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MeetingsNet profiles four women who have worked their way into the C-suite through the meetings department. They detail their personal challenges and provide perspective and advice to other planners aspiring to executive careers.
Her path to the top: Understand the financial impact of events; Leverage marketing expertise; Learn from colleagues and peers
While most people tend to “fall into” the meetings industry, Amy Walter knew after college that business events was her calling.
After earning a degree in marketing, she worked in catering and convention services at a hotel and casino in Reno, Nevada for four years. However, “I’ve always wanted to be the person influencing the strategic and creative aspects of these campaigns – focusing on their target audience and their impact on the business,” she says.
So Walter went to an agency as a marketing and events manager, where he was tasked with developing comprehensive marketing campaigns targeting specific audience segments and then measuring the return on investment of each campaign over the following months.
But she knew that being a leader meant understanding all aspects of the activities that served the company’s marketing pipeline. When Walter joined Atlassian, a developer of cloud-based software and collaboration tools, in September 2016, she took on an extended role under the guidance of the company’s head of events and field marketing: developing a global event portfolio strategy with a focus on audience acquisition. , to maximize the impact of these activities on each market.
“Our goal is to create high-touch opportunities for customer engagement and community building” to increase their confidence in the company, Walter said. “So, what does each customer type want to better understand by attending our events? To lead an initiative like this, you must understand the impact events have on connecting customers with your sales team and increasing revenue.”
Additionally, “you have to use data to decide how much funding should be allocated to each program element,” she added. “This relies on attendee surveys and feedback. What are your acquisition trends like? Is the composition of your audience changing? It’s critical to anticipate your audience’s needs and understand how your business goals are evolving so your event can generate greater impact. You must also engage in open dialogue and collaboration with stakeholders and C-suite executives. Being able to connect the dots in all of these areas enhances your value to the organization and helps advance your career.”
Benefits of Mentors and Networking
In addition to Walter’s manager of over seven years coaching her when she was curious about different elements of an event, Walter regularly taps into the collective knowledge of the Corporate Event Marketing Association’s 500+ members. In fact, the association is important enough to her that she became a board member three years ago and began serving as CEMA’s president in January.
“The first time I attended a CEMA event about six years ago, I was struck by the number of event leaders who were directors and vice presidents of technology, finance and other companies,” Walter said. “I think being in their shoes and hearing how they handled events from a portfolio-wide perspective really helped shape my thinking and make me say, ‘I can do this too.'” If you Without exposure to this level of thinking, it’s difficult to understand all the pieces needed to achieve this goal. “
To advance, “it’s critical to recognize gaps in your skills and pursue educational opportunities to fill those gaps,” she adds. “For me, a lot of that comes from peer-to-peer connections because events are one of the fastest-paced, fastest-growing channels within a marketing organization. The perspective of your peers keeps you ahead of the curve.”
As for becoming a leader in an organization’s events department, “there are a lot of opportunities for planners as the broader business world changes,” Walter says. For example, “Not too long ago, the role of event technologist didn’t exist. But now, it’s an important position on almost every event team. A digital strategy is an absolute must.”
Overall, “it’s important to continually push yourself to grow by connecting with others who have similar responsibilities as well as higher-level responsibilities.”
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