We asked our master speakers a few questions to introduce themselves to Eventex Congress 2015 attendees. In the following weeks we’ll share what they said about themselves and the dynamic Event and Meeting industry they’re daily involved in!
Meet Linda Pereira, CEO of L&I Communications Group and one of the most influential voices in the Meeting Industry. Her company provides 24/7 support services for worldwide conference registration and information management from the comfort of her Lisbon office. Linda summarized for Eventex Team her far-reaching expertise in our interview:
How does your job relate to the event industry?
I am the CEO of a group of companies serving the Meeting Industry. One is an Association Management Company with various management responsibilities of 52 Associations; another is a pure PCO – Professional Congress vast range of skilled and qualified professionals for the Meeting Industry, and also running 3 master degrees in 3 different universities in strategic meeting management.
What are your most important duties?
As the CEO of the Group I am responsible for all areas of the Group. As the Executive Director of the PCO (CPL Events), in addition to managing the company I am also responsible for marketing strategies and bidding for international events.
How do you describe your work style?
I lead my company through example and through clear guidelines for excellence, which I transmit to my team. We create business units and each of them targets what they work to achieve while they’re free to create their own favorite partnerships with the industry. I do not micro-manage but am always aware of what my teams are doing and make it a point of being ahead of the market knowledge-wise. I place great value on networking, forging industry-wide relationships, giving back to the community and continuous on-going education.
What are you most known for?
I am extremely competitive and as such I am very strategic about bidding and competing for events. I try to keep my average at winning 8 out 10, at least. At a recent event I was referred to as the Cristiano Ronaldo of the meeting industry because of that!
I have 2 nicknames in the industry:
Destination Diva – because I love second-tier destinations and discovering emerging destinations.
Also Rob Davidson once called me the “networking queen” and that title has remained with me to this day, and I’m often invited to speak on strategic networking.
I speak a few languages and that makes my life in communication much easier. I have recently won an award in the USA for the best global marketing campaign for an international meeting.
What is the biggest professional risk you have taken?
I have taken so many, that it is difficult to choose an example…
Moving to a Latin country and being a businesswoman in a men-only business environment.
Growing a company, keeping a marriage going for 30 years and having two children.
Creating own events, which I believed the market needs and also working on risk-sharing models with my clients when I want to convince them that we can do a better job than they can do on their own.
How do you see the growth in the European event market?
I believe that the meeting and event industry is here to stay and will grow exponentially over the next 10 years as people more and more need to connect and create a sense of tribe…edutainment is the future and technology will be the tool and the enhancer, not the substitute. However, the planners and suppliers will have to become more creative, more knowledgeable about communication and education.
What do you like the most about Eventex Congress 2015?
The variety of topics and the very diverse speakers announced so far… I am also curious to see how much the destination has changed since I was last there 5 years ago.
Can you give us a brief outline of what you are presenting at Eventex Congress 2015?
I am going to speak about Sponsorship and communicating with the corporate world. The last few years have changed everything about our business and how we communicate, how we raise financing for events. I will be talking about tried and tested strategies, which have proven results, and about how things will change in the future. After all…it’s all about the money and the message!
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