Pros
To me, culture and the people are paramount to a good and enjoyable working environment. In saying that, I am very fortunate to have found such an amazing group of people and work culture at IQPC! It is by comparison to my last job a truly genuine supportive environment where you are encouraged to learn by doing and learn from your mistakes. Management understands that you have a life outside of work. They value work life balance and encourage you to go home to recharge your batteries at the end of each day.
Being a conference producer involves a well rounded assemblage of skills so it calls for a lot of variety, creativity and resilience. It can be a little scary at first, from your first cold call to the first event you run on-site. However it really lets you explore your abilities and stretch beyond your comfort zone to establish a more assertive, determined and open-minded 'you'.
Besides having more variety in my role and being among people-people (a big plus for me!), I really enjoy writing my conference programs and being on-site networking with speakers and delegates. You really get that face-to-face time with clients which was lacking in my previous role as an accountant.
Work hard play hard is the unsaid motto here and job satisfaction is a definite for me. The most exciting part besides seeing all my hard work unfold on-site would probably be waiting for my designed brochure presented aesthetically on paper. But of course, nothing beats that first "ding" signifying your first delegate booking!
Cons
I can only see more pros than cons based on my experience. This job is fast-paced and can sometimes be stressful because you may encounter the unexpected and uncontrollable. The best advice I can give here is to have a contingency plan and learn some resilience which would help alleviate the pressure. But what's work satisfaction without a little challenge? :)