Coaching and Mentoring
Supporting a team through a high-profile project
One of Kay’s regular clients took up a new role with a well-known, pet health company and found herself responsible for the organisation of the company’s biennial scientific meeting – a highly regarded event in the scientific community.
Without an event management background and with an in-house team inexperienced with this type of meeting, she asked Kay to mentor the team through the planning and delivery of the project.
Client
Global pet health company
Locations
São Paulo
Chicago
Responsibilities
Assess the project needs and the team’s experience
Create a coaching and mentoring plan
Set up day-to-day working processes and key documents
Guide the team to the delivery of a successful event
The Background
The anticipated attendance at the event was 250 pet nutrition specialists. Originally scheduled for São Paulo, the conference was transferred at short notice to Chicago for business reasons.
The event followed the same format as an international medical Congress:
2.5 days of plenary, break-out and poster sessions
Submitted abstracts
Self-funded delegates and invited speakers
Evening reception and networking event
Conference dinner
The Role
Kay was a freelance consultant on the project. She worked with the team throughout the 18-month lead-up to the event.
To start the process, Kay set up and led a kick-off meeting for the company’s full project team:
Event Planners
Medical Director
Marketing Manager
Finance Team
Admin Support
The objective was to:
Review the meeting objectives and parameters
Agree roles and responsibilities
Establish timelines and working methods
Kay worked closely with the events team at every stage of the project development:
Coaching them through the pre-event and on-site management
Developing key project documents
Reviewing supplier proposals and contracts
Advising on venue selection, catering, room layout and technical requirements
With her broad range of meetings’ experience, Kay was able to give the team a clear overview of all the moving parts of the project. She knew the likely pitfalls and the questions to ask at each planning stage. She guided the team through key meetings and tricky negotiations.
Despite the late change of venue, the meeting attracted a higher than anticipated audience and exceptional feedback from attendees. The processes, key learnings and document templates were developed into a ‘Best Practice’ resource to support the development of future events.
What They Said
“Kay acted as consultant and mentor to me whilst organising an international science conference this year. Her breadth of knowledge, experience and eye for those key details is exceptional. Kay was a pleasure to work with and I look forward to the next opportunity to work with her.”
Development Project Manager
“Thank you for your support on the meeting. We would have been lost without you. Your calm and methodical approach helped to steady our nerves and made sure that we stayed on schedule and got everything done properly. You have given us an excellent skill set for future meetings.”
Scientific Director