May 2022 - Lauren Dejmal, CMP

Lauren Dejmal, CMP Senior Marketing Manager, North American Events & Marketing Services AGCO Corporation  Member since September 2021 Lauren.Dejmal@AGCOcorp.com 770.232.8069

MPI Georgia would like to welcome new member Lauren Dejmal, Senior Marketing Manager for North America Events and Marketing Services at AGCO Corporation, a global farm equipment manufacturer. She joined the chapter recently after attending MPI events for nearly 20 years and finally made the jump to join in September 2021. "Better late than never, right? Many of my industry friends and partners have been actively immersed in MPI events for many years.

I am looking forward to getting more involved in supporting the meetings and events industry, especially in Atlanta, and to meet and network with other planners and suppliers."

At AGCO Corporation, Lauren is the department lead for North America meetings, events, incentives, as well as print and digital marketing services, and the factory welcome center. After 20 years in the event and experiential marketing industry and 9+ years building the strategic events engagement plan at this global agriculture equipment manufacturer, Lauren has garnered the trust of the C-suite for how to best impact AGCO's customer base of dealers and farmers. With a $10+ million-dollar budget impact and more than 100+ events per year, Lauren is a non-stop, detailed planner all the way through. She has always been a planner - you can even ask her friends in high school about that 3-page camping trip packet she prepared and mailed out to each one!

In college, Lauren studied International Business, Spanish, & Marketing at the University of Georgia. While planning the ZTA sorority Parent's Weekend, she had an awakening and knew that hosting events was what she would spend her career doing. After sending her resume multiple times (via snail mail printed on fancy thick paper, of course) to many companies in Atlanta, including Aspen Productions, Lauren got the call she had been waiting on. "Phelps Hope, the owner of Aspen Productions, gave me my first job in the summer of 2002. I loved every minute of proposal research, writing, planning, communication, and onsite event management. I worked with a great team, many of which are current friends and suppliers and partners!"

Lauren's current "cool project" is not a work project but rather for her personal and professional benefit. She is halfway through the 18-month long Masters of Meeting & Event Management degree program at San Diego State University. This MPI-backed program is led by the events industry experts at SDSU's Payne School of Hospitality & Tourism Management and has been an excellent experience thus far. "My professors (including industry icons like MPI's own Annette Gregg) and my cohort student partners have already taught me so much about leadership, marketing, stakeholder buy-in, and so much more. While time-challenging, the program has proven to be a worthwhile investment in myself for the future."

Lauren enjoys traveling, and even though she lives and works in Atlanta, GA, she spends 30+ weeks a year traveling. She recently returned home from Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic, and San Juan, Puerto Rico, and will soon head to Wichita, Kansas, for the AGCO supplier meeting. In a few short weeks, she is heading to exciting Brasilia, Brazil, for their Board of Director's trip. "Our trips range from luxury and far away to small towns much closer to home. There is never a dull moment on the AGCO Events team, and the Delta SkyMiles account gets quite the workout!" Across her 404 trips (and counting) in 20 years of traveling for business and for fun, she has collected a Christmas ornament in nearly every destination. Each is marked with the location, date, and her traveling companions for that adventure. "I treasure them so much, and putting them all on the travel-themed tree is one of my favorite days of the year."

Lauren is married to a software engineer and web developer. In her spare time, she enjoys crafts, photography, travel, and spending time with family and friends. Lauren also prides herself on being the best Aunt LaLa possible to two little girls, Quinn and Brooke. "Interesting Fact: my husband is from the Czech Republic, and our last name is pronounced Day-Mall (think shopping a Day at the Mall - which I also like to do). Now you won't forget it!"