About

Passion is important in any industry. It is what makes the difference between simply doing your job and truly excelling at it. And in the world of content creation, meetings and events, Irina Graf leads by example, showing that passion fuels success. 

Irina’s vision and experience have provided a foundation for success that continues to grow. She has worked in multiple sides of the MICE industry, and has also mastered the art of content creation and management, from blogging and copywriting to social media. She also loves sharing her knowledge and expertise with clients around the world. 

To get to the roots of Irina’s dedication to the MICE market, the year 2011 is particularly illustrative. That is when two career-changing events occurred: While conducting an internship in an events agency in Munich, as part of her tourism studies, Irina discovered that her passion lies within the events sector. When she won a research-based award scholarship with Regent’s University London, her career path took an exciting turn and she decided to change her fields of studies to International Events Management. That same year, she also launched her blog, The MICE Blog, which remained a side project until becoming her full-time business in 2015. 

Since then, it has been an exciting path as Irina has expanded her role and served an ever-growing audience.  

From the start, Irina’s vision for The MICE Blog has been to connect the global online community of event planners, while providing inspiration, education and networking opportunities, all by highlighting the industry’s best work. The response has been fantastic. Today, Irina and her blog are a trusted resource for planners and MICE industry insiders around the world. 

A Proven Background

Irina has immersed herself in the MICE market for years. Her Regent’s University scholarship, in fact, opened the door for a BA Honours degree in International Event Management at the European Business School in London. She soon found that this was a great way to forge relationships with other event professionals.

Irina quickly found still more ways to network. In 2014, she founded the #eventprofstalk Twitter chat, and one year later the Event Planners Talk live event series for the global events industry. The Twitter chat, which takes place every Monday evening, focuses on a single topic for each 1-hour instalment. So far, she has led more than 100 chats on themes ranging from innovation, sustainability and education to personal development and event technology. Through her innovative combination of both Twitter chats and live events, Irina has connected the online and offline communities to forge business relationships. By extending the event life cycle, she has created a source of continuing education for event professionals.

Five Languages and a Global Perspective

Irina’s focus is decidedly international in scope. She has lived in Russia, Israel, Switzerland, Germany and the UK. She speaks Russian, English, Hebrew, German and French. So it is easy for her to keep her finger on the global pulse of the MICE market — and also communicate to a diverse audience. 

In January 2016, Irina gave birth to her son, and became a full-time blogger, dedicating even more of her time to the international online community of event planners. She now works with global convention bureaus, venues, event planners, exhibition organisers and SMEs, supporting them with social media, strategic content creation, live blogging opportunities, FAM trips and sponsored posts. 

Irina is also in demand as a speaker and lecturer, providing insight and inspiration in person and in multiple languages. A strong supporter of formal event education, she has presented at universities including Regent’s University London, Sheffield Hallam University, University of Lincoln and Temasek Polytechnic (Temasek Tourism Academy). 

It is probably not a surprise that, even when not working, Irina loves to travel and discover new destinations and cultures. She also loves spending time with her family, photography and cooking, and is ready to help you reach your goals with respect to developing attention-gaining, on-target custom content.