Tracy JudgePhoto: Courtesy of Soundings
How she got her start: "I have spent most of my career working for meeting planning agencies. Event technology was an integral part of every role I held. This experience gave me a 360 view of how event technology can support all aspects of events, including on-site operations, registration, hotel sourcing, strategic meetings management programs, and more.
When I started Soundings, I knew the need for event technology expertise would continue to grow at an accelerated pace. Then COVID hit and made event technology expertise a necessity at most organizations. We luckily had built strong relationships with event technology companies throughout the years, and we quickly formed partnerships that allowed industry professionals to learn various platforms and features to remain relevant in the workplace. Today, event technology specialists remain one of our most in-demand specializations."
What innovation means to her: "Innovation is the foundation of my business approach. At Soundings, we continue to innovate by prioritizing creative solutions, staying ahead of industry trends, and continually improving products or services. My innate strengths of ideation, futuristic thinking, and strategy inspire me to continuously innovate. Innovation is what keeps me excited and focused on my work!"
Memorable moments: "Our talent community, Soundings Thrive, connects with over 2,600 marketing and event professionals to understand their career and business needs. From their feedback, we created an exclusive 'Talent Showcase' event to address the demand for hands-on experience with event technology platforms, benefiting both our members and partners seeking specialized talent. Our first event featured our longtime partner, Cvent, as they first rolled out their attendee hub platform.
A team of four Soundings Thrive members gained hands-on experience with the Cvent event management platform and the new attendee hub features through the planning and execution of a successful two-day talent showcase event. They had access to both Cvent-generated resources and a dedicated support manager to help guide them through the process. With this experience, we were able to confidently staff these members on future projects that required Cvent knowledge and support a need directly voiced by our community. This is special to me because it highlighted how we can have exponential impact through strategic partnerships where everyone can win!"
The event tech advancements she's most excited for: "I am personally excited about how event technology, especially Strategic Meetings Management platforms, are enhancing capabilities to provide data that not only assists business event professionals in building agile talent solutions but provides the data needed to support the business case for their staffing plan to pitch up in their organizations. Together, efficiencies created by event technology and proper staffing for event teams are key to reducing burnout in the event industry."
What she's working on next: "A couple of years ago, we started offering 1:1 career coaching as an activation at Cvent CONNECT to give back to the industry. Through that experience, we realized there is a high demand for career coaching and support within the industry. We are currently working on a product to respond to this need and leveraging technology to enhance the experience and create community around professional growth. More to come soon!"
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