Insights

Surviving the pandemic: how to innovate in one of the hardest hit industries

Alex Osterwalder
Tendayi Viki
Sebastien Tondeur
January 13, 2022
#
 min read
topics
Innovating In Uncertain Times
Business Strategy

Imagine you’re running one of the biggest event companies on the planet, then all of a sudden the pandemic hits. All events are cancelled. You have thousands of staff members on your payroll. You have no idea when things will go back to normal.

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This is exactly what Sebastien Tondeur, the CEO of MCI (www.wearemci.com), was facing in March 2020. In this January’s webinar, Sebastien will share how he overcame the challenge.

Join Alex Osterwalder (author of The Invincible Company), Tendayi Viki (author of Pirates in the Navy), Nick Himowicz (Host of webinar) and Sebastien Tondeur (CEO, MCI).

We’ll have a conversation and extract powerful lessons and practical advice drawn from Sebastian’s experience in leading MCI Group through the pandemic:

“When the first wave hit in March, we envisioned this “problem” as a 3 month thing. Sure it would hurt! but relatively speaking; it will be just a scratch. Then, here comes September, the second wave… then we realize the unavoidable: Oh Sh…it’s a perfect storm.”

We had to face the brutal facts - as Jim Collins famously said; so we faced two important decisions: (1) do we believe that this industry sector is going to be relevant in 5, 10 or >20 years, (2) how are we going to survive to execute on our business plan & vision given the constraints.”
Sebastien Tondeur
CEO of MCI

“Simply said, we think we are ready to thrive again because we plan for the long term, we listen to our instincts, and we work as a team.”

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About the speakers

Alex Osterwalder
Entrepreneur, speaker and business thinker

Dr. Alexander (Alex) Osterwalder is one of the world’s most influential innovation experts, a leading author, entrepreneur and in-demand speaker whose work has changed the way established companies do business and how new ventures get started.

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Alex
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Tendayi Viki
Author, Speaker, Advisor

Tendayi Viki is an author and innovation consultant. He holds a PhD in Psychology and an MBA. As Associate Partner at Strategyzer, he helps large organizations innovate for the future while managing their core business.

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Tendayi
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Sebastien Tondeur
Chief Executive Officer of MCI

Sebastien Tondeur is the Chief Executive Officer of MCI, he holds an MBA from Northeastern University in Boston, USA. Under his leadership, MCI has grown from a Swiss to a global organization with a presence in 31 countries, making it one of the biggest events group worldwide with a turnover of €434 million. Sebastien is driven by a passion for entrepreneurship and is a firm believer in the power of face-to-face interactions to build communities, inspire, and foster change.

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Sebastien
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by 
Alex Osterwalder
Tendayi Viki
Sebastien Tondeur
January 13, 2022
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Surviving the pandemic: how to innovate in one of the hardest hit industries
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Surviving the pandemic: how to innovate in one of the hardest hit industries

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January 13, 2022
#
 min read
topics
Innovating In Uncertain Times
Business Strategy

Imagine you’re running one of the biggest event companies on the planet, then all of a sudden the pandemic hits. All events are cancelled. You have thousands of staff members on your payroll. You have no idea when things will go back to normal.

This is exactly what Sebastien Tondeur, the CEO of MCI (www.wearemci.com), was facing in March 2020. In this January’s webinar, Sebastien will share how he overcame the challenge.

Join Alex Osterwalder (author of The Invincible Company), Tendayi Viki (author of Pirates in the Navy), Nick Himowicz (Host of webinar) and Sebastien Tondeur (CEO, MCI).

We’ll have a conversation and extract powerful lessons and practical advice drawn from Sebastian’s experience in leading MCI Group through the pandemic:

“When the first wave hit in March, we envisioned this “problem” as a 3 month thing. Sure it would hurt! but relatively speaking; it will be just a scratch. Then, here comes September, the second wave… then we realize the unavoidable: Oh Sh…it’s a perfect storm.”

We had to face the brutal facts - as Jim Collins famously said; so we faced two important decisions: (1) do we believe that this industry sector is going to be relevant in 5, 10 or >20 years, (2) how are we going to survive to execute on our business plan & vision given the constraints.”
Sebastien Tondeur
CEO of MCI

“Simply said, we think we are ready to thrive again because we plan for the long term, we listen to our instincts, and we work as a team.”

related reads
No items found.
Surviving the pandemic: how to innovate in one of the hardest hit industries

Imagine you’re running one of the biggest event companies on the planet, then all of a sudden the pandemic hits. All events are cancelled. You have thousands of staff members on your payroll. You have no idea when things will go back to normal.

Thanks for your interest in 
Surviving the pandemic: how to innovate in one of the hardest hit industries
Surviving the pandemic: how to innovate in one of the hardest hit industries
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