The Miller Tanner difference is our people. That’s why we want to introduce you to our team of superstars that brings our corporate meetings and events to life for our clients.
Today we introduce you to Global Experience Manager – Events Jenny Decker, CMP. Jenny brings her extensive background in event management with expertise in conference and exhibition planning. As a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP), Jenny is a valuable asset to our team, planning both clinical and commercial events for our clients.
Meet Jenny Decker, CMP, Global Experience Manager – Events
Strengths (based on CliftenStrengths): Arranger, Positivity, Achiever, Connectedness, Developer
Tell us about your current role with MTA?
I am a global experience manager – events and get the absolute privilege of leading a team of incredible event professionals. I also work on both sides of our event types working not only with clinical events but also our sales and incentive events.
What did you do before joining MTA?
I was the meeting/conference manager for a behavioral healthcare company that hosted 4 national conferences each year (between 500-2,000 attendees).
What’s the best part of your job?
Traveling to places you might never get to visit otherwise and working with people from all over the world (from colleagues to vendors and hotel employees) is the best part of my job.
What’s been your favorite event destination as an event planning professional?
Hands down – Banff, Canada. The magnitude of this place is indescribable. We hosted an incentive trip for a client to this location and every attendee described it as a life-changing experience.
What’s been your most memorable event to date and why?
I just planned a sales meeting in San Diego, CA. While San Diego is one of my favorite US cities, it wasn’t about the location. It was the customer and the people at the event. They embraced all my ideas and cheered me on as it all came to life. The event was the first time everyone had seen each other since COVID and it was a really close-knit company. The appreciation and impact the event had on them was something I will never forget.
When did you receive your Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) credential and what was your reason for pursuing this designation?
In 2014 I went for my CMP – I felt like it was just the next step in my career. The CMP isn’t an easy credential to achieve so I knew that having it would show my dedication to the industry. Throughout that process and even today I still am learning new things. The interesting thing about studying for this certification is that it is less about memorizing and more about applying your learned experience. I think that is what makes it so exclusive.
Do you have a few great travel tips that you could share?
Less is more. It’s something I struggle with but, especially when you travel internationally, having less to keep up with is definitely a plus. Also, noise-cancelling headphones are a dream!
What do you enjoy most about living in Tennessee? I enjoy the lake, that family is close by, and that I can get to Nashville quickly!
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?
Miller Tanner sells the idea that gathering and sharing experiences equals community and growth. What does it say to our customers if we never practice what we preach? The fact that MTA is a global company and we don’t always have the opportunity to see each other throughout the year is even more reason that we should come together and BE together. Being together, sharing a meal together, or just sitting next to someone while they train you on the newest software is so valuable. It connects us, creates empathy in our roles and makes us a better team to do what we are brought to MTA to do. There is more to each of us than just the job we do. When we are together, those qualities shine and we can bring them back into our everyday work.
What makes Miller Tanner Associates stand out as a meeting planning company?
There are a lot of companies that plan meetings and a lot of people who coordinate events. I’ve worked with and for some of them. Miller Tanner Associates stands right with them in that we can coordinate major events seamlessly, and on a budget.
But, to me, MTA goes beyond the to-do list and boxes to be checked; we know how to bring together a variety of resources and people to realize a greater vision. We understand what it means to work with others to help a business grow – our role isn’t one-dimensional. Events have strict parameters, budgets, guidelines, restraints, and obligations that need to be handled with tact and experience. But they are also reliant upon vendors, colleagues, and even volunteers which demands an approachable, agile spirit. The people I get the pleasure of working with at MTA are exactly that. And that is what makes us stand out.
What do you do for fun?
Even though I travel with work, I still love to travel with my family and friends. I have two young children who keep me very busy but I hope that my love of travel rubs off on them and that they enjoy seeing new places as much as I do. Visiting the “local” places instead of always going straight to the “tourist destinations” is my favorite part about traveling. I think the best way to teach culture, empathy, and kindness is to step inside someone else’s world and experience their surroundings, even if only for a short time.
I also have planned a girls’ trip for the past 15 years for me and my girlfriends. We always go somewhere new and try to hit places none of us have ever been.
Visit www.millertanner.com to learn more about MTA and our associates. Get to know our associates by following us on Instagram for behind-the-scenes with our team.
