We’re back with another installment of “A day in the life,” a series of interviews with our clients.
We want to share a bit about the professionals we work with in order to showcase the wonderful variety of skills and experiences that the people who work in the events industry bring to the table.
I recently sat down with our client Diane Tiberio, Director of Conference & Marketing with Reed Exhibitions, to ask her about her job, some of her challenges, and of course, what super power would she want to possess.
How long have you been at Reed Exhibitions?
Over 26 years [and boy how time flies!]
How did you come to marketing as your profession?
One of my first jobs out of college was with a consumer products company working in their Corporate Communications department. Our group produced annual reports and corporate statements/releases to the media. I worked with the photographers to select products and confirm set locations for brand photos needed to support corporate messaging.
What’s your favorite part of your job?
The connection to the people I work with, in particular, the newer marketing associates. It’s fun to hear their thoughts and ideas to keep things fresh. They learn from me and I learn from them.
What would you say is one thing about your job that you have to know or be good at that no one else knows or maybe realizes?
How to connect the dots…you have to be able to connect the dots for yourself, your management team and your staff. You need to do it every day and have to be relentless; it’s the only way to push ahead and keep growing professionally.
Vision Expo stages TWICE a year; what’s the biggest challenge associated with that?
We’d like to shift out of two 4-month campaign cycles and produce a 365-day-a-year program. It’s hard to break that cycle in terms of producing marketing pieces and the infrastructure needed to support year-round platforms vs. 12-week campaign cycles.
What do you think are the most important things in promotion and staging an event?
Audience acquisition is key focus. Not just targeting the right kind of buyer for our exhibitors but ensuring they set appointments before they arrive, RSVP to attend networking events to enhance their experience, and register for education sessions so they have a memorable experience—all of which will differentiate us from other events.
If you could have a magical/super power while you’re on-site what would it be?
A ‘Big Data Brain’! I have so many great conversations that can change our event and improve the customer experience. It would be great if I could have even greater recall; it’s always about connecting the dots.