"The most exciting part of the Annual Meeting is seeing how the relationships among members become friendships with years, it is really moving to watch them hug and get so excited to meet each other again" This week you will be reading an interview with Maria Serrano, who is in charge of PR and Event Coordination of Conqueror Network. Maria plays a major role in the planning and organization of Conqueror's Annual Meetings. Additionally, she is also responsible for the network's communication as well as the coordination and development of Conqueror's online publicizing strategy for members. Before joining Conqueror, Maria worked with different international companies managing projects in trade shows worldwide, developing marketing campaigns and organizing events.

Maria Serrano, Conqueror PR and Events Coordinator

Q. Let's begin with your experience at Conqueror Freight Network

A. I joined Conqueror's team 6 years ago and saw how it has been growing since then. I really appreciate working with my colleagues and we get along really well. Since joining Conqueror, my task has been to figure out several promotional strategies for our members. My prior experience in journalism has sharpened my writing/communication skills and research ability all of which are important in my line of work. Working with Conqueror has taught me many new things and the perfect work ambience here allows me to do my job with utmost care and precision.

Q. What does your job consist of? Do you find your everyday tasks exciting?

A. The most important aspects of my job include organizational work for Conqueror's Annual Meetings and managing the communication and marketing of the company. I really enjoy doing my job, specially the creative part. I learn everyday from my colleagues and also from members, it is really exciting to hear their work stories and how they manage to develop them. Additionally, arranging all the preparations for the Meeting is challenging, but at the same time, really comforting. Especially, when we see how the relationships among members become friendships with years, it is really moving watching them hug and so excited to meet each other again. You realize that Conqueror is a big family that has been embracing new members from the very beginning. Then, the Meeting is over and the whole team is thrilled every time a member congratulates us for our work. This appreciation from our members cannot be compared with any other feeling.

Q. What is the most challenging aspect of your job?

A. Choosing the best hotel, restaurant, band, photographers, and making other necessary arrangements for the meeting is perhaps my most challenging task. I have to do this task scrupulously so that all our members are happy and get to connect in the best possible environment. Also, organizing the whole event is a complicated job since there are many details to take into account. Furthermore, as we are far away this task involves a whole lot of phone calls, emails and videochats. When it comes to our members' experience during the meeting we can't make any mistakes!

Q. What is the most important objective of the Marketing and PR team?

A. The primary objective of our PR and Marketing team is to promote our members' companies in every possible way. Moreover, it is also our task to arrange for a seamless Annual Meeting experience and make sure that the members are making the most of it.

Q. What do you like most about your work?

A. The commendable office environment allows me to be creative and innovative about every aspect of my job. As an American writer and PR specialist Ronn Torossian puts it, "PR is a mix of journalism, psychology, and lawyering – it’s an ever-changing and always interesting landscape.” It goes without saying that in spite of all its challenges my work is highly engaging and I thoroughly enjoy brain wracking to find the best solutions for our members.

Q. What can attending to Annual Meeting do for members? A. The meetings help to foster a collaborative spirit by bringing together all the members. Moreover, the formal meetings and the informal chitchats, day tours and parties help to strengthen the bonding among the network members. Because of the Coronavirus we couldn't arrange an in-person meeting in the last two years. Therefore, we are very excited since after two long years we are eagerly waiting to meet our members in person. We received loads of good comments about the organization and good connections made by Conqueror members, which is by far our best reward.

Honesty, expertise, independence, loyalty, and fairness are some of the values that drive me… I believe that the success of our team lies with the success of our members.

Q. How does Conqueror help to publicize the members' activities?

A. We always encourage members to send us the latest news from their end. This allows us to create a promotional news piece about our members achievement that we publish on our news section every Friday. The members are also interviewed from time to time so that they get a chance to give their option about the industry defining issues and get a chance to talk about their services, experiences and specialties. We also make sure to promote this news on our social media pages where we encourage all our followers to read that news. Additionally, Conqueror's SEO optimization endeavours further increase the visibility of the news which translates to greater popularity of our members.

Q. What are the latest marketing endeavours of Conqueror in 2022?

A. In 2022, we have implemented several different marketing actions. This includes the upgrading of our members area, addition of many new features to our website, the launch of logistics courses, the creation of web apps for the meetings and the implementation of an SEO strategy. We are presently working on the implementation of many more useful marketing strategies. However, the details will be revealed at the right time!

Q. What are the values that motivate you?

A. Honesty, expertise, independence, loyalty, and fairness are some of the values that drive me. I try to incorporate these values in every aspect of my task and I make sure to abide by these work ethics. I believe that the success of our team lies with the success of our members.