Ladies Leaders in Conferences: Nicola Kastner

In April of 2024, Nicola Kastner turned the CEO of Occasion Leaders Change (ELX). On this function, Kastner is main ELX’s strategic path and enhancing its world presence.

Kastner has led ELX for eight months and, throughout that point, helped improve membership by 80%. She additionally hosted 4 in-person occasions and greater than a dozen digital ones.

The group is dedicated to offering a secure house for the business’s most company senior leaders to collaborate and share finest practices. ELX presently has 158 members and plans to maintain it a close-knit neighborhood. 

ELX formally launched in September of 2021 as an invitation-only neighborhood for world heads of occasions working for firms. It ran its first invitation-only suppose tank in September 2021 and held its inaugural congress in February 2023 in Chicago. ELX promotes a secure house at its occasions and neighborhood, which operates below the Chatham Home Rule. 

Kastner’s background contains being world vp of occasion advertising technique at SAP,  the place she was accountable for designing and optimizing occasion methods for occasions starting from 25 to 25,000 folks.

Ladies Leaders in Conferences is a brand new collection celebrating the exceptional feminine leaders who will not be solely excelling within the conferences and occasions business but in addition championing inclusivity and variety on the high. Every month, we spotlight girls who’re breaking obstacles, lifting others as they rise, and leaving an enduring legacy of empowerment. These leaders are redefining success by fostering a extra inclusive business and paving the best way for future generations. Be a part of us as we honor the achievements and impression of those inspiring girls who’re making a distinction on this planet of conferences and occasions.

What does management imply to you?

Management is about setting a imaginative and prescient that creates readability and focus and creating an setting the place everybody works in direction of that shared objective. It’s additionally about constructing belief and empowering folks, main by instance, and influencing others to develop and obtain their potential.

What are the qualities that make a superb chief?

Good leaders lead with authenticity and empathy. They know find out how to pay attention, adapt, and make robust selections when wanted. Above all, good leaders are humble sufficient to confess what they don’t know and assured sufficient to belief and empower their staff’s strengths.

Equity is one other crucial high quality. Early in my profession, I labored for somebody who performed favorites, and it left an enduring impression on me, displaying me precisely how to not lead. A very good chief treats everybody on the staff with respect and equity, which creates an setting the place everybody feels valued and supported.

How would you outline your management fashion?

I’d say my management fashion is a mix of collaborative and strategic. I give attention to inspiring others by setting a transparent imaginative and prescient whereas additionally staying sensible and grounded in actuality. I maintain myself and others accountable and imagine in creating an setting of belief and transparency.

I’m extremely analytical and imagine in making data-driven selections, however I stability that with being real looking and decisive when it’s time to behave.

Progress is central to how I lead, not only for the enterprise but in addition for the folks I work with. For instance, at ELX, I’ve been lucky to guide Hannah Elston who’s an distinctive younger expertise. I’ve advised her that if she’s in the identical function in two years, then I’ve failed her as a frontrunner. Serving to others develop is likely one of the most rewarding points of management for me.

Lastly, I’m not a micromanager – I can’t think about something worse. I imagine in empowering my staff to take possession of their work whereas offering the steering and assist they should succeed.

What abilities have you ever developed which have helped you develop into the chief you’re as we speak?

Through the years, I’ve developed abilities in strategic pondering, knowledge evaluation, and storytelling, that are all extremely impactful individually however much more so when used collectively. I’ve additionally realized to navigate ambiguity, which is a necessity for any chief to achieve success, particularly when working in a big enterprise.

I additionally imagine management growth isn’t ‘accomplished.’ We’ve all heard the saying, ‘What obtained you right here received’t get you there,’ and it’s so true. As our careers evolve, the challenges change, and we have to continue to grow and adapting to maintain up.

As a frontrunner, what are the challenges that hold you up at evening?

From an ELX perspective, the most important problem is at all times guaranteeing that we ship worth that’s aligned with the regularly evolving wants of our neighborhood. It’s additionally crucial that we protect the integrity of the member expertise whereas managing development. One other ongoing problem is discovering methods to scale impression with out diluting what makes our neighborhood distinctive.

How has your management fashion modified all through your profession?

Early in my profession, I targeted extra on driving outcomes and fewer on the human dynamics behind them. Over time, I’ve realized the significance of empathy and constructing belief. I’ve realized to stability being direct with being supportive and to prioritize the event of others alongside attaining enterprise targets.

Our members share a deep dedication to excellence. They’re strategic thinkers who perceive the enterprise impression of occasions, and so they’re unafraid to problem standard knowledge. Regardless of their seniority, they’re extremely beneficiant with their time and insights, which is what makes the peer-to-peer nature of ELX so highly effective.

Which feminine leaders have impressed you essentially the most?

I’ve been fortunate to work with so many unimaginable feminine leaders that it’s unimaginable to call only one or two. As a substitute, I’d spotlight the teachings they’ve taught me, just like the significance of managing your skilled model and celebrating one another’s wins fairly than competing. I’ve additionally realized how crucial it’s to remain genuine and lead with empathy whereas driving outcomes. These girls have proven me the ability of lifting others, prioritizing well-being, and pushing for progress, all whereas staying true to their values.

How has mentoring helped you change into the chief you’re as we speak?

Mentoring is actually a two-way road. I’ve gained a lot from the mentors who’ve guided me and helped form the chief I’m as we speak. However irrespective of how skilled I change into, I do know I’ll by no means have all of the solutions, so I proceed to hunt steering from others to continue to learn and rising.

Mentoring others has been equally rewarding. I’m lucky to mentor a number of folks, from long-term relationships to extra advert hoc ‘I would like recommendation’ reach-outs, and it’s a duty I really cherish. Mentoring forces me to step again and acquire perspective. I additionally be taught a lot from these I mentor, which makes the expertise much more fulfilling.

Are you able to share your recommendation for aspiring girls leaders in conferences?

1. Personal your experience. Don’t look ahead to permission to share your concepts or advocate on your imaginative and prescient. Converse with confidence and let your outcomes communicate for themselves.
2. Construct your community. Relationships are every thing in any business, and it is advisable be intentional about constructing them.  Don’t solely look for individuals who may also help you; construct a large and broad community and proceed to nurture it.
3. Keep curious. The perfect leaders by no means cease studying—whether or not it’s from knowledge, traits, or the experiences of others. Be intentional about looking for out new views and alternatives to develop.
4. Settle for change as a optimistic power. Change is inevitable, and it’s the solely factor in life that’s assured. Lean into it as a optimistic as an alternative of perceiving it as a adverse.