Staying on the Move: Lyndsay Nicholson Finds Adventure in Every Event
After more than a decade of working in event management, Lyndsay Nicholson has found her groove as an operations manager for SEM&I at MCI USA, where she has spent the past two years managing budgets and contracting with vendors for corporate events. Read on to learn about her passion for her job, the cool places she gets to travel as part of her job and her love for her favorite (flightless) bird.
What does your day-to-day look like?
My day-to-day varies so much because I am constantly on the move. In 2023, I was traveling almost every single week! So far in 2024, I have been to Orlando several times, and I have upcoming trips to Miami, Houston, Dallas and Orlando again. When I’m at home, I’m communicating with vendors, working on contracts, and ensuring all the projects and events stay on track.
When I’m traveling, I’m usually doing site visits for a future event or I’m staying busy running the event. These are usually quick trips, which can be challenging, but this year, we’re hoping to work with larger clients, so it would be longer time on-site but less time in the air.
What keeps you passionate about your career?
I love that every client and every project is different. It always keeps me busy, and you never know what’s coming next because no two events are the same. I’ve had the chance to work on some really fun things in my career, including working on the Super Bowl in Miami in a previous position and watching the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange get rung from right on the floor.
I’ve also gotten to travel to some great places, specifically with MCI, including Whistler and Rome. I was lucky I got the chance to extend both trips so I could explore the cities.
What’s your favorite thing about spring?
I’m excited to go to baseball games! I live in Asheville, North Carolina, and we have a minor league team called the Tourists. This year, they’re having a 100th anniversary celebration on their opening day where everything is the same pricing as 100 years ago, which is great! I’m also a huge Yankees fan. My mom’s family is from the New Jersey/New York area, and a Yankees/Rays game was the first game I ever went to. My boyfriend is a Phillies fan, and we’re considering a move in the future to Pennsylvania, so it would be a lot easier for both of us to catch our favorite teams.
What’s something that people would be surprised to know about you?
The people I work closely with all know this, but everyone else might be surprised to learn that I’m obsessed with penguins! My dog Marlie Rose is penguin colored (black and white), I have a million fun facts about penguins, and my boyfriend even sponsored a penguin for me that I can track and watch videos of. When I was a kid, we went to the penguin walk at the Tampa Zoo, and it was one of the highlights of my childhood.
What’s on your bucket list?
I want to travel anywhere that has penguins! Antarctica is where my favorite penguin, the Adélies, live — they’re the black and white ones with a circle on the eyes. I also want to go to see the penguins in South Africa and Argentina, and we’re planning a trip to New Zealand next year for my birthday.