planning company, where I was hired and worked for four years.
I would like to be the lead planner on a three-day conference with 300 to 500 attendees. I also want to earn my Healthcare Meeting Compliance Certificate (HMCC) this year.
My client programs have either been cancelled or transitioned to virtual due to the coronavirus. I am now working four-hour days in the afternoons, which means my salary has also been reduced by 50 percent. Personally, it is very hard to sit and wait for this pandemic to resolve itself, as I love a plan and a timeline, and that is not plausible in this situation. In order to stay motivated and active, I am exercising daily, eating healthy, not watching the news and staying off Facebook.
“I love connecting attendees at in-person meetings through technology, food and conversations.”
Working for a third-party organization, a daily challenge is managing client workload and processes. Every client has their own preferred communications methods and workflow. It takes time to learn and grow with clients, but it is a challenge that I love.
I love connecting attendees at in-person meetings through technology, food and conversations. I enjoy timelines, a detailed plan and efficient communications that help to deliver an amazing event for our clients.
The communication tools we use have changed drastically in the past few years. Most clients are using Microsoft Teams, which makes it easy to share documents, chat and host meetings in one platform. I find that with more people within the organization involved in planning the meeting, the communication declines. Communication tools like Microsoft Teams make it easy for anyone to gather the information they need.
I love cooking and traveling. I was recently on a trip to Colombia—before the pandemic started (probably my only vacation for 2020). I was able to get a small taste of local life with the meals I ate in Cartagena and the nightlife in Bogota.
