We are thrilled to share that M&IW CEO Tina Madden has been named a 2022 Smart Women in Meetings Award winner by Smart Meetings! These awards, divided into seven categories, recognize 100 leaders for shaping the events industry in new and exciting ways—and inspiring those around them while they’re at it! Unsurprisingly, Tina was named to the Visionary category.

“Visionaries paved the way for all of us as groundbreaking leaders,” said Smart Meetings. “The demonstrated a fearless approach to the craft, and they reached back to clasp the hands of others following their path.”

In Tina’s Words

“I’m honored and humbled to be a recipient of this award,” said Tina. “This is a story about and recognition for our entire team at M&IW. It is for everyone that worked hard to reinvent our business. Thank you for your dedication and bravery.”

Check out Tina’s Q&A as featured in Smart Meetings below, and join us in celebrating all the winners. Thank you for your inspiring dedication to the industry!

Describe your purpose in three words.

Family, Service, Perseverance

What fuels your fierce approach to career and life?

My passion is to serve, make people feel special, and capitalize on the power of human energy through connection and engagement.

How have you pounced on opportunities during challenging times?

We kicked into high gear immediately and were eager to learn, build, and guide customers. We rallied around momentum and resilience instead of fear and negativity.

Practically overnight, our team learned new disciplines, from virtual event production to engagement strategies to keeping up with Covid-19 safety protocols that vary by region and even venue. They gained a more diverse skillset, a deeper understanding of the participant journey, and new technology solutions.

They also showcased our ability and competitive advantage to be agile. They swiftly cross-trained digital producers, moderators, and tech support—they even worked through the night on complex global events. We grew our team of virtual platform developers and web designers within months.

The team dove in with courage and vulnerability—testing more than 80 different technologies and piloting on our own internal events. They coached speakers, managed rehearsals, supported branding and messaging, built on-demand libraries, oversaw video production, and more.

We took risks by putting on multiple customer events and trying new complex elements. We understood there was a lot at stake, and we had to move quickly to re-imagine our business. Looking back, it was an amazing evolution, and we are stronger than ever.

What goals are you stalking in the coming year?

We are on a journey to become a world-class organization. We want to be the best in the business and the benchmark in the industry. The pivot in 2020 and 2021 was just the beginning.

We are critically questioning everything and elevating the way we deliver every service. Our goals in the upcoming years are to pioneer services, technologies, and ways of working so that we continue to be recognized as a cutting-edge organization, attract and retain top tier talent to position the company as the best place to work, and drive excellence in everything we do.

We are focused on consulting customers on their meeting and event strategy and technology; increasing the impact of their meetings, incentives, and events; and driving engagement in their organizations. We are extremely excited about the future of the events industry.

Congratulations, Tina! This honor is well-deserved, and we look forward to celebrating your accomplishment at the Smart Woman Summit in August.