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Date and Time TBC
SPEAKERS: Miriam Sigler
Miriam Sigler has been bringing events to life for more than twenty years; delivering innovative ideas, effective solutions and tangible results for exhibitions, conferences, conventions and activations of every size.
Known for a penchant for pink as much as she is for her people skills and prowess with Excel, Miriam strikes the perfect balance of playfulness and leadership in every event she works on. Combining her vibrancy, love for teamwork and sense of humour with her eye for detail, uncompromising work ethic, and authoritative calmness, she has established herself as one of the industry’s most trusted and sought-after Operations Managers.
Miriam began her events career with the Labour Party’s Events and Exhibitions team, where she was involved in 10 Annual Conferences, 2 General Elections and several regional events. In addition to mastering the foundations of successful events, she also developed expertise in high-profile, tight security events.
After leaving the public sector, she joined one of the UK’s leading events companies, Clarion Events, where she was quickly appointed as Head of Operations. In this role, she tendered and managed the company’s central contracts (worth £1m-£5m), managed a team of 10, and led the launches of several new events. In addition to this, Miriam ran her own portfolio of events for Clarion, including flagship names such as Spirit of Christmas and National Caravan & Motorhome Show in partnership with House & Garden and Empire magazines. Her experience naturally led her to a consultation role with two new venues as they endeavoured to ensure the spaces best met organisers’ needs.
Wanting to shake up the way operations was done in the events industry, Miriam and co-founder Gill Geens started Ways & Means in 2012. With a vision to help both established and emerging organisers create exciting, industry-leading events, Ways & Means has since shaped a portfolio of events that excite, entertain, and educate their key stakeholders, whilst driving revenue and growth for organisers.
The only thing Miriam loves more than problem-solving is processes. She’s passionate about events and the people who make them so special; regularly taking on mentorship roles for younger professionals and supporting industry-wide initiatives that will see the ongoing success of the events industry for many generations to come.
Gill Geens
Gill Geens is an experienced event professional and one of the safest pairs of hands in the industry.
Gill began her event career working at Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena (NIA), working on everything from international sporting events to pop concerts and conferences. Her venue background gives her a unique, holistic perspective that was instrumental when she moved to the NEC to manage events as part of their in-house team of organisers, Centre Exhibitions. Here, she managed consumer and trade shows in various sectors and was honoured to be involved in the organisation of the prestigious 100th Rotary Club International Convention which welcomed 10,000+ Rotarians to listen to speakers including Ban Ki-moon and Senior Government officials.
Gill was involved in the process of Clarion Events acquiring Centre Exhibitions, after which she then organised a variety of events for Clarion around the country . Gill’s calm approach allows her to lead and deliver Ways & Means’ events with the perfect balance of flair and function.
A keen eye for detail combined with strong leadership and diplomacy skills, Gill approaches all situations with a great sense of humour and a personal touch, making her a pleasure to deal with and a valued member of any team.
