The Business Travel People Awards
Caroline Medcalf of NYS Corporate was named Meetings and Events Manager of the Year at The Business Travel People Awards 2017
Tell us about your career in the industry... I’ve worked in conferences and events for over 20 years, across a variety of sectors and roles including hotels and agencies. I joined NYS Corporate eight years ago to build and launch our Event Management division. The division has been hugely successful and while managing its growth, I’ve also been hands-on in the dayto-day management of events.
What do you particularly enjoy about your role? Events are demanding creatures and they require long – and sometimes unsociable – hours, so you have to love them. I enjoy the variety, creativity and the satisfaction I get from doing a great job for clients. You could be managing a series of pharma client roadshows across Europe one week, and a one-off event for 50 engineers the next. I’m lucky because I get involved in the end-toend process, from pitching ideas to the client and creative development, through to on-site team management and post-event analysis and insights.
How did you feel about winning an accolade at The People Awards? I was so thrilled and it genuinely felt like an accolade for the whole team, because you can’t be a good event manager without a great team. I am also proud to win in the year that the meetings and events categories became part of the awards. It feels like I’m part of a real market shift in recognising that meetings and events are at the heart of so much travel.
What will the award mean for your career? I’m customer facing so it’ll help raise awareness of an amazing events team that has grown organically in line with our business requirements.
What do you think of The Business Travel People Awards? It’s great to be part of awards that recognise teams and individuals – not just the companies. It showcases some of the great personalities around and helps them shine, while recognising their contributions to the entire industry. It’s well organised too, and that’s no mean feat!
The Business Travel People Awards recognise outstanding individuals and teams across all aspects of the supplier element of corporate travel management whose professionalism and business excellence make them stand out from their industry peers. The 2018 awards open on December 1
What advice would you give to others entering The People Awards? Do it! You have everything to gain from letting people know how committed you are to the industry and customers. I already plan to enter my team in 2018. And the winners’ trip is the icing on the cake. Who wouldn’t want a five-star VIP trip to Abu Dhabi?
What do you think are the industry’s greatest challenges currently? The industry has many opportunities to improve, from enhancing crisis management within events, to building greater relationships in emerging markets. And with technology evolving daily, there are boundless chances to use innovations to improve the experiences of bookers and event delegates.
I'm proud to win because it feels like I'm part of a real market shift in recognising that meetings and events are at the heart of so much business travel”