Employee Spotlight: Attendee Registration
Nicole Smolecki (Left) Carissa Hackel (Right)
Meet Carissa Hackel, a Program Coordinator at M&IW. Carissa’s primary focus is coordinating the attendee registration for investigator meetings in the medical industry. What Carissa cherishes the most about her work culture is the “family” aspect of M&IW as she knows there is always someone in the organization she can count on for personal and business growth. Whether it’s having someone mentor her or a colleague offering a helping hand when her plate is full, someone is always there for her. Similar to other M&IW employees, Carissa is also always there to lend a helping hand when her colleagues need assistance. She enjoys gaining knowledge and assisting with other types of meetings in the industry.
Carissa kindly took the time out of her busy schedule to offer insight on her role in M&IW and why she does what she does each day.
Q: What is your “why” behind what you do?
A: It may be a cliché answer, but it truly is the look on attendees’ faces! It just brings so much joy to see the reaction on others’ faces when you know how much hard work you’ve put into an event/meeting and you see the appreciation on their faces. Seeing the “wow” look on an attendee’s face never gets old.
Q: Tell us about a huge win you’ve recently had?
A: There is an incentive trip we just wrapped up where our “family value” shined through. Working on this team was beyond impeccable. A colleague & I had a great bond from the moment I was assigned to the program – learning new software, for a new client, in the “incentive world” was all quite the experience. I learned SO much about that side of our business and I’m overjoyed to continue learning.
Q: What’s the most interesting destination you’ve had a program at and why?
A: I would have to say Sao Paulo, Brazil. This onsite was for an acceleration “workshop” that a client put on for a group of employees to help them thrive in their positions and move forward in the company. A colleague and I put in LONG hours doing basic setups & rearranging due to language barriers. I’m pretty sure this meeting taught us both so much about cultural differences and how to overcome them. Needless to say, by the end of the meeting Google Translate became our best friend!
Q: Before working at M&IW, what was the most unusual or interesting job you’ve ever had?
A: I’m not sure if I’ve ever had an “unusual job”, but I was the event coordinator for an annual automobile event which was always interesting. I know NOTHING about cars except “they’re pretty,” so hearing people talk about their first car or why they loved a certain car, was always fun. There were over 50 cars on display in the event space, so you could only imagine the stories/memories I heard!
Q: What is a quirky fact about you that not many know?
A: My favorite ice breaker fact: My middle name has every vowel in it, A-R-L-O-U-I-N-E… no “sometimes ‘y’” though.
Q: What would you like to tell yourself at age 13?
A: Believe in yourself! If you want to try something new, try it because if you don’t, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. Also, those kids that are making fun of you have their own insecurity issues that they’re fighting. Keep your head up, one day you’ll be traveling the world and they’ll all be stuck in the same old little town with the same old drama…that wasn’t a dig, I love my hometown!
Working in the meeting industry is challenging and rewarding. Working with colleagues who truly care and treat you like family is priceless. Thank you, Carissa, for taking the time to give us insight as to who you are and why you do what you do.