Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Patricia Jackson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Patricia, thanks for joining us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

The business naming convention for of Women & M.I.C.E. is a play upon multiple themes and a well known acronym that represents my holistic experience in managing and producing global events for over 20 years.

The word “of” refers to what exactly we are made of; it represents the relationship between a finished product and its components.

Women is an obvious reference to myself as a business owner (as well as other team members who share my biological, social, and personal identify factors). The meaning does however, comes with a plot twist. Our branding guidelines stipulate that we emphasize the “men” in “Women” via color and design to highlight the interchangeable makeup of our team and our global partnerships.

M.I.C.E. represents several things. For starters, it is a well known live events industry acronym for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibits; except in my case, I’ve further tailored it to encompass my specific experience in (corporate) meetings, incentive (trips), (medical) congresses and (experiential) events. It is also a slight reference to a well known book that I read many years ago titled “Of Mice and Men.” The book referenced what the characters in that book represented based upon their behaviors and circumstance, but I was always intrigued by the unique characteristics of actual mice.

It is typically an unpleasant experience to come across mice, but most individuals likely do not care to recognize how interesting and useful these creatures are. They share much of the expertise required by an event agency. They are curious about their environment, agile, intelligent, adaptable, social, have great nesting ability, sensory acuteness and good grooming habits. These skills directly relate to an event planners capabilities in seeking out appropriate event locations, being quick on their feet (e.g. agile), tapping into wisdom to manage complex meetings and events, creativity, organization and so much more.

of Women & M.I.C.E. is chock full of symbolism and references.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I have a degree in fashion design and as a child I knew that this would be my career of choice. I had never heard of event planning in my life (I don’t believe the terminology had even come to fruition back then), let alone dreamed that one day this would be a profession that I love and am truly passionate about.

Ironically, my mother’s side of the family faithfully organized annual reunions in a different city and state each year. The reunion was held consistently for over 80+ years until the Covid-19 pandemic temporarily halted it. Growing up, I took part in the annual planning and fundraising activities and eventually those skills trickled over to the extracurricular activities I was involved in at school and church, where I was expected to lead initiatives. It was a winding road and it took me years to realize my calling, but looking back, those organizational and leadership skills cultivated during during my youth helped to facilitate and shape me into the global events leader I am today.

I’ve worked for some of the most prominent Fortune 500 companies on the globe, including Bristol Myers Squibb, Pfizer, and Novartis, where I was entrusted to lead strategic direction and operational efforts for complex projects and drive efficiency and innovation in operational execution of global congresses, meetings & events. I have successfully planned 450+ live events in 22 countries across five continents. This experience fueled my entrepreneurial journey in establishing of Women & M.I.C.E.

Our mission is to design and deliver innovative and extraordinary meetings and events, while functioning as live event industry standard bearers who champion a superior customer experience. Our services include planning Corporate Meetings so that our clients can accomplish their business objectives, crafting and curating memorable Incentive Trips to help elevate the experiences of company rockstars, project managing the onsite presence of pharma companies at Medical Congresses so that they can expand their onsite impact and finally, designing Experiential Events, which allows clients to rediscover their happy place. We also manage silent and live auction galas to help cause-driven organizations amplify their message and raise funds.

I consider myself to be a jigsaw puzzle solver. Give me all 1000 (or 5000) pieces, watch me establish the foundation by assembling the straight edges and then witness magic as I collaborate to work with all of the other fluid pieces in between. My personal mantra is to make people, places and things better than when I first came.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I was a dedicated business partner to a well-known pharma client via an agency I worked for when the Covid-19 pandemic took the world by storm. The pandemic had a detrimental impact on the events industry, leading to significant challenges including widespread cancellations and postponements, substantial financial losses, shifting to virtual events, changes in consumer behavior, health and safety measures, venue adaptations, insurance and contract changes, supply chain disruptions, long-term uncertainty and of course job loss and furloughs. I became an employment casualty via furlough and was faced with identifying new opportunities outside of my subject matter expertise that would help me sustain myself, all after immediately sinking funds into building a new home.

For two years, I settled into a Senior Account Manager role within Medical Communications (MedComs), where I lead service delivery and project management for multiple client portfolios and collaborated on account planning and service delivery strategies to maintain and expand business relationships that would achieve year-over-year revenue and margin growth targets. It was an unexpected professional role and an uncertain future, but I was determined to make the most of the shift. I believe that no matter where you land, there is always something to learn and skills to build and/or enhance.

I set out to digest and learn everything that I could in the MedComs space. My knowledge of a cloud-based software platform called Veeva, which helps life sciences companies manage critical business processes while maintaining compliance with industry regulations, increased exponentially. I began managing the end-to-end process for publications (e.g. scientific abstracts and oral presentations) at medical congresses as well as overseeing content development initiatives for medical symposia. I also obtained Hospitality & Tourism Management and Pandemic Healthcare Meeting Compliance certificates. I transitioned back into live events in late 2022 and utilized my enhanced skillset to push forward strategy and operations for exhibit booth content and creative development at oncology congresses.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Managing a team and maintaining high morale requires a balance of effective leadership, clear communication, and positive workplace culture.

At of Women & M.I.C.E., we believe that live events are critical forums for exchanging business ideas, professional development and building long-standing relationships. Our team is essentially one and the same, and our value system speaks volumes to maintaining high employee morale so that they are successful in their roles.

We value a superior customer experience that is essential and non-negotiable. We believe in people development that supports growth, builds character and increases morale. We support being agile, as it helps us adapt to ever-changing business needs. We promote mutual respect and collaboration because it seals the deal and keeps our company culture healthy. We prioritize inclusivity, because everyone deserves to be part of a workplace where they feel valued, respected, and supported regardless of their background, identity, or experiences. Lastly, I believe in continuing education and prioritize maintaining a departmental budget for this purpose, as it helps us remain cutting edge and ahead of the curve.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.womenandmice.com/

Image Credits

All images courtesy of Patricia A. Jackson.