Kelly McCormack
Centenary Events and Engagement Manager at the University of Leicester
www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-mccormack-45283b2a/

As part of our commitment to championing the industry, we are talking to people about their careers and what IEM means to them.

Kelly McCormack is an Event Manager for the University of Leicester and has been in the events industry for around a decade. In 2019, Kelly won the East Midlands Women’s Award (EMWA) Outstanding Woman in Arts, Media, and Music and was Highly Commended for East
Midlands Volunteer of The Year. In 2021 she became Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, is a member of the Event Marketing Association and Virtual Events Institute (VEI) Expert qualified. Kelly has been a mentor for ScreenSkills, DMU Alumni, and
the Like Minded Females Network, Trustee for Voluntary Action Leicester and Young Director for Iconic Music Dance and Drama Ltd.

Q How did you hear about the IEM?
A Through a google search for developmental opportunities.

QWhat does the IEM mean to you?
A To be part of an institute/membership which respects and understands the industry and job that I love so much gives me immense pride. I feel excited to be involved and when I mentioned it on my Linkedin I had so many enquiries as to what it was and positive feedback.

Q Why did you decide it was important for you to get involved?
A The pandemic was super hard on everyone but the events industry saw their work disappear overnight and felt immediately forgotten about even though digital events were what kept most of us going. That tough period made me realise how important it is to surround
ourselves with likeminded people who understand the benefits of events and social connection. I was really drawn in and attracted by the advertised members list on the website as a number of them were from academic institutions, as am I, where I have always suffered a bit
of imposter syndrome for not coming from an agency background.

Q Where do you hope to see the IEM in 20 years’ time?
A Thriving even more with an increased membership.

Q What is your favourite event related memory?
A Although I love all the events I have run over the years and have immense pride in them – I’ll never forgot the first time I visited the International Confex/Event Production Show – I had found my people! I learnt so much, made so many notes and again found that feeling of
event community I had been missing. The fact that the entrance fee was £0 just blew my mind and I have been attending for a number of years since.