Over the coming weeks we will announce our new MemberWise Ambassadors who will champion their particular area of expertise. Introducing MemberWise Ambassador (Events), Nicola Pogson, Senior Events Manager,R3 (Association of Business Recovery Professionals). We get to Nicola…

R3 is the trade association for the entire community of the UK’s restructuring, turnaround and insolvency professionals, whatever the size of their practice, their experience or their specialism. Our members promote economic regeneration, resolve financial distress for businesses and individuals, save jobs, and create the confidence and public trust which underpin trading, lending and investment.
We currently have over 3,000 individual members.

I lead the strategic planning and delivery of R3’s events programme, including conferences, forums, and networking/social events. My role involves managing budgets, coordinating with speakers and sponsors, and ensuring events deliver value to members. I have three direct reports and we all work within the Member Services team, contributing directly to member experience and retention.

2026 will be my ten-year anniversary of working within member organisations. Before joining R3, three years ago, I worked for The College of Optometrists and The Education and Training Foundation.

A key group of R3’s membership are our smaller practice group (SPG) members. R3 hosts an annual conference aimed at that group called the SPG Forum. This event has sold out for a number of years. This year we moved venues for the first time since I have been here meaning we could increase our attendee numbers by over 31% and offer a greater range of sponsorship opportunities. Not only did we sell out the event and receive amazing feedback from delegates, but we increased the financial contribution going back to R3 to support its wider member activities.

I began my career in a museum, where event attendees created a strong sense of community. Advancing professionally, I wanted to preserve that feeling. Joining a membership organisation was a natural step, as events are vital for engagement, whether educating members, connecting them, or both!

I’ve attended MemberWise events and webinars to share best practice and learn from peers in the membership sector. Nobody understands the joy and challenges of working in membership like our peers!

Budgets are tight for everyone and so I want to continue to enhance member engagement to provide real value for money and ensure our events are engaging and innovative.

In my role as Ambassador (Events) I’ll champion innovative, member-focused event strategies that strengthen engagement and deliver measurable value, sharing insights and best practice across the network.

If i could recommend just one thing to a membership/association professional starting out in a similar role I would say try to understand your members’ needs first, successful events and engagement strategies start with listening and adapting to what matters most to them.

Something not many people know about me – I am very competitive – it’s a family trait and I was once on the tv quiz show the Chase.

We welcome Nicola on board as MemberWise Ambassador (Events) and we look forward to championing effective event related activity within the membership and association sector.