My main role and responsibility are to bring in the money but it is not as simple as it seems. I have worked for many sectors/verticals and the same rule applies to each one – it’s about building a relationship and also maintaining them. It’s also about understanding your customer and what their needs are, a simple question to ask is “What are you trying to achieve at the event?” once you have determined this you can design something around their needs. Nine times out of ten you have a happy customer because they achieve what they wanted and they will also come back because they had a good experience. I am also not scared to turn my clients off events if I don’t think they will benefit them which they really do appreciate. It is also my responsibility to work closely with the conference organiser, getting them involved, letting them speak to your clients. I find a lot of my confidence about a show comes from the CO which is a very important part of selling.
I don’t know very many people who can say “I don’t mind getting out of bed to do my job”. I find my job very rewarding not only on a personnel level but also for my team. I have done this job for the past 10 years and I still love it. One of my favourite experiences is working with a company who didn’t have a huge budget so I put together a package that would show case what they do and also give them branding opportunities– one company I did this for made €8million off the back of that single event. They now spend a substantial amount of money with me across multiple events and we continue to work closely with them in growing their needs and business. That’s the key – this is not just about selling, it’s about building business relationships that develop over time and benefit both parties over time.
The benefits of working for FC are endless. The company offers you a platform and it’s up to you to take the opportunities which are endless. FC looks at your abilities and does nothing but encourage you to grow and explore your potential. You get to travel you also get to meet people from all over the world. If you are a dynamic entrepreneur then FC is the place for you – it’s the only company I know who is prepared to think out of the box!
Nina Haittingh
Head of Global Pharmaceutical Sales
