IQPC reviews

My first introduction to the world of IQPC was through their comprehensive induction program. This set the tone for my entire tenure with the organization, which truly values training and development and the delivers on it's promise - something that I now value and practice. For the capable amongst us, this laid the foundation for stellar career advancement opportunities, as the business was in constant need of talent. This meant I was fast-tracked into management at a local office level, then a small regional group, through to a large regional office remit in a little over 7 years. The overseas experience in particular delivered invaluable business and cultural exposure that in turn fueled my career trajectory. Of course this went both ways; whilst I gained deep and wide business exposure, the company was able to spread my talents across multiple locations. Win-win. Another dimension rounding out my tactical skills was the relative transparency over the financial aspects of the business. This put accountability squarely on everyones shoulders, as the numbers to be achieved (and the progress towards them) were plain for all to see. All this added up to a true meritocracy, free of politics and favoritism for the most part, which is surprising given it's essentially a family-run business. The environment is without a doubt one of the most challenging and fast paced, with numbers - profit in particular - being the company mantra. However, in my opinion, that's what where the secret to their success lies. We all knew what we were striving for and knew we'd be rewarded well for achieving it.

IQPC was my first job and like many others I'm sure, thought that I would only be in the job for a year - maybe two at the most. In fact, within my first few months of joining SARS hit and about a third of the office ended being retrenched. It was not a pleasant experience, however, due to the economic crisis stuck it out. And was I glad I did! There are hardly any jobs out there that give you real exposure to P&L and what you do each day impacts the business. You can visibly make a difference to how your conference is developed, sold and marketed which gives you great satisfaction. You are not only accountable for your decisions, but responsibility is entrusted to you. Additionally, what always got me going was researching what made industries tick - I was able to research into pharma, oil & gas, telcos, HR for example and gave me access to business leaders I would not have had a chance to meet otherwise. And talk about turning up on the first day of your conference and having people shake your hand for putting on such an excellent event they enjoyed - priceless! IQPC has an extremely dynamic work culture where you work and play hard. It is a very flat structure so getting face time with the MD or senior-level folks is very easy. You will meet extremely talented and intelligent people who because of the high work pace usually have a sense of humour as a given. Training and development are also focused on which is unusual in the commercial conference industry and IQPC is one of the few companies I know that have a dedicated training Academy to set you up to succeed. There is also the opportunity to travel to the events you run or even within the organisation. I was lucky to have worked in a number of global offices in Europe, US and Asia. I'll not kid you - the work is hard and pace is punishing, but the rewards are unmatched. Profit share is excellent and conferences are one of the few business models where on a first time launch you can aim for a 60% GP margin which translates into a nice cheque for you. Ideally, you must be someone that thrives on working at light speed, hitting deadlines, smashing sales targets and ultimately believe and are passionate about conferences as a means for industry to connect, get updated on latest trends and do business.