Written by In August 2010, I will be celebrating my five year anniversary of my second IQPC career (hello Raymond Weil watch!). I first joined IQPC in 1995 and my relationship with the company has outpaced just about any relationship I’ve had outside my family (and they’re stuck with me). I’ve worked in four different IQPC offices and worn many hats including: selling sponsorship, managing teams, producing conferences, developing large scaled events and leading internal training classes.
So, why do I stay so long, and what is it that I like most about the company?
I witnessed and participated in huge corporate growth/evolution especially with the development of event sponsorship and telesales efforts. IQPC is a global company that not only weathered tough economic times in 2009 but emerged from a position of growth and strength based on: strong focus on product development/execution, solid competitive strategy, bottom-line focus, and a customer-centric culture.
As the sector leader and producer of conferences and large scaled events, I work with many internal departments including: marketing, telesales, pdf downloads, customer service and sponsorship. Everything revolves around the product; it is my role to engage the team and create a killer product so that my colleagues can be successful.
I find that every day is a learning experience at IQPC. I went to a top business school that focused on Case Study education where we would read about companies and then be lectured not by the company but by a Professor. Well at IQPC I am not only constantly learning about companies/business trends– straight from the company – but I am also finding the stories! I am creating major events that bring together speakers, delegates and sponsors providing them with an unsurpassed educational and networking opportunity to improve their profits and enhance their personal development. There’s nothing better than delivering your Producer Opening Remarks at a large event and looking at the sea of people and saying “Wow I did this; I brought these people together.”
Finally, one of my favorite things about IQPC is that you can literally take ownership of your role – turn it into something powerful and work relatively independently. My role goes far beyond producing conferences. I have taken on many related endeavors including: developing and leading advisory boards, hosting live internet based radio shows, interviewing keynote speakers, conducting on-site reporting, attending competitive events as a member of the press, and participating on the Board of Directors for CustomerManagementIQ.
I truly appreciate the big opportunities for those people that want to work hard and participate in the evolution.
Lisa Schulman, Sector Leader and Senior Producer, IQPC NY