In an interview with Eventible, Cyril Gross, Principal Consultant, Developer & Partner at Mayoris AG, speaks about his background, his journey so far, his most challenging project, the obstacles along the way, the ways in which he stays up-to-date with the latest industry trends and much more!

• Can you tell us about your professional background and how you got started in your current role?

I started in electronics and hardware-level coding many years ago. Over time, I made my way via database and web engineering into marketing technology.

• What is the most challenging project you have worked on, and how did you overcome any obstacles?

It’s not a project in a standard way but a situation I found myself in: I joined my current company in its early startup stage as the 5^th employee. As the business case did not work out as planned and the founders were made to leave, I was suddenly the longest-lasting employee and, most important, knowledge bearer. In that role, I played a crucial role in turning the company from a Martech development startup into a marketing service agency (as we already had a well-working service department). Ultimately, we succeeded, and I could be part of the team who did a management buyout of the company and became an entrepreneur – something I had always dreamed of being.

• How do you stay up to date with industry trends and technologies?

I’m a big fan of conferences. Nowadays, events are often set up as hybrid events. They have keynote and break-out sessions for general topics, masterclasses and workshops for in-depth knowledge, expos and lounge areas for networking and product experience, and evening/side events for personal networking. Adding online attendance is a great benefit to extend the reach of keynote and breakout sessions.

• Can you tell us about a successful project you have led or been a part of and what made it successful?

Success in a project is not purely financial or KPI driven. I rate projects as well on soft factors such as learning, innovation and teamwork. Thus those projects I see as the most successful may not be equally successful by my controller.

The most significant achievement I was involved in a leading role is not related to my bread and butter work but my leisure time volunteering. I was part of a team developing, organising and coordinating biathlon races and building a community around that sport in Switzerland. Biathlon, for those unfamiliar with it, is an Olympic winter discipline that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. Over my nearly 20 years of involvement, we could leverage the sports from a small niche to a significant winter discipline in the country, creating an environment where world-class athletes grow.

• How do you prioritise and manage your workload to ensure you meet deadlines and achieve goals?

That’s my biggest challenge, where I often struggle hard. It’s all about which provides the best return on investment vs causes the most trouble if left undone or delayed. 

• How do you approach team management and building a positive team culture?

I see that as a critical component in leadership. And the key factors here are trust and reliability. When my team knows I will take the front line in a crisis, helping and defending them, and I know they will go the extra mile when needed, I’m where I want to be.

• Can you discuss a time when you had to resolve a conflict within your team or with a client? How did you handle the situation?

In a service business, I repeatedly was confronted with clients trying to squeeze everything out of their agencies. I am requesting unrealistic timelines, free consulting and so on. In such a situation, I always go “pro team”. This means I push back against the client. And that is for a good reason. I aim to provide top-class quality service. Ant this is only achievable by a long-standing, efficient team. By burning out employees for the client’s sake, I’ll never be able to build such a team. 

• Can you talk about a professional accomplishment that you are particularly proud of?

Being a humble entrepreneur, efficiency-driven and upright, standing for what I’m saying.

• How do you balance the needs of the company with those of your team and clients/customers?

Absolutely. I request quality for the customer, realistic deadlines and fair compensation for the work done, that’s from the client to the service agency and from the employer to the team.

• Tell us about your experience at Mail Con Las Vegas 2023. What was your biggest takeaway? (this you can answer after the conference)

Being my first conference in the United States, it was great to get a better feeling of the differences in email marketing between Europe and the US. And the similarities. 

•  Eventible.com is a review platform catering to B2B events. Given how review-driven our lives have become today, will reviews bring transparency to the events industry? Would you rely on event reviews from other speakers if you had to make a speaking decision?

That’s one indicator I consider. Talking to organisers and people from my network who might have attended before is essential too.