Nineteen Group: Out of Office
Nineteen Group: Out of Office Podcast steps away from the desk for honest, unexpected conversations with Nineteeners, industry experts, and a few famous faces along the way, plus plenty of guests from beyond the Nineteen Group world too. Expect industry advice, sharp insights, a few laughs, and a good old chinwag.
Whether you're after fresh perspectives, a few laughs, or a genuine look at the faces behind Nineteen Group, hit play and get to know the people you don't usually get to hear from. New episodes wherever you get your podcasts.
Nineteen Group: Out of Office
#01 Rachel Wong
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🎙️ This week on Out of Office, Nick sits down with Rachel Wong, Marketing Manager at Nineteen Group, to talk about going from painfully shy to running the show.
Rachel gets honest about the wobbles, the wins, and how she climbed the ranks at one of the industry's fastest-growing companies.
If you've ever struggled with self-confidence or doubted yourself, this one's for you. Just hit play!
Welcome to the Nineteen Group: Out of Office Podcast
SPEAKER_00Hello everyone. Welcome to the very first 19 podcast. I'm here with the extra special guest, Rachel Wong. The Rachel Wong marketing mogul.
SPEAKER_01Thank you.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, of course. You are a mogul. You've been with us for five years at 19?
SPEAKER_01Five years in November, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Okay. So do you want to give us a little bit of a brief introduction about your career at 19, where have you been, what have you been doing, where you are now?
Rachel's journey at Nineteen
SPEAKER_01Oh yeah. How much time do you have?
SPEAKER_00Not enough.
SPEAKER_01So I started at 19 in 2021, right after university, and I kind of didn't know what I wanted to do after. I just wanted any job out of retail, essentially. And then um I got in contact with Maggie, our marketing director, and essentially said, you know what? I do have interest in marketing. I don't really know what events are about. The website didn't look as it did now, so I was looking at the website and I was like, just security products. I guess I'll I guess I'll give it a go. And then I came into 19, 2021 in November, and then started off as a marketing executive, and then worked on the safety and security series, which was my first event in April as well. Massive portfolio, and it was literally one of the most it was the most surreal experiences of my life, and I think that's literally what just hooked me on afterwards. And then shortly after that, I worked on multiple different portfolios within 19 emergency services show, uh, international security expert to name a few as well, and to see the company grow so much over the years has literally, I still can't believe where we started now, started in 2021 to how it is now. And then um, I became a senior marketing exec a year after, and then worked still worked on the safety and security portfolio as well, building my personal brand here at 19, getting involved in loads of different ambassador programs as well, working with the AEO, winning a couple of awards down the road, and then into marketing manager now, and still working on the safety and security series. So, in a nutshell, that was my very long but short journey here at 19.
Falling into the events industry
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so you've got your finger in many pies, I believe, at 19 and beyond. But like, how did 19 like before you joined? Obviously, you saw the website, and I don't know what your expectations were, or even like getting into like security, would you imagine that going from retail security that no, you know, like how did your expectations meet before you joined 19 and then after 19, and then I guess like now five years on as a marketing manager? Like, how does it all compare?
SPEAKER_01I think because I was one of those students within COVID that was like, okay, I did my degree during COVID and I didn't really know what I wanted to do after. I did business as a degree, and that's the that's the degree that you do when you don't know what you want to do with your life.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So then I was like, I'll do literally anything. I did a module in marketing and really, really enjoyed it. I found that I was like quite creative and I like doing that kind of aspect of stuff as well.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So then when I saw the 19 website and it looked nothing like it did now. Very confused. I saw security products and some something about government, and I remember having a call with Maggie about it, and she was like, So, do you know what 19 is? And I was like, Is it about security products? Do you know Peter Jones? No. The dragon? No. So then I was like, security products. She was like, no, that's not what it's about. And she was like, they were trade show exhibition organizers, and then when you think of trade shows or events and stuff, you think about weddings or like raves, and this was not a rave. Raves. Raves and festivals. Oh, okay. This was not raves and festivals. But I thought, you know what, I'll give it a go. Started working on social media planning and saw all of like the back end stuff of how people do marketing as well, working on like PPC campaigns and emails and stuff, and after that, I was literally just hooked. It was I found it so interesting, and seeing everything that you work on come to life as well. I think that's what makes it really worth it in the end, and that's what really hooks you into events. Because people always say, I fell into events, and that's what you hear often as well. But it just hooks you right after you see the event for itself.
SPEAKER_00Sure. So, how about going from retail to events? Like, where where did you work in retail? Like, how are there any crossover skills that you can take
From retail to event marketing
SPEAKER_00in?
SPEAKER_01Or yes, I would say. So I worked at Pandora for three years, so I've always stayed somewhere for quite a long amount of time, and I think they're quite different to other retailers. They really like work on your sales skills. Yeah, but I think from that I knew I did not want to work in sales. I wanted to do all of the fun marketing skills. Fun marketing stuff. I didn't want to sell to people, but it did definitely help with my people skills. I used to be really, really shy, hated speaking to people. I found it really hard to like start conversations. Like me seven years ago would not be doing this right now.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01I would literally be stuttering, I would literally be sweating as well. I wouldn't even be in this room.
SPEAKER_00I mean, I'm sweating, but cold sweating.
SPEAKER_01Cold sweating.
SPEAKER_00In the presence of Gregness. I'm sweating.
SPEAKER_01Me too. So those, I would say those are my transferable skills. They really pushed you to like, you know, not just sell to people, but to kind of like get their story behind it as well. Like, you know, it seems like quite a small thing when you work in retail. You don't really like think of like the bigger picture, but here you do, and it kind of helps with kind of like that client of working with clients or working with partners as well, building those relationships as well. Because essentially it's a partnership at the end of the day when you work in events as well.
Staying inspired and keeping ideas fresh
SPEAKER_00Okay, so you've been with 19 for five years and you've obviously moved up the ranks, and now you're a marketing. What keeps what keeps you inspired? What makes you think, you know, because after working on campaign after campaign, exactly campaign after campaign. I guess once you've gotten used to like the cycle of a show, you don't want to get into like the mc rigmarole of being like, oh god, it's the same old, like, you know, same old exhibitors or whatever. Like, what about what keeps you inspired? What keeps your ideas fresh? What keeps you what gives you that Vim to keep going, I guess?
SPEAKER_01Vim. I think it all psych it kind of starts from the end. So when you go to the event, you kind of see everything for what it is. Because when you look at it on a piece of paper or when you look at it from a campaign point of view, you don't really get to see the bigger picture.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01But when you're there at the event, you can see how people interact, you can see what people think, and you know, their feedback from it as well. And that's kind of like you start from the end. You think about oh my gosh, a fun feature could be added there. People give you the ideas as well that you can like collaborate together. Because a lot of the ideas when it comes to events, as I said, I did not know anything about security, I did not know anything about fire safety or anything like that. So I was literally working from like a blank piece of paper. So then I would get these ideas and collaborate with people and find out what they're looking for as well. And that's what kind of like kind of drove me to be able to like create things at events as well, create those ambassador programs and stuff like that.
SPEAKER_00Great. Special guests, apparently. A caveo appearance from Holly.
SPEAKER_01We do have an audience with us.
SPEAKER_00We do have an audience. Um yeah, great. But what's okay, what's the funniest feature you've
The weird and wonderful side of events
SPEAKER_00ever seen at a show?
SPEAKER_01The funniest.
SPEAKER_00Funnest.
SPEAKER_01Funniest feature. Oh.
SPEAKER_00Or something that you thought, oh, this is really like unique, or this is really you wouldn't expect to see this at a show.
SPEAKER_01Oh, what would I I think I think what we talk about in 19 is like festivalisation, isn't it? So definitely loads of like the buskers. We see like grannies on scooters that I don't even see that on the streets. So to actually see it in events is also quite.
SPEAKER_00I remember before I joined 19 and I was like coming to the event and I saw like a Gordon Ramsay look-alike looking very lost in the NEC.
SPEAKER_01Adjirian Gordon Ramsey.
SPEAKER_00We're being like, what yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01And seeing like Adiran walking around with Lego houses and Transformers. Yeah, Transformers as well. Grannies on scooters, men on stilts.
SPEAKER_00Lots, everything.
SPEAKER_01Everything. It was kind of the wacky stuff you expect.
Who inspires Rachel?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Love that. Is there anyone that inspires you?
SPEAKER_01Pickle. Um, I would say it's quite embarrassing because she's in the room in our audience right now, but I would say Maggie, our event director, really inspires me. So she's she's the person that brought me to um, she's the one that introduced me to this world as well. And then, you know, seeing such um an empowerful woman as well at a director level, kind of like leading the charge of the marketing team, has always been really inspiring to see. And like for her to take lead, because when I did start, she was taking lead on the safety and security series. It was a tough one as well, because it was like the first massive show for 19 after COVID, and it was a rough one as well. But seeing her to literally lead the team on phase as well has always been inspiring.
What's next for Rachel?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, nothing phases, Maggie. Okay, tell me something. What's next for you then? So, like, you know, you're now a marketing manager. What what is your next? What's your next big goal? She's she's in the room.
SPEAKER_01She's in the room. There's some whispers amongst our audience.
SPEAKER_00The card is marked.
SPEAKER_01What's next for me? Yeah. I think definitely just um I think I really love inspiring kind of like the next generation of event marketers as well. So I am part of like the AU Futures board as well, and I really love like taking people under my wing and kind of like leading them through that experience to like love events as well. Because loads of people don't know about it. So I think that I want that to be part of my legacy here as well, to be able to like introduce people to the industry and make them fall in love with it as well. I think my big things.
Why choose a career in events?
SPEAKER_00So, yeah, so uh going into that, you're obviously Madam Vice President of Coach Chair, darling, the co-chair of the AEO, like so is it the future future learn? Yeah, the futures board. The futures board. So um I guess like would why would you why would you employ people to get into events? Like, what is it that about you know events that you love so much, and why is it that you're advocating for a career in events if someone was a fresh graduate or something?
SPEAKER_01I think it's because it's a career that not many people would know about as well. Because I feel like a lot of people get stuck in specific mindsets of like you know, what they want to do, but they're not open to what else is out there. And I feel like what makes events so great is that you can see the result at the end of it. Because there's not many roles out there. I don't well, I don't I don't know anyway, it's my first job, but there's not many roles out there where you can actually see the result in such quite a short time scale or term cycle where you can see your work and you can like you know walk around the halls, you can hear people's opinions and stuff. Because the way I like to compare events is very much to like giving birth or a roller coaster. Or a roller coaster.
SPEAKER_02Breathe.
Why events are like a rollercoaster
SPEAKER_01Breathe. It's like giving birth or a roller coaster. So roller coaster is like you you you're very nervous when you're like queuing for the event, you are anticipating like you know, the worst, you go on it ups, downs, you get scared, but at the end of it, you're like, oh, that was actually quite fun. I want to I'll go again, I'll do that again.
SPEAKER_00Mamma me, I'll do that again. Yeah, I'm glad you went with like the roller coaster like metaphor rather than like the giving birth. That's what it's like. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, and I guess a lot of the time people say there's like a buzz in the air when you go to an event, and when I guess there's a lot of like people or graduates that are studying marketing at university, and they'll probably think, oh, I want to go for like the apples or like the Nikes, but you very rarely in those sort of positions do you ever see like the consumer and everything that you've worked hard for in one room on one day or three days, two days, whatever it is with the size of the event and stuff. So it is a unique career.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, really unique career. And there's no I don't think there's any other career like it where you can where it's that intense for a couple of days where you network your ass off as well.
SPEAKER_00Believe that.
SPEAKER_01Believe that.
Would Rachel do it all again?
SPEAKER_00If you could go back five years ago, would you do it all over again?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I would. I would do it all over again. I wouldn't change a thing about it actually. With tears and happiness, I would do it all again.
SPEAKER_00So far.
Rachel's biggest career highlight
SPEAKER_01Oh, career's highlight. I'll I'll give you my most memorable actually, because it's all it's it's to do with my career's highlight, and my most memorable as well will always be my first event. It's will be my highlight. Because it was the toughest one. I think even now it was the toughest one because again, it was like the first one out of COVID as well. And I'll never forget that experience of like you know, working up to this like deadline because I never knew what I was actually working towards, and to see it all happen on site. I literally cried my eyes out. It was in the post in the post show. So at the end of the event, we have like a post-show kind of like meeting where we kind of like you know talk about the results, then the numbers and stuff like that. And I remember just looking at Maggie to my right, her eyes are like watering, and I was like, oh my god, what's that what's happening?
SPEAKER_00And then was it that bad?
SPEAKER_01It wasn't that bad. And then I was like, and then after that, my eyes started streaming as well. And I was like, Why am I why am I crying so much? And then I have Alison Jackson or now CEO. No, she wasn't crying, but she was she was holding me. She was holding me, saying, Oh no, it's why are you crying? It's fine. And then I have Tristan Norman just like like looking side to side, like, oh am I doing what do I do with these emotions? What do I do with all these emotions? So that's Where's Pickle? Where's Pickle? So that's why I say it was wrong. So that's why I say it was probably my career highlights because it was like crying with Alison Jackson, Tristan Norman, not knowing to do what the not knowing what to do with their emotions, because it was like such an emotion, I didn't think I was going to get that emotional as well, but it was like the relief, the happiness of it all going well as well, and also kind of like the team bonding that you experienced it all together as well, and like you know, find it being over and like doing it all over all over again is like that sense of like pride as well. It's definitely pride is a big one where you feel so proud of your achievement as well, and what you did together as a team is a big one, yeah.
The buzz that keeps you coming back
SPEAKER_00And I guess it's similar to that sort of like roller coaster analogy that you went through before you like do it, you are scared, and then you do it, and then you're like, Wow, I want to go again.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I want to go again. Yeah,