The Miller Tanner Associates’ (MTA) difference is our people. That’s why we want to introduce you to our team of superstars that brings our corporate meetings and events to life for our customers. Today we introduce you to Senior Director – Customer Experiences, Conor Barry, our Ireland-based associate. Conor focuses on designing and driving innovative experiences that are impactful for our customers’ successes.
Meet Conor Barry, Senior Director, Customer Experiences
Strengths (based on CliftonStrengths): Individualization, Achiever, Relator, Strategic, Communication
Tell us about your current role with MTA. What are your primary responsibilities?
I am excited to be a part of the leadership team in the Global Experiences (GX) department at MTA. My role as senior director, customer experiences, positions me perfectly to be able to design strategy for our internal team as well as drive innovation in the experiences we design for our customers. I am focused on bringing meaningful change to the experiences we create for our customers and assessing where MTA needs to evolve our products or services to be able to continue to deliver exceptional experiences that disrupt the status quo in the marketplace.
How long have you been with MTA?
I joined MTA in September 2023, enjoying every moment so far as I start to build strong internal and external relationships.
What did you do before joining MTA?
I am based in Dublin, Ireland where I have built a career that spans 12 years working in the event and experiential marketing industry primarily focused on the EMEA market. I’ve had the pleasure of working in roles in the agency world, as well as moving in-house, building event teams from the ground up. Before joining MTA, I spent the previous 7 years working in big tech designing and executing event programs focused on amplifying these brands in the EMEA market as part of the talent attraction department. This was an incredible time to work in this space as these companies went through a hypergrowth phase, giving me the opportunity to design industry-leading event experiences all over the world. Some of the big industry moments I had the pleasure of working on include – Cannes Lions, Mobile World Congress, DMEXCO, Web Summit, and Online Marketing Rockstars.
What’s the best part of your job?
I get to work with incredibly smart people daily at MTA. It challenges me to bring my best and I am energized by the opportunity to collaborate and build processes and operational excellence to elevate the Global Experiences team.
What are some ways that MTA goes above and beyond to ensure a seamless customer experience?
MTA is laser-focused on bringing operational excellence to every customer interaction. This is where the team shines, driving innovation to set the customer up for success. Internally our team is reviewing the entire customer journey with MTA and assessing where we can improve the experience at every single touchpoint.
MTA is laser-focused on bringing operational excellence to every customer interaction.
What’s the one must-have for every event?
Kindness – I believe this is a non-negotiable when onsite for any event. An event is a high-pressure environment with lots of potential problems. Often speakers or delegates can be under pressure or in stressful situations and the event team is often the glue that keeps the entire experience together. I think that any event team on site needs to lead by example with kindness and with a smile as this is a very powerful tool to ensure every event is a great experience.
There is something really special about the energy created onsite at every event; I think it is important to work together to protect this magic and ensure that the experience is exceptional for every guest on site.
What makes Miller Tanner Associates stand out as a meeting planning company? What’s your favorite aspect of MTA?
I think MTA is committed to being a strategic partner for our customers versus reacting to customer needs. Our team invests deeply in understanding our customers’ internal processes, organizational structure, and long-term objectives as a strategic extension of their teams. This helps MTA to be perfectly positioned to build experiences that are aligned with our customers’ vision. Our team invests heavily in researching future technologies to stay one step ahead in terms of delivering best-in-class event experiences.
Why do you think that the MTA Workshops are important? What do you get most from this time together?
This Workshop helps our global team to connect on a human level. These connections are the foundations on which we build high-performing professional partnerships. The Workshop also drives cross-departmental connection, which helps the company move at speed on special projects that impact the entire company.
You currently reside where? What do you enjoy most about living there? Any favorite spots that you would recommend to tourists?
I was born and raised in Limerick which is the third largest city in Ireland. I have been living in Dublin, Ireland for the previous 12 years where I have built my professional career. Dublin for me offers great balance as you can be by the sea in 15 minutes, in the mountains in 30 minutes, or grab a plane to any major European city in approximately 2 hours. I also like that Dublin is relatively small in size so it doesn’t feel too hectic to navigate in my free time.
What do you do for fun?
Travel is my power source to recharge my batteries. I love the process of researching new destinations and searching for unique Airbnb listings, Off-grid restaurants, and natural wonders. The famous quote – “Travel is the only thing you can buy, but makes you richer” is something that resonates with me.
There is so much to see in the world and I find it so inspiring to see new cultures, architecture, languages, and culinary delights on my travels.
To learn more about the MTA Team, visit www.millertanner.com.
