5 Questions with Jen Mitchell

5 Questions with Jen Mitchell
Vice President, Sales, Strategic Events, Meetings & Incentives  

1. When did you start at MCI and what did you do before you started here? 

I started here June of 2022 as vice president of sales. Before that, I was out of the industry for a year and a half working in IT labor support sales for the large retail market, but before that I spent 17 years selling registration in the events market. 

 2. After taking a step back, what drew you back into the industry?  

The people. I love working within the industry. It is such a little, big world. The employees, the prospects, the clients… it’s like a family. There is a high level of complexity in this line of work, and I like to help clients in finding strategic solutions to unique challenges to create the best experience for their event’s audiences. It feels great to help find those solutions and continue to build relationships.   

 3. What keeps you motivated after so many years working in registration? 

There are so many moving parts involved to stay ahead of the curve technologically and consistently determine how to present us in the best light to retain clients and win new business. The servicing side of the job is also incredibly complex, to make sure our clients are happy, we do everything we promised, and the technology is actually functioning and working on their events.

To be successful you have to have a tremendous amount of knowledge to respond to RFPs, maintain that information internally, and transfer it to the service teams and sales folks. It’s kind of a balancing act to keep all that knowledge intact and make sure everyone gets exactly what they need. I love to keep learning new things and the fast-paced, complex environment.  

 4. What does your life look like outside of work? 

I live in a suburb of Chicago with my husband and two kids, a five-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl. Fun these days is mostly about going to parks, basketball practice, and hide-n-seek. But we do enjoy time out on our boat on Lake Michigan in the summertime. 

 5. What are you looking forward to in 2023?  

Professionally, I am excited for the release of our new platform, One System Plus. The launch of the platform opens the door for MCI to better provide registration services to a broader market, including the large, complex event market. Since my background is in this marketspace, I am looking forward to helping MCI’s convention team grow within this space.

Personally, I’m looking forward to spending time travelling to new destinations with my family and friends and I always love spending time with my kids who make me laugh (and cry 😊) every day.