Michael Alderson

| Branding Architect |
Michael Alderson
Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations,
FSA Management Group
Louisville, Kentucky

Brand and Messaging Strategist, Valence Consulting
New Orleans, Louisiana

Age: 33

As a child, Michael Alderson wanted to be an architect. “I liked drawing out details and seeing something come into reality. I feel like that’s exactly what I do right now, but in a very different way,” he says. Alderson works with planners (mostly nonprofits), crafting messages and marketing strategies for their events. “My background is in commercial marketing. I love all the creativity of commercial marketing, but with nonprofits, their heart is in the right place,” he says. (He recently starting working with Valence Consulting part-time on commercial projects.) His two degrees—a master’s in business communication and a bachelor’s in psychology—help him in his current role, which requires he know how to talk to people and understand what they want. Since joining FSA in 2008, the marketing department has won 17 national and international awards, including two MarCom Platinum Awards. Before joining FSA, Alderson won several Aster Awards for his work in healthcare marketing. Alderson says his 20s were all about sales, his 30s are about marketing and his 40s may shift to higher education. He’s always been interested in history, and he’s currently working on a book about America’s role in the economic and commercial development of the Caribbean. He recently moved to New Orleans, where he’s spending all his free time exploring the city’s history, architecture and martinis. —L. Hoppe

What’s your advice for someone just starting out in the industry?
“To successfully brand and market a conference, you have to find and maintain a healthy balance between strategy and tactics, so the tiniest brushstrokes always add color and definition to the bigger picture. Also, learn the fine art of controlled compromise: Gain buy-in, stand by your decisions and be prepared to adapt to new influences.”