Member Spotlight - Lauren Nguyen

Lauren Nguyen | LinkedIn
Administrative Assistant at dentalcorp
Event Management Certificate Program, Algonquin College, April 2021

Why did you decide to join MPI Ottawa?
We were introduced to lots of associations at school and our professors stressed the importance of making connections. MPI Ottawa is a well established Chapter and I thought it would help me connect with the Ottawa Events Community, joining is my first step to networking.

MPI Global provides information of what’s going on in the events industry. There is a forum called MPI news brief where they share relevant information about our ever-changing industry. It’s hard to keep up with what’s happening in the world – MPI is very informative and helps you keep up-to-date in the field.

What is your favorite event organized by MPI Ottawa?
I haven’t yet been to an event organized by MPI Ottawa. Being at work full time and being at school full time has eaten up all my time. Now that I’ve finished with all that, I am planning on signing up for upcoming MPI events. I will be joining events now that I have more time liberated to start networking.

How did you get where you are today?
Being an event planner was not my original plan. Originally, I wanted to be in the health care industry but, while I was at university, I realized it was not my thing. I’ve been working at the dental office for ten years now and once I graduated I worked full time. While work I was there I was also organizing/coordinating their events. Dealing with patients alongside coordinating things for the office sparked my interest in the events’ industry. That’s why I decided to enroll in the Event’s Program at Algonquin College.

What makes you good at what you do?
I would say working with customers upfront for a long time has made me a great problem solver. Anytime there was a problem, I enjoyed solving it. Planning activities at the dental office and solving patients’ problems has made me good at what I do. In the events industry I’ve found a field where I can merge the organizational side of me with my people people-oriented side and be successful.

What is an industry tool you could not live without?
A paper planner (paper agenda) With so many meetings and tasks I need to be extremely organized. I feel that in the events industry this will never change. There are always a lot of to dos and deadlines to keep track of so it is really important to write them down. A mobile planner doesn’t work for me. Writing it down makes me remember things even more. It keeps me on track.

Last Words
I’m excited to dive into the industry after having been in the health industry for 10 years. It will be a significate change in my life but it’s exciting to try something new.

Article written by Elodie LORTAL, BHM, CMP | LinkedIn National Arts Centre

Article edited by Article edited by Cynthia Beaudin, Canada Foundation for Innovation