New InfoComm COO Heidi Voorhees Energizes Strategic Focus

Longtime management expert Heidi Voorhees is excited for this month’s expo and says the organization needs to keep audience experience in mind at all times.

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Heidi Voorhees has only been on the job as InfoComm International’s chief operating officer since mid-March, so she’s still learning as much as she can about the systems integration world. But her early impression of her new employer and the industry it serves is overwhelmingly positive.

“I’m starting to learn and appreciate how broad this industry is and how much it touches everything we do,” says Voorhees, who took over as InfoComm’s COO after more than 20 years of experience in association management and an MBA from Northwestern University. “It’s eye-opening and exciting.”

For Voorhees, 47, the new gig represents “the perfect blend of operations, events and management” and follows a couple of positions at tech startups, one of which ran out of money while another “wasn’t really a good fit.” She had a recruiter looking for jobs on her behalf when the InfoComm positioned opened at the end of 2016.

Related: Inside New InfoComm COO Heidi Voorhees’ Strategic Focus

Let’s go Back Stage and learn more about Heidi Voorhees:

CI: What appealed to you about working for InfoComm and in this industry?

Heidi Voorhees: “I was looking to be the CEO of a smaller company, COO of a larger company or doing something in the events space. It was very clear from my first meeting with [InfoComm executive director and CEO] Dave [Labuskes] that we have very similar values in terms of how we should treat our members and employees. Our board [of directors] is very much futuristic and strategic focused. Associations that have that going for them are the ones that are successful in moving things forward.”

CI: How did you hear about InfoComm and why did you think it would be a good fit for you?

Heidi Voorhees, InfoComm

Hiedi Voorhees is a retired triathlete with over 20 marathons under her proverbial belt.

Heidi Voorhees: “I met [senior VP of expositions] Jason [McGraw] about five years ago at an industry tradeshow and we talked about InfoComm as an organization and their shows, especially the big one in June. I’ve always known about InfoComm. It’s a group that has a very good reputation and the show they put on is one of the largest in the country.”

One of Voorhees’ main responsibilities out of the gate as InfoComm’s COO is supporting Labuskes and the InfoComm board in implementing the new strategic plan. For now, she’s more in listening mode than action mode on any of the initiatives, but says in the fall it could be a different story.

CI: What are your plans to help InfoComm improve its overall approach?

Heidi Voorhees: “We’ll revisit where we’ve been and where we need to be. Right now, I’m in more of an observer point of view, with the goal being to make sure everything we do has value for our audience. I bring an outside perspective, and I really want to focus on the experience we want our attendees to have at our events. I’ve identified some areas to look at and evaluate, but I’m trying to spend my first few months listening to what everyone has to say and see if what they say is what I see. I’ve formulated some ideas of where some opportunities may lie but I want to see what other people think first.”

Voorhees can already anticipate how she’ll feel when she gets to Orlando for InfoComm 2017. “I’ll get to the event and be giddy I get paid to be at tradeshows.”

CI: How did you start running marathons and participating in triathlons? What are some of your top accomplishments?

Heidi Voorhees: “I did my first marathon and triathlon in 1994. It’s a really good stress reliever that helps me clear my head. It makes me feel good about myself. I finished three triathlons, the last one in 2005, and I’ve run in more than 20 marathons, the last one in February in Tokyo. I’m an Abbott World Marathon Major SixStar Finisher, which includes Boston, Chicago, New York, London, Berlin and Tokyo. I ran Boston last in 2013 and my friend and I finished about seven minutes before the bombs went off. My friend worked for a TV station and had to go on the air after finishing the race.”

Make sure you get the most out of this year’s InfoComm. Begin here.

Who’s the unsung hero in your firm?

Send “Back Stage” suggestions to editor-at-large D. Craig MacCormack at [email protected]

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