Jacquelyn Wells, Senior Vice President, of mdg
Hometown: Suwanee, GA
University of Education: San Diego State University + University of San Diego (MBA)
How long have you been an IAEE member? 14 years
IAEE Chapter: Southeastern Chapter
How did you start your career in this industry?
I had been working abroad in the UK and moved home to be closer to family. I wanted to work for an agency and was intrigued by mdg, having a niche focus in the event industry. I was hired in 2007 and have been working with the agency ever since. I love working with such diverse clients and helping them with their goals and challenges. I’ve helped clients in the pet and baking industries to robotics and healthcare — there really is an event for every industry! Delivering people (or eyeballs) to events is very black and white — they either attend or they don’t. The fact that I can measure the outcomes of my efforts so clearly, combined with the opportunity to be creative and work across so many different sectors is what feeds my soul and has kept me at mdg for so long! I also love the energy from being on-site at an event and seeing the fruits of my labor in action.
How has IAEE shaped your career?
IAEE has been a great resource to stay connected to the industry. I have had the honor of speaking at IAEE events and enjoy meeting like-minded professionals. I am also a voracious consumer of all the research IAEE provides as part of my membership. It helps us ground our marketing campaigns with actionable data and key insights.
What advice would you give to a new member?
My advice to new members is to leverage the resources available. There’s so much value from the connections, education, research and other resources–but only if you take advantage of them.
What do you like most about your chapter?
I moved from San Diego to Atlanta in 2015. Having a local chapter here has allowed me to meet new people in the industry and stay connected, especially as a remote worker. They have been extremely kind and welcoming.
How do you use CEIR research, and what reports have you downloaded?
My role is focused around attendee acquisition, so I am an avid reader of many of the CEIR reports: Attendee ROI playbook, global trends, head of marketing insights series and many more. mdg is more than a creative agency — at our core, we’re a strategic consulting firm. Staying on top of trends, research and event data is critical for our work and the value that we deliver to our event clients.
Without using a specific company name, what new technology on the market can you just not live without? Why?
We recently invested in a social listening product that has been integral in helping us develop our buyer journey maps and keep a pulse on what’s happening within our client’s respective industries. We can identify the conversations our audience is having, and we can become part of the dialogue. It gives us a whole new level of relevance and exposure by tapping into those narratives. We also recently brought in an influencer platform. We’re able to use the technology to identify and attract influencers within our client’s respective industries. Influencers are becoming a much larger channel for our campaigns and we’re seeing great results and ROI.
