A Day in the Life of a Virtual, Inc. Program Specialist
Article
Read More Q&A with Casey Lane, Event Specialist
What has changed most about your day-to-day routine from being in the office vs. working remotely?
CL: The biggest change of working remotely is not being able to see and talk to my co-workers at the Reston office. It has been one of the biggest adjustments I have had to make since working at home. Although, most of the tasks in my job can be completed remotely, having access to your co-workers makes some of the challenges of the job easier to resolve and complete. I miss the in-person camaraderie of interfacing with my co-workers on a personal level, such as going out to lunch, which also allows us to team build, share ideas, and resolve client or work-related items in a relaxed environment.
What do you find most rewarding about your job?
CL: The most rewarding thing about my job is successfully completing a conference. It is also gratifying to receive feedback from the clients letting me know how pleased they were with the conference!
What do you enjoy doing outside of the office?
CL: I love being outdoors; there is nothing better for your health than a little sun on your skin. I enjoy going hiking, swimming, biking, riding four wheelers, playing sports, taking my dogs to the creek, having cookouts, and going to breweries/wineries.
Do you have any special accomplishments or awards that you have earned?
CL: I had some of my greatest accomplishments this year. As we all know, at the beginning of March we were all sent home due to COVID-19. Due to the strict mandates of social distancing, we were no longer allowed to have in-person conferences which meant that we had to learn how to put on a successful online event. Adapting to the changes that the COVID pandemic brought was one of my biggest achievements. One would think that an online event sounds easy, but in reality, it is not at all. I had to learn a whole new section of event planning and management. There were lots of late nights making sure my events were going to be just as successful as an in-person conference. I had to research, analyze, learn, and implement new online platforms; negotiate and change in-person event contracts to virtual contracts; create new budget scenarios; and so many more new and challenging tasks. It was basically like starting the conference from scratch again. With a great deal of teamwork, innovation, and hard work I was able to successfully complete all of my online events.
Another accomplishment that I had in the year of 2020 was passing my Cvent certification for Venue Searching. Cvent provided me with a study guide that I used to help pass the exam. I do a great deal of venue searching on Cvent for two of my clients AECC and INCE. This new venue searching knowledge allows me to create event plans for my clients faster by cutting my time in half when searching for venues. This certification improves my skills which in turn allows me to provide even better service to the client.
What has been your favorite project to work on in the Events Department and why?
CL: My favorite project to work on within the Events Department was the “Return to In-Person” document with my teammates. This was a huge accomplishment because it will help us as we move forward when planning and implementing in-person events in the near future. It is a great document because not one person created it, it was a team effort with different perspectives and knowledge.
What company value most resonates with you? What’s an example of that value playing out on a day-to-day basis?
CL: Teamwork is a value that resonates most with me and my daily life at work. Without my co-workers, I would not have been as successful in 2020 and 2021. Due to conferences being changed to online events, teamwork was essential to completing all the tasks required to change existing in-person events to virtual and to set up new events as virtual events. I was proud that all the team members were willing to pitch in and work so hard together this year. One specific example of teamwork was the sharing of information that was learned by all team members regarding online events. Whenever any co-worker demoed an online platform, they would share their notes with the team saving the other team members from having to demo that platform since there are so many platforms available.
What do you love about living in Virginia?
CL: I love being in Virginia because I am close to my family and my husband’s family. I also love that I get to experience all four seasons during the year, and I can easily access both the mountains and the beach with a short drive.
What makes you happy to come to work each day? What’s your motivation through those tough days? Let’s face it, we all have them!
CL: My motivation to come to work each day is being able to see all my co-workers. My co-workers get me through those tough days at work. There have been a few challenging conferences this year which is why my co-workers are such a great support system, and I cannot thank them enough!
What do you find most challenging about your job?
CL: The most challenging part of my job is not knowing how the future can positively or negatively affect my job in a blink of an eye. While part of my job is to swiftly resolve unanticipated problems; the reality that a virus could shut down countries across the world was shocking. Fortunately, we were able to work together to institute changes from in-person to virtual relatively quickly.
What is the next item on your bucket list?
CL: The next item on my bucket list is to go to Bora Bora!
What advice would you give someone hoping to pursue an Events career at Virtual?
CL: Even though it has been a challenging and sometimes difficult time for everyone in the Events world during the COVID pandemic, it is still a rewarding job when successfully completing a conference and it is satisfying to know you provided excellent service to your clients. In addition, as an Events employee, you get new opportunities to expand your skills with every event scenario.
Join Our Team Today! Take a look at all of our available opportunities!
