Women Leaders in Meetings: Lori Allen

Lori Allen epitomizes the phrase: You get what you give. She’s an all-in, passionate professional, which has helped in her journey up the event ladder. She considers it “a privilege” to give time to her team, and they’re energized and excited to work for her. She’s also an active member of Financial & Insurance Conference Professionals, and a believer in the power of networking.

Skift Meetings recently sat down with Allen, vice president, global event operations at  MetLife, to learn about her leadership philosophies, how she inspires her team, and what inspires her.

Skift Meetings: You’ve spent your entire career, the past 25 years, in events? What is it about this industry that has kept you in it for so long?

Lori Allen: I think that when it comes to events, it’s something that you’re just called to do. Events came into my life in 2004 and I have always worked in the event space at MetLife. I’ve been able to have such a rich and diverse career. As a company, we’re so different in 2025 than we were in 2004, and as the company has changed, I’ve been able to stretch and learn and grow right along with it.

So as the company grew globally, your opportunities grew?

When I started with the firm, it was primarily a face-to-face distribution model, U.S.-based. As the company grew globally, the opportunity to become involved in the international side of the business was so attractive to me. I ended up collaborating with our business leaders in Japan, which is our biggest business outside the United States, and helping to set up and develop their event management team, which is still in place today and stronger than ever.

What do you do in your role as VP of global event operations?

Our team supports and plans the highest-profile meetings and events, anything that’s multi-region, multi-country—the strategic initiatives that are a little bit more complex. We have 17 people on the team, including myself.

We have a team of planners who project-manage the events; a team of event technologists who manage all of our data and build all of our technology, like our attendee-facing registration platform and our mobile apps; and a team that does event production, primarily the business sessions in the ballroom, but they’re also whizzes at things like video creation and lighting.

We also have teams in Japan and in Mexico, who, while they’re not directly reporting to me, are still part of the marketing function, which is what we’re a part of. 

Do you have a strong relationship with these other global teams?

We have projects we work on together, and I find that the relationships that you build when you’re doing the work are better than anything. You are able to build that trust, get to know people, and have those shared experiences together.

It’s like what we  give our attendees—these shared experiences and memories and engagement in person.

That’s a really important piece of being part of a global company, and one of the things that’s really attractive to me is really that circle of learning and communication.

Who has helped you the most to grow your career?

I have had tons of support to get where I am today and in particular from my former boss, Jeff Calmus. Jeff’s a legend. And he was so generous to me with his time and with his experience—and just his spirit. I mean, he was amazing. Who I am today as a leader has been influenced a lot by my experience with Jeff.  

How do you help to grow the people on your team?

It’s all about knowing my team and taking the time to be the kind of leader who understands what her team needs, as well as creates an environment where they’re safe to express that. 

I think that sometimes people don’t feel comfortable enough to have an authentic conversation, or feel challenged to be able to speak up. I want to create an environment where people are able to self-advocate, and to be reflective about their careers and what opportunities they might need.  

It’s also about listening, making sure to have those conversations. It’s so easy to push off and to prioritize other things that feel really urgent. My team deserves that time. And it’s my privilege as a leader to be able to help them. 

I always try to ask them: Is there anything I can do for you? Do you need something to do your job better? Because I think that people, sometimes, if they’re not asked, won’t tell you. It’s important to me to make sure that I’m an enabler and not a roadblock.

Who inspires you to be a better leader?

It’s hard to identify a single person. Honestly, I’d have to say the people on my team. Every time we have a project, I feel constantly in awe at the level of commitment that my team exhibits, the level of expertise, the level of patience.

What we do is not easy. My favorite analogy is that it’s like we’re in a play: We have a script, we’ve got actors, we’ve got an audience, we’ve got a stage, but every night is the dress rehearsal and the closing night. You’re never going to do it twice. And so I think it takes a really special kind of person to be able to handle that kind of pressure with grace and to have success. 

You’re involved in Financial & Insurance Conference Professionals…What’s one piece of advice you would give to someone starting out as a meeting planner?

If I were giving advice to my younger self, it would have been to have started networking earlier and to recognize the huge value that internal and external networking can bring to your career. And to you as a person.

I think you get more than you expect when you decide to become involved in industry organizations, or within your own firm. Making sure that you’ve got a really strong network is hugely important.