Roger Tondeur

President, MCI Group, Switzerland

MCI is the foremost global event, communications and association management company.

After his studies and travelling around Europe, Roger Tondeur started his career organising concerts in Paris, where he gained his first experience of events. Roger moved back to his home country, Switzerland in 1979, when he became Head of Branch with Wagonlit Travel in Geneva, where he was also in charge of the Inbound Department. Promoted to Managing Director of Wagonlit Travel, Switzerland in 1982, Roger took charge of the offices in Geneva. During his five years as Managing Director, Wagonlit Travel took over the management of TELECOM, the world’s largest telecoms exhibition with over 250,000 visitors. In 1987, Roger left Wagonlit Travel with his wife, Ursula, to set up MCI. Over the next 12 years, MCI grew in size and reputation to become the leading event management company in Geneva. In 1999, the second MCI office opened in Zurich and since then expansion has been swift. By mid-2006, MCI had 14 offices across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. In addition there are also partnerships covering North America and Asia Pacific. This rapid expansion has been noticed by Europe’s 500 organisation, which placed MCI as the 138th fastest growing company within Europe, in 2005. MCI is now the foremost pan-European association, communications and event management group, the thought-leaders in building community around brands, products, services, companies and institutions. By the end of 2005, MCI Group had a turnover of €90m, employed nearly 400 permanent staff and organised over 800 events around the world annually. But as well as leading MCI, Roger has found time for other industry roles and is a member of MPI, SITE, ICCA, ISES and is a partner of INCON. He is a Past President of SITE and sits on several committees looking into convention centre and incentive business planning. His other business interests include being a partner in a private-equity firm with investments in meetings and events, management consulting and marketing and branding sectors. Roger has three adult children, including a son that has followed him into MCI. He will also shortly become a grandfather for the first time. Outside work, Roger enjoys travelling, literature and golf. His golfing partners can attest to Roger’s language skills – as his ball heads into the trees, he is able to swear fluently in five languages!

For nearly 20 years, we have designed strong event, communications and association management strategies in line with our clients’ identity, delivered and operated them while ensuring the most reliable and efficient services.

Founded in 1987, MCI has already brought its skill to more than 5,000 events, congresses, exhibitions, conferences as well as motivation, incentive travel and communication programmes and worked with dozens of International and National Associations to develop their strategic plan and to manage communication programmes, finances, membership growth as well as their educational programmes and congresses.

Our client base represents both the corporate and the institutional worlds and range from healthcare to automotive, telecom and IT, banking and insurance, luxury goods, governmental and non-governmental organisations as well as scientific and commercial associations.

MCI has offices in Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Dubai, Geneva, Petersfield/London, Lyon, Madrid, Paris, Singapore, Stockholm, Stuttgart, Vienna and Zurich and holds a global partnership with SmithBucklin, with offices in Chicago, Durham NC, Washington DC and St.Louis.