#MeetMTA: Meredeth Brower, Product Lead

The Miller Tanner difference is our people. That’s why we want to introduce you to our team of superstars that bring our corporate meetings and events to life for our clients. Today, we introduce you to Meredeth Brower, Product Lead at Miller Tanner. She is our expert on all things virtual from planning virtual meetings to designing on-demand training using VALTs, MTA’s Virtual Assessment Learning and Training Source.

Meet Meredeth

Tell us about your current role with MTA?

As Product Lead, I have the pleasure of planning virtual and hybrid meetings as well as creating VALTs systems for our clients.

I lead the virtual team in all things virtual.  This includes demonstrating our virtual products to our clients, working directly with our clients in planning when using our virtual products, and supporting our on-site team when creating a VALTs or bringing in virtual attendees.

Between the virtual meetings and VALTs, our clients really can get all of their attendees trained with the information they want to share whether using as a stand-alone product or in conjunction with face-to-face meetings.

What aspects of your job do you enjoy most?

I love taking projects from start to finish.  Whether I’m planning a virtual or hybrid event for one of our clients or creating a VALTs for them, I enjoy seeing everything come together.

As a director on the virtual side of meetings, how do you work with clients remotely? 

Technology allows me to work with clients and attendees from afar.  I’m able to host virtual meetings and even record presentations remotely for repurposing such as for use in a VALTs.  Thanks to the systems we have in place, our presenters are also able to choose the location from which they can create recordings and perform virtual meetings.

What do you believe are the biggest benefits to virtual meetings? 

The two biggest benefits to virtual meetings are convenience and cost.  Thanks to technology, virtual meetings can be planned in shorter timelines and attendees/presenters can join from anywhere around the globe without having to travel.  Additionally, the cost for a virtual meeting is roughly 10 percent of the cost of a face-to-face meeting.  Since there is no travel, hotel, etc. involved, it helps keep budgets down while still allowing our clients to effectively communicate the necessary information to their attendees.

What’s the biggest myth about virtual meetings, in your opinion?

More and more people are becoming accustomed to the idea of hosting virtual meetings.  There are two things that I think create barriers, which preclude companies from having the best experience with this technology.

The first myth would be that crucial information isn’t being received.   Your attendees will get the message if content and presentations are concise and detailed. An additional way to ensure that your message is being received is by adding in polling questions or surveys that your attendees can respond to on the spot.  This not only increases engagement but also allows the presenting team to gauge what attendees are hearing and tailor the presentation accordingly.

Secondly, virtual meeting presenters fear that no one is listening on the other end.  While a virtual environment does allow attendees to multitask behind the scenes, a few polling questions or surveys peppered throughout the meeting can keep their attention on the topics being shared.

You live in Colorado. What’s your favorite thing about the state? What are three must-sees in Colorado?

I’m originally from Minnesota – the land of 10,000 lakes and ICE!  I moved to Colorado in 2013.  Although I miss the water that Minnesota offers, there is nothing like the mountains!  I think that anyone coming to Colorado should go to Rocky Mountain National Park.  Even if you aren’t an outdoor person, there is nothing like the views.  It will truly take your breath away!  I love anything that has to do with food and Colorado has a great food culture.  Whether you are looking for delicious Thai, authentic Cuban or a good burger, you will definitely find it here.  Finally, you MUST see a show at Red Rocks!  If music isn’t your thing, then go to a movie night there.  Everyone dresses in costume depending on the movie and it’s so great to see a movie while watching the moon come up over Denver.

What do you do for fun?

I love to travel.  Even though I don’t travel for work, I do travel quite a bit in my personal life.  I’ve been all over the U.S. and parts of Canada, Central America, Europe, Australia, and Asia.  When I’m home, I love spending time with friends and family, snowboarding during the winter, and taking my dog on hikes during the summer.

What do you feel makes Miller Tanner stand out most as meeting planning company?

The people, definitely the people!  MTA has people who love their jobs and care about what they do.  After meetings and projects have been finished, our clients take the time to send the sweetest thank you notes.  I think that is what speaks the loudest about MTA – the relationships we build internally and externally and the care we put into everything we do.