Written by This month we sat down with Richard, one of our Senior Conference Producer’s to find out more about his career at IQPC and what he enjoys about this challenging role…
How long have you been with IQPC and what do you do here?
I’ve been with IQPC as a Senior Conference Producer since September 2021, working across a range of portfolios including Pharmaceutical, Operational Excellence & Shared Services. My responsibility, in a nutshell, is to research, curate and deliver exceptional events that help those working in a given industry to solve their most pressing challenges. That means collaboration, collaboration, collaboration! I spend my day speaking with people from all over the world to see how we can deliver real value – and then working with my colleagues at IQPC to make that happen. It’s incredibly dynamic and rewarding work, where each day I get to see the impact of my own efforts as well as that of the wider team.
What is your favourite thing about working at IQPC?
You are given so much control and freedom over how you drive the success of any given campaign. Intellectual curiosity and creative thinking are encouraged, as is sharing new insights and lessons learnt with the wider team. There’s a real sense that everybody has a valuable contribution to make if given the time, space and tools required to succeed. Whenever I’ve hit a wall, or run low on ideas, I’ve always been able to turn to another member of the team for inspiration or guidance. It means I can be more ambitious for my events, more courageous in my approach and more effective in my execution. Teamwork makes the dream work!
What has your experience been with our company culture?
The culture here is so inclusive. We all celebrate each other’s individual success and appreciate that this contributes to a wider collective success. This contributes to a mutual appreciation for what each person brings to a campaign – and some real gratitude! I know that no matter how much time and effort I put into a campaign, it will amount to nothing without the skill and dedication of my colleagues. That makes me want to be a better conference producer – to learn not only from my own efforts but from the efforts of others. I know for sure that the communities we serve appreciate this about IQPC – that we go the extra mile, are in this business for the right reasons, and do everything in our power to be a pleasure to work with.
What have been your biggest accomplishment while on our team?
I’m proud to have played my own part in our transition back to physical events, putting some deep thinking into what the value is behind a physical event post-pandemic and translating that into experience on-site. My agendas have become a lot more collaborative in style, with space crafted for longer panel discussions and interactive discussion groups. This always feel a little risky: what if the discussion doesn’t spark up? What if there’s a feeling of dead space at the event? But being able to step back at the event and see the discussion buzzing, seeing that you were right to trust that if you provided the platform your delegates would seize the opportunity to collaborate with each other, that’s truly rewarding. We’re moving from a speaker / delegate model to a participatory model, where our role is not so much about filling space but rather creating space. That’s harder than it sounds! It takes a lot of thought, structuring and collaboration. But seeing it work out has seen me at my happiest in this role, knowing that you’ve delivered something truly valuable to participants.
How have you grown professionally since joining us?
The fundamentals of being a conference producer require that you put together a well-researched, solution-orientated agenda with some great speakers that the market will appreciate. But with IQPC, that’s only the beginning of the story! I’ve learned so much about what it is to communicate the product to the market, to continually evolve it, to drive a delegate acquisition and sponsorship campaign. I’ve learned how to make decisions on budgeting and resource management, on how to lead briefing meetings and work across different departments to drive the success of any given campaign. Fundamentally, I think and act more holistically – with a greater awareness about what constitutes as a valuable contribution from myself on a campaign. This means my events are better than they otherwise would have been – and are more valuable to the community they serve.
What are you looking forward in the future?
There has never been a more exciting time to work in the events space. Industries across the world are grappling with enormous challenges as we come out of the pandemic. The pace of technological change is exhilarating. The world as we know it is changing before our eyes and working in conference production not only allows you to view some of those challenges from up close, but actively contribute to overcoming them. It’s all about getting the right people in the right room at the right time – and you’re one of the key people who make it happen.