When I was approached about the editorial role for Corporate Event News, I was thrilled. I’ve read TSNN (top online news source for trade shows) since its inception, and have a tremendous amount of respect for Rachel Wimberly, TSNN’s President and Editor-in-Chief. Knowing that this new publication is backed by TSNN gives it credibility, and I know the audience is there. As a corporate event professional, I always felt that there should be more industry news and content geared specifically towards me. The opportunity to help find, generate, and share that content brings together three of the things I love – writing, events, and education. 

I’ve been involved with corporate events for more than 20 years. I’ve planned, marketed, and managed events for my own employers, as a vendor, and as an independent planner. It’s an industry I know well and over the years have seen change in many ways - and yet, in some ways, stay the same.

There are so many aspects to corporate events, and so many roles within the umbrella of corporate event professional. Whether you consider yourself an event planner, event marketer, content strategist, coordinator, administrator, tradeshow manager, or a blend of all of these, there are certain skills you need.

First off, you have to be extremely well organized. I personally have the messiest desk you’re ever likely to see, but the information in my head is filed neatly! Communications is a vital part of events: if you can’t communicate well, there’s no way you will be effective as an event professional.  You have to have grace under pressure, and the ability to adapt. You should be able to work well with others, even if you, like me, are an introvert at heart.  Ideally, you also have to be – or be able to become – a strategic thinker, able to see the big picture and develop an event strategy to meet your goals, rather than just having all your goals set for your event.  

All event professionals are often challenged by last-minute changes, but I’ve found that nowhere is it more important to remain flexible, adaptable, and maintain that smile than it is at corporate events. Executives have high expectations and often very little understanding of what it is that event professionals do. It’s time to change that.

Delivering positive, memorable experiences for our customers is now more important than ever.  Over the past decade, marketing technology has helped to streamline, automate, and personalize customer interactions, and enabled us to make more informed decisions. As event marketers, we can leverage technology to work more effectively and help provide those experiences. But while being part of the digital age is an enabler, the value in events is not just in the data: it’s in the experience. Events bring people together, forging strong connections. Events can spawn communities just as much as communities can give rise to events. It’s impossible to overstate the importance of events – and of event professionals.

I envision Corporate Event News as a platform to help connect corporate event professionals with news, data, tools, and information that can help you be more effective in the workplace and also assist with that next career step: to become more visible, have a seat at the table, and continue to show that events are a vital, strategic part of the marketing mix. And I’m excited to be a part of it.

Have a topic you’d like us to cover – or want to contribute a blog post? Contact me at dwmenegus@corporateeventnews.com.