Carlota Pico recently got the chance to speak with London-based Debora Mondella, head of global marketing at Aztec Event Services, about what it’s like to work in the dynamic and fast-paced global events sector. In this interview Debora covers a wide range of topics, including consumer behavior, company culture and adapting a global marketing strategy to local needs. She also provides expert advice on how brands can capture consumers’ attention with online events—a topic that’s become increasingly relevant of late.

You can watch the full conversation in the video above or on YouTube, listen to the podcast on Apple and Spotify, and read our recap below.

Key takeaways

  • The events industry is an incredibly exciting area to work in. In order to succeed, you need to be versatile and ready to switch on at any moment. 
  • Any brand can create a great global marketing plan, but if they don’t discuss it with local and regional partners to make sure it meets their objectives, the plan won’t be successful. As objectives change in different countries, so should the content strategy.
  • Brands can’t easily rely on the networking vibe that they used to have when hosting in-person events. They need to create bold and captivating content to provoke positive emotional reactions and make their online events stand out in people’s minds.
  • What separates great brand marketing from good brand marketing is a strong company culture. If your employees embody the company’s values, they become your best brand ambassadors.
  • According to recent research, consumer purchasing priorities have changed due to COVID-19. Apart from quality and price, people now care more about availability, while brand is less relevant to buying decisions. This may change the way marketers approach their messaging.


The keys to creating memorable virtual events are to keep your content relevant, create a sense of belonging, share meaningful knowledge and inspire your audience with thought-provoking questions—not just answers.

Rapid-fire recs

What are your sources of inspiration?

As a multichannel marketer, I like having different sources of inspiration. I read Marketing Week for insights into consumer behavior and statistics, as well as Behavioral Scientist. I listen to the Curio podcast, which collects the best articles in the world and tells really inspiring stories. I also like to listen to Neil Patel for updates regarding SEO.

A book or publication you like?

I would have to say “Business for Punks.” It was written by one of the co-founders of BrewDog. I had a quite structured education in marketing, but this book completely revolutionized my vision of how a startup can grow in a fast-paced environment.

Also check out: Top 8 content and marketing books to read right now (according to experts)

A valuable resource, event or hashtag?

I would have to recommend the Festival of Marketing event in London. It occurs every year for two days and brings together high-level marketers to discuss the latest industry trends. It’s really inspiring.

Also check out: 7 online networking groups for content marketers on Facebook & LinkedIn


Connect with Debora and Carlota on LinkedIn.

This post was edited by Rishabh Agrawal, a freelance content creator based in Madrid.


For more insights into the latest trends in global events, check out:

How social movements and global events are changing language in 2020

Changing consumer priorities – Debora Mondella, head of global marketing at Aztec Events

The year of online events – Tiffany Mayne, EMEA head of marketing at GB Intelligence

To see the full transcript, click on page number 2 below.