By Over the course of the EN 30underThirty programme, Exhibition News will be speaking to members of the programme about their professional journey and the causes they’re championing to shape a more inclusive, forward-thinking industry.
This week, we meet Lucie Morigeon, senior marketing executive at William Reed.
What made you want to get involved in the industry and why?
As much as I would like to say it wasn’t, it was actually an industry I stumbled across by accident. It was my first job after leaving university and I wanted to find a role within an industry that gave something back and delivered value to people.
It makes me laugh now as my friends and family have always said that I was destined to work in events… mostly because of my ‘Type A’ personality, the fact that I’m the organiser of pretty much every trip and having any excuse to make a to-do list!
What is the first career highlight that comes to mind?
There have been many highlights for me in this role, but I will never forget standing on the top of the William Reed stand in the middle of the NEC seeing the first show I worked on come to life.
Never actually seeing it built before, it was so rewarding to know that all the hard work had amounted to this. The shows have got bigger and better each year, but for me nothing will beat seeing it for the first time.
What have you learned about yourself since entering the events world?
One thing I’ve learned over time is just how resilient I’ve become. Working in events has taught me to stay calm and adaptable when things don’t go to plan, as there’s often a solution to be found even under tight deadlines.
What has surprised me most is that I genuinely enjoy problem-solving in those situations – it’s given me a lot more confidence in my ability to handle unexpected situations thrown my way and perform under pressure.
If you could give your younger self one piece of advice when starting out in events, what would it be?
My advice would be that not everything needs to be perfect, so don’t beat yourself up too much.
How important are schemes such as EN30under30 and do you believe the industry does enough to support young professionals?
Schemes such as EN30under30 are a great opportunity to shine a spotlight on emerging talent across the industry and follow their professional development.
While I believe that the industry does offer development and growth opportunities, I feel like more could be done to support young professionals in the early part of their careers. For example more networking and collaborative opportunities to help forge long-term relationships and build upon existing skillsets.
How do you see the events industry changing over the next five years, and how do you want to be part of that change?
I believe the use of AI is – and will continue to be over the next five years – a powerful tool in the events industry, supporting the planning and implementation of events across the globe. As much as I will continue to embrace the use of AI in my role, I feel that there are just some things AI cannot replace – notably in-person events and making connections face-to-face, particularly since COVID.
What is an issue or topic within the industry that you think is important and want to champion? Can you explain a bit about it?
There is a growing importance for the events industry to be more accessible and inclusive, and rightly so! As a department, we want to try and do more. We have done a lot of work on this recently to drive major change within our events, which I feel is a really important topic to address.
Why is this particular issue or topic important to you?
I think as organisers, we have an obligation to our visitors, exhibitors, contractors and colleagues etc to provide an inclusive, safe and respectful environment for everyone.
I see people online explaining situations they’ve encountered that have dampened their experiences – not necessarily in the events space, but even so – I would never want someone to walk out of an event I’ve helped organise feeling that way.
What do you plan to do to continue to champion the topic?
As a team, we’ll continue to make improvements to our events to ensure they are as inclusive and accessible as possible. From identifying website enhancements to on-site experience improvements and our registration process, there’s always more that can be implemented.
I’m also keen to network with fellow event organisers to understand what practices they’re implementing related to accessibility and inclusivity to further improve our practices, but to also drive positive change within the events industry.
What can the industry itself do to better champion this topic?
I think there are quite a few small things we could be doing that can have a great impact. Even from just knowledge sharing across organisers, for example understanding what initiative have or haven’t worked. That could be through regular catch ups or networking events/conferences that give professionals the opportunity to come together and share insights.e meet Lucie Morigeon, senior marketing executive at William Reed.
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