Melissa Thuston, CMP, describes herself as organized, resilient and creative. Learn more about her.
What I do: I am responsible for the development, planning and overall operational execution of meetings and special events for Halliburton. I provide end-to-end meeting management in all program delivery elements utilizing standard processes and procedures to achieve client satisfaction. This includes everything from site search and selection, contract negotiation, risk and financial management to meeting design, attendee management, and onsite execution.
How I got here: After working in another profession for a couple of years after college and feeling unfulfilled, I decided I needed a change. My passion for the meetings industry began when I took a job as a meeting coordinator at KPMG LLP. I was fortunate to have an experienced and patient mentor who “taught me the ropes” and instilled a love of this profession in me.
Greatest career accomplishment: In 2018, I earned my CMP designation.
Impressive stats: Our meetings and events team has an estimated value of $6 million and a combined total cost savings of 22% for all meetings we managed in 2019.
Specific improvement I’ve made: In a previous role, I managed an Association’s annual trade show. I moved the trade show from a hotel ballroom to a convention center and increased the number of vendor booths more than 75% and the total profit by 60%.
What I am working on now: My next goal is to attain the Certified Special Events Professional (CSEP) designation, which aims to improve industry performance by providing professionals with the opportunity to develop professionally and gain expertise in the events industry.
Connect with Thuston on LinkedIn.
