The mia strengthens team with new appointments

The Meetings Industry Association (mia) has strengthened its fast-growing team with the appointment of three new staff.

Claire Polok joins the membership team as membership support executive, while Shauna Murray and Amy Pragnell both join the events team as events executive and events assistant respectively.

On hand to assist the mia’s 530 accredited members and help them get the most out of their membership, Claire comes from a background in retail design and is looking forward to bringing her customer service experience to the role.

Shauna’s degree in marketing, advertising and public relations from Birmingham City University and previous experience working at Edgbaston Cricket Ground as a commercial executive will both come in use in her new role planning, booking and overseeing all events run by the mia for its members, including regular breakfast briefings and half-day courses, as well as annual agents’ days and agents’ dinners.

Amy joins the mia on a one-year contract on placement from the University of Greenwich, where she is studying a degree in events management. She has previously spent six months working at Upper Street Events and has volunteered at several big events including the University of Greenwich Women’s Day International Conference and the MassChallenge Awards Ceremony. She will be assisting the mia’s events team in the organisation of all events.

Jane Longhurst, Chief Executive of the Meetings Industry Association said: “I am delighted to welcome Claire, Shauna and Amy to the mia team at what is a time of significant growth for the association. The next 12 months are likely to be particularly busy for our events team as we branch out with new initiatives such as our Conference and Event Management Awards, which will celebrate the best up-and-coming student talent in the industry, and we further shape our events programme. The three new appointments will help us to deliver an even wider range of fantastic events and offer the highest levels of service to our members.”

For more information about the mia, visit mia-uk.org.