Spotlight on Jenna Pickrell: 12 Years of Dedication and Growth

As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, we are taking the opportunity to highlight the incredible people who have contributed to our success. Many of our delegates and speakers will be familiar with our dedicated Events Manager, Jenna Pickrell, who plays a vital role in delivering our events and webinars. Now in her 12th year with TEN, we asked Jenna what it is like to be part of the team. 

Having grown up in Queensland, Jenna began her career in event management at one of the major five-star hotels on the Gold Coast. She was no stranger to TEN even before joining us, having worked closely with our team as a venue manager for some of our Queensland conferences 

After seven years in that role, Jenna was ready for a new adventure. With long service leave saved up, she packed her bags and headed for (the not-so-sunny) Melbourne—without a job lined up. Fortunately for us, she came across an ad for the Conference Manager role at TEN. 

“I had two job offers at the same time – the other was similar to what I had been doing on the Gold Coast, but I was keen to work with a company on the other side of the fence. Additionally, I knew they ran a lot of conferences on the Gold Coast – so I was able to travel home a number of times a year for work, safe to say I never got homesick!” 

Over the years, Jenna has built expertise in both event and webinar management. While she initially handled both, her role soon shifted to focus primarily on conferences as TEN expanded. She has seen the company evolve and adapt to industry changes firsthand. 

“What I love about our management team is they are always trying to evolve. My role has changed with the industry and company requirements. I started running all the conferences and webinars, but then quickly moved just to our 2-day conferences as we were bringing on new conferences all the time. Then Covid hit, which then changed my role again to running all our conferences online,  

Post-pandemic, Jenna’s role continued to evolve as all conferences became hybrid events. 

“After COVID, my role also developed, as we now run all our conferences as hybrid events. So, I have become an expert in AV as well as event management. I know more about audiovisual than I thought I ever would due to this role. I had experience in events, but I have gained so much as well.” 

Twelve years on, Jenna has no plans to leave anytime soon. When asked what has kept her at TEN for so long, she points to trust and support as key factors. 

“They (staff and management) trust me. They trust my ideas, and they are all so supportive. When I wanted to move back to Queensland, they allowed me to do this and continue working with them, and since then I have become a mother, and they have been so supportive and flexible when needed (those daycare sicknesses are really something!) 

Jenna is also proud of the strong relationships she has built with speakers and delegates. 

“I think our presenters also have a lot of trust in us, same with our delegates. They know what we are going to put forward is going to be of a very high calibre. I have so many people coming up to me and saying how they love presenting for TEN. The topics are really well researched, and they know they will be looked after. That is something that I am really proud of.” 

Looking ahead, Jenna is excited about what the future holds for TEN. With new products, services, and an ever-evolving offering for delegates, she plans to be part of the journey. 

“I think the company will continue to evolve by adding products, changing, and keeping up with market trends. I believe we will still be running conferences in another 50 years. I don't know what's going to happen in the future, but technology—like AI—is obviously going to impact what we do. And I'm sure that we will adapt as needed.” 

Reflecting on her journey, Jenna is grateful for the path that led her here. 

“All those 12 years ago, I am so glad that that position became available at just the right time for me. I think it was meant to be. The timing was, you know, just crazy. It all sort of aligned, and I think there was a reason! You know, I'll probably talk to you in another 12 years!” 

And we could not be happier to have her for the next 12 years!