Experience
Events and Exhibits
As Manager of an Event Services group, I oversaw a team that helped deliver more than 500 events. That kind of experience is priceless, and the time spent out on the road to assist helped to transform me into a savvy traveling professional. I bought my first pedometer in New Orleans (long before they were given out as promotional items), where the walk from the Riverside Hilton thru the Mall to the Exhibit Hall is well over a mile. It’s always amazing to see how a convention hall is transformed from bare concrete floors into a completely new environment. Even though I know what it takes to make that happen, there’s still something magical about seeing it all come together. I think that’s why I will always be hooked on events.
Product Management
I learned about Product Management from some of the best marketers in the world during the time I spent with the Global Brand Management teams of AquaFresh, Contac, and Tums. I was very lucky to be part of the team that created the Marketing Leadership Program - a worldwide training program that was used to communicate best practices and standardize the product marketing efforts of all the brands at SmithKline Beecham (now GlaxoSmithKline). I traveled to many locations around the world with the training team and it was an experience I will never forget.
Marketing Strategy
I have always been goal-oriented and I get great satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment from being able to see the results of a great plan. One of my strengths is my ability to visualize a plan in ways that make it possible to be clearly communicated. I enjoy working with teams to agree upon goals, to avoid the pitfalls and find ways to objectively measure the impact.
Analytics
If you can measure it, you can manage it. Recently I've created a number of applications that help measure interactions at events. Marketers have always needed a dashboard to measure exhibit effectiveness. SimpleSwipe is a sophisticated system dedicated to that purpose. It tracks 500 different attributes about presentation content and attendee behavior. The real-time reports that can be generated are literally packed with information.
Startups
It’s always been inspiring to me to see how creative entrepreneurs have made their marks. I’ve been lucky to have the opportunity to work with many startups and I enjoy the challenge of wearing the many hats that are required to make a small organization grow into a success.
Media
My favorite thing to do is create - so I’ve always had a fond place for any ways to be able to express a thought or idea. I enjoy working with visual tools (such as Adobe’s Illustrator and Photoshop), audio and video editing.
Internet / Interactive Technology
I started using computers long before they were “cool”. I learned a great deal about programming, database management, networking, user-interface design and of course, trouble-shooting.
eCommerce
There’s no better way to understand eCommerce than by building, launching and managing your own online store. Most stores are complicated (cart technology, secure certificates, payment gateways and credit card clearinghouses require a great deal of administration). I have managed a number of those and I know the hurdles that have to be overcome in order to launch a site.
