The Miller Tanner difference is our people. That’s why we want to introduce you to our team of superstars who brings our corporate meetings and events to life for our clients.
Today we introduce you to Global Experience Designer – Events Janina Marsh. Janina brings to the team a wealth of knowledge from her background in experiential design. With her creativity and expertise combined, she guides customers through the complexities of designing face-to-face and virtual event experiences that hit the mark.
Meet MTA: Janina Marsh, Global Experience Designer – Events
Strengths (based on CliftonStrengths): Communication, Woo, Input, Positivity, Achiever
Tell us about your current role with MTA? What are your primary responsibilities?
As a global experience designer, I am a lead planner for corporate programs. My primary responsibilities include everything from customer communication, logistics planning, and on-site and/or virtual event execution. With my background in luxury event design and experiential design, I love understanding the primary goals of the customers’ programs and meeting those goals in a unique and unexpected way.
What did you do before joining MTA?
I have been working in the event industry for 12 years. Before joining MTA, I worked in many avenues of the live event industry from beautiful hotels and venues to luxury event design. My most recent experience took me to the beautiful Napa Valley, where I developed social and culinary experiences.
What’s the best part of your job?
Designing a custom experience for each customer is one of the best parts of my job. I love how each meeting and live event has a uniquely human element where everyone is learning, growing, and being impacted by the content, no matter how big or small.
During the pandemic, how did you pivot within your role as an event planner and what did you find to be most challenging or rewarding within virtual events?
With a background in production and AV, I found myself immediately pivoting to learning about technology solutions that recreate an immersive experience in a virtual setting. It was incredible how the event industry came together to support virtual event education through webinars and various learning opportunities. Now instead of sourcing the perfect meeting venue, we have pivoted to sourcing the best virtual platform.
Personally, it has been very exciting learning about creating engaging experiences in a virtual environment. What I love is that there seem to be endless technology solutions for recreating an experience – like a virtual DJ kicking off a general session or hosting a virtual wine-tasting as a virtual networking opportunity. We strive to create an experience that brings us together, even when we are apart.
What do you think is a key factor in delivering a successful virtual event?
Elevated production! Ensuring the virtual presenters are set up with the best camera, lighting, and audio will ensure the successful delivery of the content.
What’s a common misconception surrounding virtual events?
I believe a common misconception is that it should cost less to host a virtual event than a face-to-face event. While there are absolutely cost savings to be accounted for, a creative way to translate an on-site food and beverage budget to virtual would be to consider sending “pre-mailer packages” to attendees for engagement value.
What’s been your favorite event destination as an event planning professional?
I have truly enjoyed planning programs in Barcelona, Spain. It is one of my favorite cities in the world featuring a city experience with a Mediterranean influence.
What’s been your most memorable face-to-face event to date and why?
My most memorable event to date has been producing a dual incentive experience “Tale of Two Cities” where our US-based attendees traveled to Maine and our European attendees traveled to Ireland. In Maine, attendees took in the scenic coastline of the historic harbor towns and dined among James Beard award-winning chefs. In Ireland, attendees walked through the halls of history at the Adare Manor with personalized itineraries including a unique whiskey tasting and treasured tee time at the masterfully designed golf course.
What’s one place that you’d love to travel to for an event and why?
I would love to travel to Japan for an event. My sister lived in Japan for about 2 years and I was lucky enough to visit her while she was there. I would love to plan a program in this beautiful country because of Japan’s rich culture and unparalleled hospitality. I would also love to explore the technology they have available to advance global meetings.
What do you do for fun?
I absolutely love traveling on my personal time. I jump at any chance I get to experience a new culture or unique cuisine. I also have a strong passion for wine and I am currently studying for my WSET (Wine and Spirits Education Trust) level 1 in wine.
Each summer, MTA comes together for a Workshop where we bring all of the team together for a week of training and team building. Why do you think that this is important? What do you get most from this time together?
To me, the MTA Workshop is an invaluable experience that allows our teams and departments to connect, grow, and unite as we look toward the future of MTA. It is at the heart and soul of what we do at MTA – provide dynamic experiences.
As a global company that primarily communicates virtually, the time shared together through experiences or collective conversations (or like in 2022, on a glacier) is what I most look forward to at the MTA Workshop. I love learning about what other departments are working through or celebrating in addition to personally getting to spend time with new team members.
What makes Miller Tanner Associates stand out as a meeting planning company?
In my opinion, the people truly make MTA stand out as a meeting planning company. In a fast-paced and high-demand industry, we work together as a team and company to exceed expectations. My favorite aspect is that even though we are a virtual company, I feel connected with my team and customers daily through our platforms and teamwork. Trust in your team and clear communication paired with customer service contribute to the experience that the Miller Tanner Global Experience Team brings to each customer.
To learn more about our MTA Team, visit www.millertanner.com.
