Megan Biddix—Event Facilitator Extraordinaire

By: Heatherlynn Akins

When Megan Biddix first joined West Monroe five years ago, she came from a varied professional background. Having worked for an international travel company just out of college, where she paired leadership with teams, Megan also spent time as a teacher and coordinated events for the leading foster care provider in Illinois before landing at West Monroe. Though she started with internal events facilitation at West Monroe, she quickly transitioned to marketing and working with top-level clients coordinating, strategizing, and executing different styles of events, including West Monroe’s annual marquee events.

West Monroe is a national management and technology consulting firm headquartered in Chicago that helps clients “adopt, adapt, and use digital technologies differently and more effectively as it relates to what really matters within their specific industry.” Unlike other firms, they bring together multidisciplinary experts who have experience working together to deliver solutions for their clients. Megan is aligned to the Chicago headquarters of West Monroe, where she works to ensure high-quality, highly effective client-facing events are planned and executed.

West Monroe makes Megan feel like a valued member of the team, with keen insight into how to provide career equity, professional growth, and rewarding connections. “It’s exciting to be onsite with clients,” Megan says. “It’s personally rewarding to know you’ve created a seamless event for someone to simply arrive and enjoy, especially if you’ve created a space for busy people to leave feeling refreshed, educated, and connected.”

While it can be challenging to coordinate different teams and deal with shifting visions of what an event should be, Megan says being willing to pivot and having alternatives at the ready are what make her job exciting and rewarding. “Staying calm under pressure is key,” she states. “And having one or two backups in mind, just in case of cancelations or inclement weather, can make things go so much smoother.” No matter the challenges and pressures to get things done right, on budget, and in a timely fashion, “Being able to surprise and delight our guests makes it all worth it,” according to her.

When planning an event, Megan suggests beginning with the end in mind. Knowing what your end goal is makes planning an event that much easier. “Pretend you’re the guest,” Megan says, and plan an event that you would enjoy attending. Chances are if it is something you would enjoy, so will others. Think like a guest and ask questions accordingly: What would I need to know as a guest? What’s the parking situation? Dress code? What time do I need to be at dinner? Then, communicate that information. Effective communication goes a long way toward making an event successful. “When your guests don’t have to think about those details, your event will be memorable and stand out as bespoke and high-touch,” Megan says.

Megan says that event facilitation is nearly back to pre-pandemic normal. “Hybrid or fully remote webinars are probably here to stay,” she states, “but people are ready to interact in person again. People missed being together, traveling, having those hands-on experiences and in-person connections.” When asked what she would plan if she could coordinate her dream event, Megan said she has a dream of being able to offer events that are a true blend of mental and physical health awareness—more retreat-like, with a chance to truly relax and connect with others. With what research has shown in recent years about the importance of mental and physical health in relation to work productivity, Megan would love the opportunity to plan events that focus on the whole person. Until then, she is content to focus on creating the best, most successful events for West Monroe and their clients. At the end of the day, it really is about providing the client with a successful realization of their vision, and Megan excels at just that.

For more information on West Monroe, check out their website.

For more information on how Powerhouse Planning can help you plan a successful event, click here.