5 Things This Event Strategist Wishes She Knew When Starting Her Career

At Convening Leaders 2018, Kelly Peacy, CAE, CMP, founder and CEO of Insight Event Strategy, and former senior vice president of education and events at PCMA, shared with student attendees five things she wished she had known when she was just starting out:

1. Be authentic — you do you: “If you are not authentic, people will see right through that.”

2. Take care of your reputation: “It will only take one dumb decision to ruin your reputation.”

3. Hone your business acumen: “Make sure you have a strong business foundation behind you. Understand marketing, strategy, and finance.”

4. Nurture your network: “Stay in contact with people.”

5. Appreciate differences — learn from everyone: “Everyone has a different story to tell, and learns in a different way. Understanding differences has never been more critical.”