This Spotlight is part of an ongoing series highlighting EIC Association and Corporate Members and the important work they are doing to serve our shared industry.
- Website: www.mci-group.com
- CEO: Sebastien Tondeur
- Group President: Robin Lokerman
- Founded: 1987
- EIC Member Since: 2023
- Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
- Countries served: mci group operates in 34 countries across Europe, IMEA, APAC, North America, and LATAM.
mci group is a human-first, global marketing communications collective. Its service portfolio integrates data-led strategy, creative solutions, communications, and immersive technology to help brands and organisations stay relevant and grow in rapidly transforming markets.
mci group operates a shared model built on six key capabilities: Engagement & Events, Strategic Communications & Public Affairs, Social Media & Brand Content, Creative Technology & Production, Data & Research, and Community & Association Management.
Key Programmes or Initiatives
Scaling education and inclusion through the SwitchAI learning platform
The 2024 launch of SwitchAI, a cutting-edge AI-powered Learning Management System (LMS), reflected mci group’s commitment to democratising access to knowledge and driving scalable learning across sectors. Developed in partnership with Sana Labs, this platform transformed live event content into searchable, on-demand learning journeys. For users, this represented more than just efficiency — it was about accessibility, equity, and global knowledge-sharing.
The impact of SwitchAI extended beyond mci group staff. For partners and clients in healthcare, education, and governance, this platform made critical knowledge available across time zones and language barriers, ensuring longevity of event content and reducing the need for resource-heavy repeat programming. With a 70% boost in learner engagement and a 30% reduction in content creation time, it helped institutions save time, reduce emissions by replacing redundant physical trainings, and broaden educational access. SwitchAI contributed to more informed, agile decision-making within global organisations — from policy dialogues to public health learning — shaping how knowledge is retained and reused for societal good.
Transforming industry culture through sustainability and inclusive practices
In 2024, mci group deepened its commitment to sustainability and diversity, delivering real-world impact that extended far beyond event halls and corporate boardrooms. From earning an EcoVadis Silver Medal (placing the group in the top 15% globally for responsible business practices) to operationalising DEI&B across 70+ community programmes, the company demonstrated how values-driven strategy could lead industry-wide change.
On the sustainability front, mci group embedded eco-conscious design into event production, partnered with over 3,000 ESG-assessed hotels, and began the journey toward science-based targets (SBTi) to be published by 2026. These measures influenced client decisions — helping brands and associations reduce carbon footprints, adopt circular economy practices, and make values-based procurement choices. Initiatives like Dream Day, and the Mind Over Miles challenge, supported not just carbon and health metrics, but helped normalise mental well-being and reflective leadership across global teams.
In terms of inclusion, the numbers speak volumes: 53% of senior managers were women, over 1,200 team members were engaged through DEI&B initiatives, and 86% of staff reported feeling treated fairly, regardless of background. With teams representing 70+ nationalities and speaking 60+ languages, the company became a living, breathing example of what inclusive globalism looks like in action.
Digital fluency and AI in action
mci group launched the Digital Native Acumen (DNA) Framework, a global skills-assessment and capability-building programme rolled out to over 1,100 employees across 15 offices. The assessment revealed mci group’s Digital Quotient (DQ) at 72, measured across five critical domains: cybersecurity, data protection, digital collaboration, generative AI, and analytics. But this was never just an internal initiative to benchmark digital maturity — it was a strategic move to future-proof the experience industry. By embedding digital fluency into every layer of the organisation, mci group ensured that all client-facing event solutions were designed with resilience, foresight, and innovation at their core.
Through this framework, teams became equipped not only to understand emerging technologies, but to lead with them — accelerating the development of AI-powered event features like predictive attendee engagement tools, real-time sentiment analysis, and immersive content engines. In 2024, over 350 AI-driven campaigns and activations were delivered globally by the group’s agency brands, including MCI, Dorier, and Ovation, bringing data-led storytelling and automation into the heart of event design. These were not gimmicks, but structural enhancements to how people experience content, connect with brands, and interact across hybrid environments.
As the boundaries between physical, digital, and human experiences continue to blur, the DNA programme positioned mci group to redefine the global event landscape. It gave rise to a new breed of event professionals — digitally fluent, creatively empowered, and ethically grounded — who are now shaping the next generation of purposeful, inclusive, and measurable experiences. In a world where the value of events is increasingly judged by their ability to drive change and connection, mci group’s AI-enabled model became a blueprint for transforming not just events, but the future of human interaction.
“At mci group, we believe that technology should amplify humanity. Our investment in digital fluency, AI, and sustainable innovation isn’t just about transforming how we operate; it’s about reimagining how the world connects, learns, and creates impact through experiences. With initiatives like the DNA Framework and SwitchAI, we’re setting a new standard for our industry — one where events don’t just inspire people, they empower progress.”
— Robin Lokerman, Group President, mci group
