Transcript
Speaker: Welcome back to Inventful Encounters. I'm Tanita and today's guest has one of those careers that makes you realise just how much invisible work is involved in the events industry and how effortless it makes them look from the outside. So today's guest is Nicole Leder from MCI UK, the global agency operating at the intersection of events, association management and strategic communications.
Speaker: And if those words sound a little bit too big, that's because the work they do really is huge. MCI don't just deliver events, they partner with associations at the deepest level, becoming the backbone of organizations that exist to connect, educate and advance their industries. So Nicole, welcome to Eventful Encounters.
Speaker: Thank you. I'm very happy to be here. It's great to have you here. So let's start a little bit about you. Let's start with your journey into the events and associations world. How did you get into it? And was this always the plan?
Speaker: Okay. um i'll I'll tell you the story and then i'll I'll answer whether or not it was the plan. So I studied and PR and advertising at university in Italy and then did a master's in event management.
Speaker: in Barcelona and that took me to the UK because I had to do a placement and the placement was in the UK at the Italian Chamber of Commerce in London. and I guess the idea back then was I'll i'll do this placement and then I'll i'll see what happens.
Speaker: But actually i ended up staying and they offered me a job after a couple of months. So I so i thought, why not? Well, it's a nice position to be in, isn't it? Exactly. And then from there, And I went on to work for the Italian, so at that point I was at the Italian Chamber of Commerce and then I went on to work for the Royal Society of Medicine in an event capacity. So at the chamber I was, I suppose I was working in events, but it was more um trade shows and um trade fairs, B2B and B2C. It was a really good introduction to events, I suppose. But then I moved on to events
Speaker: to work for the Royal Society of Medicine, where I started as an event coordinator in the academic department. So that was the department running all the medical events. um And um from then, again, really quickly, I reckon within 10 months or so, I was promoted to manager of one of the teams. And then i went on to become head of events at the Royal Society of Medicine. i I worked there for about eight years. And then moved to the National Cancer Research Institute, where I stayed for another 80 years or so. um
Speaker: Then went on maternity leave. When I came back from maternity leave, I wanted a change and there was an opportunity with MCI UK. So i ended up at MCI. And so I've kind of like worked from the association perspective, from an association in-house organiser and then moved on to an agency.
Speaker: um as ah an agency organizer, which is really helpful because often clients, and or my experience, certainly when I was the client, was that the agency counterpart didn't necessarily understand fully the context where I was coming from. was just going to say, I suppose it gives you that background knowledge. Exactly.
Speaker: Exactly. Given that that's my experience and background, i can really work with client to bring in a perspective that perhaps colleagues who've just worked in agencies don't necessarily have.
Speaker: um So it's been it's been great. ah Thank you. So for those that aren't familiar with MCI, how would you describe what you do and what sets you apart from kind of traditional normal event agencies?
Speaker: So we are an an engagement and marketing communication agency effectively. And and it I suppose in the context of the UK or agencies within the yeah UK, our advantage is that we are a global agency agency. So we have offices in many countries in the world. And what that means is that when we are working for a client that's bringing an event or or any sort of activation elsewhere, beyond the UK, we have global offices there that can support not only with local knowledge, but even with people if we need additional members of of staff there. um We have two, oh I should say three main areas. So the corporate side of the business run corporate events in and corporate engagement, the association side, which I'm part of, and then there's the DMC side under a brand called Ovation. It's a lot.
Speaker: It's a lot. It is a lot. It's interesting because obviously there's a lot of crossover around the area, especially the different areas, especially in the terms of and staff skills and experience that, you know, we can utilize across the different areas of the business.
Speaker: Within the association side of the business, what we do is events and the association management side. So I add up the association side of the business. And so typically within the business, we do both and we have individuals who might be working on one or the other or both. So there's always a lot going on, um as you can imagine. And it's quite varied and and interesting in in so many different ways because every client comes with ah a set of different and challenges and expectations and problems to solve in a way. And that's kind of like what we do, we think about how can we meet these client expectations? And what can we bring to the table based on our experience to achieve what we've set to achieve?
Speaker: Associations and kind of association management is still quite misunderstood or unknown outside of kind of the industry. and How do you usually explain it to people outside of the events and industry and outside the events world?
Speaker: so I suppose it it depends on whether it's a full mandate or part mandate. But if you think about it as um basically us running the association back office industry,
Speaker: um how could should I say, i suppose all the back office functions within an association. If you think about it as ah most associations will have memberships. So the membership function in the context of membership acquisition, membership management, ah membership engagement, and all that goes with it. So we would have individuals working on one depending on how advanced an association might be, setting up a database in the first place or um man managing that database, communicating with members, thinking about all the different touch points that members have in any given period of time. And that's one function. For some associations, we do the financial management of the actual association itself. We might do HR function if if there's a need for that. We do, obviously, I've already mentioned the marketing and comms related to membership, but more generally. So we could do things related to events specifically or any touch points related to any sort of communications that the association might might have with their their members. So even, um you know, we might run podcasts for them. We might run ah publications. We might run content on websites and emails, et cetera. So it's quite broad and quite varied. can imagine no two days are ever the same then.
Speaker: Exactly. Absolutely. And now moving on to the ESCRS story. And for anyone that doesn't know, that's the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons, which is an annual congress for one of Europe's largest medical meetings. And it brings together thousands of care professionals across the world.
Speaker: And I can imagine winning that was kind of a highlight in your career. Can you talk us through that process? Can you set the scene? What is it? What does the Congress look like? All of that kind of background stuff.
Speaker: it's Yes. So we are the association management company and PCO for ESCRS. So we run all their events and all their back office functions for them. and The ESCRS annual Congress, for which we won the best international con conference at ABCO,
Speaker: is one of the two events like yes thank you um one of the two events that we run for ESCRS, one of the two large events, because there are some smaller courses that we run too. This one specifically brings together about 15,000 people.
Speaker: This one had about 16,000, so it's it was a bit higher than average. ah So it's huge. and And certainly for me personally, it's the largest event that I've been involved in in my career.
Speaker: um As you can expect, it's very large, not only in terms of like delegate participation, but the number of sessions that run at any one point yeah is ah huge. There's an exhibition space that goes with the actual event of about 20,000 square metres. So again, massive events. and and ah a were probably more than half of it is sold as part of the exhibition. So that there will be like stands from ah medical companies and and medical devices and pharma.
Speaker: and And then the rest of it is part of, some of it is ESCRS activation. So things that we might do, we might set up museums related or of anything that is happening in that year. There's an ESCRS stand for ESCRS members. And there's a number of other areas that we build for primarily members, but anyone who attend the event. So, for example, there's a crash. There are lactations rooms that sometimes are part of the Congress Centre, but sometimes are built ad hoc in the exhibition space. So there's a lot to it. And actually, I should say there's also... One of the things that make this event one of the sought after events in the industry, when I say industry, meaning the ophthalmology industry, is the fact that there are dry and wet labs where trainees and doctors generally can come along and practice their surgical skills. So they actually have the ability to operate on pig eyes and synthetic eyes in in the dry labs and and improve their skills.
Speaker: which is not something that if you think about you know doctors who come from countries where perhaps they don't have the the ah hospitals and facilities that we have in in some countries in Europe, it's a huge advantage for them to be able to come along and train on actual pig eyes and learn, improve their skills and learn with some of the best ophthalmologists in the world who will be there to train them and give them feedback.
Speaker: as as they practice. So it's really it's a really important ah event and meeting point for ophthalmologists around the world. Yeah, can imagine. It sounds absolutely huge. How did MCI get involved in that? Was it something that you pursued or was it something that came to you naturally?
Speaker: was that process? wasn't involved back then because I wasn't working at MCI, but my understanding is that and there was a competitive approach bidding process that MCI took part in and um it was quite extensive and there was a lot that MCI had to I suppose demonstrate to to show that we were able and capable to take up such a huge mandate because it goes beyond the events there's everything else and the publications as well And and ah ah we won. so And since then, and it's been a really interesting process of, I suppose, for us understanding the client and their expectations and yeah can imagine partnering with them in a way that makes them makes us all feel like we are in it together. So it's not we are not a supplier per se. We are a partner in this journey. And we often
Speaker: bring to the table skills and expertise that they don't necessarily have internally, because um it in a way, so yes, CRS is quite unique in the sense that although they're a really large association, they only have three members of staff directly employed by them. Oh, my God. And everything else that we do is basically done by NCI. Which is why they need you. Yeah. Okay. That makes sense.
Speaker: So there's a lot of us working on this account because ah there's a lot that ESCRS does. And they have a number of volunteers, leaders working with them. It's about 200 of them. and and and they work very closely with us on specific activities and and specific specific things that but we do for them.
Speaker: But then the day-to-day management, or I suppose the day-to-day running of the association is done by MCI staff with the guidance of the volunteers yeah need and MCI and CRS staff.
Speaker: Wow, that's so interesting. So what's the, ah what's the thing that most people never see when an event like, um, ESCRS, oh my God, going to get that acronym right at some point, comes together. It sounds like a huge event, but there must be so much that goes on back behind the scenes that nobody ever sees or, you know, really pays attention to. So what part that actually happens completely behind the scene?
Speaker: Ah, that's a good question. Um, I guess there's so many different things that happen behind the scene that people don't necessarily realize. um I don't know. I can't think of one specific thing.
Speaker: um It's probably when we all come together and cry in the corner. No, we don't. We don't. Actually, for an event, this scale is impressive how everyone is very calm and collected. and And we all manage to kind of like stay calm even though there are crises like mini crises happening and at any point there's there's so many things that happen and then we kind of like there's I suppose I mean this this is the same for any event and but for an event of this case there's all of this scale there's almost like a crisis group that it is not necessarily any real crisis but even I don't know and something is not, I don't know, we say for argument's sake, we need catering outside of this room and it's not there and everyone is kicking off because they they were expecting catering two hours ago or anything like that.
Speaker: There's a crisis cell of us working together to sort it out as soon as possible, B, talk to the client about what's happening and why why is this happening and what we're doing now. And if relevant, talking externally to any external audience that might be yeah might need to know the ins and outs of what's going on, i.e., the delegates or externally on social media, et cetera, if any any sort of issue comes up and agreeing how we might go about it. So I suppose it's not dissimilar to we have similar things, these smaller events that have been involved in in running in in in the past. um
Speaker: But for this, because the scale is so big, there's also an element of triaging what we need to ah communicate further, that small cell of you know five people or so, yeah and what stays there. And and we just sort it out without anyone having to know anything about it.
Speaker: I'm sure you do it very well. Now, I can imagine working with the medical and ah scientific community brings its own dynamics. How do you manage kind of stakeholders who are world leading experts in what they do, but may have very different expectations of what an event should be? Like, how do you manage them and what their expectations are and what you can actually deliver? That's a good question. and I spent most of my career working with medical professionals, so I'm i'm quite used to...
Speaker: ah It does help. and i'm I'm used to the egos and um the expectations in a way, as much as I remember quite vividly when I was quite junior in my career at the Royal Society of Medicine and sitting in a room with committees and the chair of of that committee kind of went, you sort of like addressing me and my team, like you guys need to sort this out. And you know very disrespectful manner. And this doesn't happen anymore. And I suppose it's not necessarily just because I'm i'm more senior in my career, but I've i've made it very clear to um the people we work with that we expect respect, even though, you know, sometimes i' it doesn't necessarily happen with ESCRS and some of the clients or most of the clients that we work with now. But there is certainly sometimes or I've certainly experienced in my career where, there's almost that an expectation that what we do is not as important or of as what they do. um And we try to make it very clear at the beginning and set expectations around the fact that we we actually value their input, but they we expect them to value ours. And the relationship work if are
Speaker: exactly the relationship cant can't work if we are you know just the people who sort out the event or sort out the membership or send out an email, that can't work that way. we need They need to understand and appreciate that we've got skills that we bring to the table that they wouldn't otherwise have. And and that works. That works in ah in as much as they see the benefit, they see what we bring, and they appreciate it in in a way that perhaps, if you had asked me this question,
Speaker: 15 or 20 years ago, i would have been a bit more doubtful that there was that level of respect in the room. But but there is now. And I think it's important to to make sure that people understand that you've got a skill set and that's that's what you're bringing to the conversation. and And mutual respect should be, you know, we don't go to them and say, oh this is how you should operate on this person I.
Speaker: we don't do that. And so we don't expect them to come and tell us how to do our jobs. Fair enough. You mentioned the ABCO award earlier. So what did that mean to you personally when you found out that you'd won? and it It was great. It was great for many reasons, but specifically on that one occasion, it was the ABCO's director,
Speaker: last event effectively. And I had worked with her very closely when I was chair, of joint chair of ABCO a number of years ago. And so it meant a lot for it to happen or to to be recognized on that occasion. but um But in general, I mean, I've been a member of ABCO for a long time and I've ah participated in probably more awards that I want to remember. And in most cases,
Speaker: i or or me and my teams have been shortlisted for the final. And and it's always, you know, we haven't always won. But ah when you do win in front of that crowd, it's really quite powerful because you you feel like you're being recognised in front of your peers for work that you do and and that might be similar to what other people do. But the judges or back when it was membership voting for for the win your peers are recognising that you're doing something that goes up above and beyond.
Speaker: it's really, really powerful. And what was it about the ESCRS work that kind of stood out at that level? What do you think the judges kind of really responded to? um I think this the award was specifically for and the best best international conference. And and in the application, we really showcased how we try to engage with ah audiences beyond the UK. And ah I suppose the scale of the event is quite impressive. So that might have come into it too. ah But also there were things that we showcased in the context of sustainability and DEI and DEI agenda that ESCRS has on this specific event and how it all comes together in one massive event that we work on throughout the year. and A lot of us, and there's a lot of um a lot of things that happened alongside it. There's also like a number of smaller events within the larger events, and but also the impact that the event has beyond the actual event five days and what happens afterwards and how people continue to engage with the association. Yeah.
Speaker: I think that's really important. What happens pre post event as well is just as important as the actual event time you've kind hit the nail on head there. So let's talk about something that the industry doesn't always talk about openly, balance. Running events at this scale can be, oh well, very time consuming, very all consuming. How do you actually protect what matters to you outside of work?
Speaker: So I've always been quite strict in my career in the sense that i I've always looked at, you know, this is a job in the end and it's a job I love, but it's not my life. There's other things in my life. and And therefore, to make sure that this, that sometimes can be really, you know, high pressured and a high volume and a lot of like things that come in last minute, and I've always been quite clear that, you know, unless it's a life or death situation, which in most cases isn't, and then I need to say stop.
Speaker: So, you know, there are, i I obviously try to be flexible around, um you know, there are times where it's not a nine to five job, right? So we need to be appreciative of the fact that, you know, that if you are on site, you might have a 12 hour day and that's the way it is.
Speaker: and But beyond that, on a day-to-day basis, if my working hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., those are my working hours. I don't take meetings after that time. and If there's any immediate need to you know respond, then i will respond to an email. But you know say for another example, I don't work on Fridays. So if people ask to meet me on a Friday, I say, sorry, I don't work on a Friday. And you know, sometimes I guess it's setting and expectations for ourselves that then people in the team almost like recognise and then say, OK, well, it's OK then if I don't take a call after six. And often when we work with medical professionals, um there's no other way because they have a day job and therefore we have to have calls in the evening and stuff.
Speaker: But if we do have, if we do do that, then it's always trying to balance, you know, okay, so in that case, I'll take some time off the following day or or whenever, because we need to recognize that, you know, we have lives beyond work. and And for us to work as individuals, we need to take care of ourselves before we can do anything else. So it's important that we are quite strict in in the way in which we manage as that balance between work and everything else.
Speaker: Absolutely. It's all about setting boundaries and being strict with them, I think, at the end of the day. So if someone is listening to this and they're an event planner, an association professional, or someone just trying to figure out if this job is for them, what's the one thing that you'd want them to take away and to really try and focus on to make sure that they have a really strong work-life balance?
Speaker: um It's... Being organized, quite frankly, i plan my life on lists and and calendars. So I block time off my calendar, even if it's like, I don't know, I'm going swimming at lunchtime. There's ah an hour blocked for swimming. And so no one can put a meeting in. They know that I'm not available. So there's things like this. And And even sadly, beyond work, I tend to plan accordingly. So I know that whenever we are going to be away, if something is coming up, it's in my diary. So I know it's coming up. So that's that's the only way for me personally that I can make it work so that I know there are times where things are going to be busier and there are times where things are going to be slightly less so. And so I can plan accordingly and based on that, flex my time. If I need to work longer or do things differently, then I know that a busy period is coming up and and that's how i I'm going to manage it. I also tend to, when I come in on a Monday morning, I look at what's coming up for that week. I see if anything is still essential and needs to happen that week, especially if anything has come in, it has become more urgent or more important. um and I reshuffle things around based on that.
Speaker: Every day at the end of the day, I check what's happening tomorrow. What do I need to do? is still Everything is still you know going ahead or as planned, or can I move things around if necessary? And the same goes every day until I get to the end of the week, and then I start again. So it's um it's being organized. And I guess if you've if you have a background, I mean, I don't personally run events anymore at this point in my career, but if you have a background in running events, this is not going to be, you know, it's quite familiar to people who run events. They know that that's the way you work. And and that's, you know, the the way i I tend to plan my my life and certainly my work life, but sometimes it goes beyond the work life as well.
Speaker: Thank you. Thank you so much for joining us today, Nicole. and Finally, before we go, where can people find you and find out more about MCI? um I'm on LinkedIn, so you can find me on LinkedIn with my name, so Nicole Lida. MCI, you can find us if you Google MCI or MCI UK, you'll come across either our global website or our um UK website. We are also on all major social media platforms, so if you type in mci uk or mci you'll you'll find us and you can get in touch that way thank you thanks nicole and thank you for joining us thank you as always to stay up to date with all things eventful encounters follow us on instagram facebook and linkedin and you can catch eventful encounters on all your usual podcast platforms spotify amazon amazon and apple thank you bye
