As part of our services which support patients throughout the clinical trial journey, mdgroup organises and manages investigator meetings and site training to ensure all clinical staff are properly trained in the protocol.
While in the past this has involved travel and logistics for events across the world, over the last few months we’ve found ourselves in a completely new and unprecedented situation.
To ensure our clients can continue their trials, we’ve been busy facilitating virtual meetings – discovering and implementing the latest in online meeting and audience engagement technologies.
As we wait until it’s safe to get back together with our teams and clients, our Events Services Team are continuing to evolve and adapt to this “new normal”. So, we wanted to take the opportunity to introduce you to them in a series of mini interviews.
Today, we speak to Kate Ellis, Senior Digital Project Manager, Event Services.
Kate joined mdgroup recently, in August 2020, to advance our event and audience technology for virtual, face-to-face and hybrid meetings.
Kate has a strong background in events, having worked in events agencies across the UK as an Account Manager and Event Tech Lead. After that, she worked as a freelancer pioneering advancements in Event Tech as meetings and events continued evolving down this route.
We’re delighted to welcome Kate to the mdgroup team and introduce you to her!
Hi Kate! What’s your favourite city to meet for an event and why?
It’s a tough call to pin down my favourite cities and places to meet for an event because I’ve been to so many glorious countries with breath-taking locations and venues over the years. Though, I have narrowed it down to some of my faves so I can share them with you.
For my favourite city, I would have to say Venice. There really is nowhere else like it in the whole world! It’s a world on water, and although that brings challenges of its own when running events there, for me nothing quite matches its beauty and uniqueness.
What’s your favourite events venue to have worked in, and why?
The Montauk Yacht Club Resort and Marina in the Hamptons outside New York City. Waking up to the beautiful sunrise over the glistening sea was something I will never forget. The peace and tranquillity it bought to me to wake up and watch the world go by, to take in nature in all its abundance before the day began, was truly moving. Getting back to nature and appreciating all the beauty and endless opportunity that surrounds us every day is so incredibly important.
What’s a new skill you’ve learnt during lockdown?
I started my very own cake business – JUST KAKES – from home! I wanted to bring people happiness and spread kindness whilst the world felt like it had been flipped upside down. It’s been a brilliant success, but as I was the ‘only chef in the kitchen’ things got busy quickly!
I therefore had to learn a lot in a very short space of time around creating efficiencies and alleviating any manual tasks which could be automated or digitally driven to allow me to focus more on other areas of my business. This included developing a ‘JUST KAKES Letterbox Bakes’ postal option, which meant I could expand my service area and spread happiness further afield!
The pandemic really has given me (and I’m sure many others!) a different perspective on life and appreciation for all the little things we are surrounded by. Although, I miss the travel and all that comes with it. I never thought I’d say this, but I cannot wait to get back to the airport – even if it’s at an ungodly time of day and up into the sky to run even more powerful and unforgettable face to face meetings!
I’m genuinely excited to see what this pandemic has taught us all and I hope that each and every one of us has found a new appreciation for the little things in life. If nothing else, it’s proved our ultimate resilience and that together we can get through anything.
I look forward to seeing you all again in person, after all, there really is nothing like face to face interaction… bring it on!
Looking for more support with investigator meetings and site training?
We can’t wait to see you all again at events soon! In the meantime, we’ve published this helpful guide on how to run effective virtual meetings, as well as preparing for meeting again in-person with the required social distancing and hygiene measures.
Can we help you run your next virtual or in-person event?
Get in touch by emailing info@mdgroup.com
