More Than Event Professionals

The keys to any long-standing partnership: trust and consistency. Trust is built by consistently delivering on commitments and promises. In turn, trustworthy people and businesses find themselves enjoying more consistent and beneficial relationships.

At metroConnections, our Event Planning professionals forge strong bonds with our clients by demonstrating a consistent commitment to customer service that goes above and beyond merely fulfilling expectations.

“It’s my role to be the glue, to keep everyone organized, and make sure everyone is communicating with each other,” says metroConnections Program Manager Nikki Kelbel, “Holding internal meetings, managing internal timelines, and then executing the plan on-site and ensuring that we meet the program objectives.”

Program Managers like Kelbel work with their clients throughout the entire cycle of an event, from concepting and planning all the way through post-event wrap-up and debriefing. They act as a client’s point person for all communication with metroConnections other business sectors, and create an exactingly thorough master event outline that will serve as a backbone for timelines and schedules.

“Once we know a client’s target event date, we can immediately provide them with a schedule with benchmarks like rooming list deadlines, communications rollouts, website build-out and launch, décor/furniture decisions and more,” says Kelbel.

Program Managers are also skilled at navigating the complex web of financial considerations that come with creating a budget for a memorable event. Starting with a comprehensive budget template, Kelbel works with clients to ensure that their budget fits the scope of their event, and that all factors are properly considered. Kelbel explains that one area metroConnections goes above-and-beyond is by offering to incorporate elements of a client’s internal spend into their overall program budget, giving them a clearer picture of the total event cost.

“I can reach out to a client and help them add sponsorship revenue to their budget picture, or factor in the costs of a registration gift that the client is ordering internally,” explains Kelbel, “It allows the client can see the full, complete picture of their event finances.”

Once your big event day arrives, the same Program Manager that you’ve been working with during the pre-planning phases will be on-site with you, providing an invaluable element of continuity and consistency.

“On site, I’m a right hand and a partner for the client. They have my phone number, they know where I am, and I’m there for anything that they need,” says Kelbel, “I take pride in being a source of comfort for them in an unfamiliar process.”

Even the best laid plans can occasionally be marred by complications. With complications stemming from COVID-19 still plaguing the events industry, Kelbel says clients really appreciate the steady hand on the wheel that metroConnections provides.

“For a client who doesn’t deal with troubleshooting events as often as we do, small complications can feel like major crises,” explains Kelbel, “Because we have experience dealing with these things, we’re able to keep calm and manage the situation effectively.”

This type of consistency shows clients that they can trust metroConnections to deliver memorable events, year after year. We invest in our clients as much as they invest in us, creating long-lasting business relationships that make future events even more successful.

“As soon as I start working with a client on an event, I consider myself an extension of their company,” says Kelbel, “I’m always available for anything they need, and I’m just as invested in the success of the event as they are.”