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and mutual understanding, right?
While there is certainly space for
transactions and business to be
agreed both at Confex and after it, it
really does feel like a meeting hub for
the industry and helps form enduring
bonds.
I find myself meeting industry
contacts, closing business or
developing partnerships at trade
shows across the globe, and despite
a number of these businesses being
based here in London, the exhibition
hall remains the ideal place to meet
them. Events are an opportunity to
meet new people and to extend
existing relationships.
What’s on the content agenda this
year?
What isn’t? We have an Event Tech
Dragons Den, a dedicated speed
networking hub, and the Confex
passport scheme offering some
fantastic prize give-aways.
Having had a sneak preview of
some of the stands, our exhibitors
are really bringing their A-games in
2020. The content is absolutely jam
packed, just check out the schedule.
How has International Confex
performed over the last two years;
has it seen growth?
I’m pleased to say that International
Confex is performing extremely well
commercially; both 2019 and now
2020 have hit their targets. A large
part of the reasoning behind the
move to ExCeL London in 2020 is
based on outgrowing the floorspace
at Olympia.
Both 2019 and now 2020 have
broken records in the revenues
achieved since Mash Media bought
the show in 2014.
The 2019 event achieved a 69%
on-site rebook, which is a pretty
strong testimonial for the delivery of
last year’s show and the subsequent
business generated for our
exhibitors. We are really excited
about the next steps for the show,
there is certainly more to come.
How do you think the events
industry is viewed in the eyes of the
wider public; do they think it’s more
about weddings and parties than
business events?
Do you know how many times I have
tried to explain to my mum what I do,
and she still has no idea. That is
probably an extreme example, but
there are certainly a lot of people out
there that don’t think about the
events industry in much detail, but
most likely attend a relevant
exhibition, product launch, off-site
meeting or conference without
thinking about the planning or team
which created it.
Equally, there are plenty of
professionals out there that have
regular input into the events industry
but don’t consider themselves event
professionals. The industry is
certainly full of multitaskers, be it
within an events job title or not. If you
find yourself multitasking check your
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remit and you might just want to add
#eventprof to your next LinkedIn
post.
What challenges does the industry
face in 2020?
From my perspective there are lots of
positives ahead with emerging
technologies popping up almost
weekly. At some point this may
become an interesting landscape
between those that specialise and
those that integrate and offer a
range of solutions.
Change is coming. The political
landscape has left the UK in a state
of limbo, and we wait now to see how
our future relationship with the EU
turns out. This will have an impact on
staffing in the events industry,
especially the government’s plans to
proceed with an Australian-style
points system for immigration and
the associated salary cap. Language
skills is something the UK needs
urgently, and it will be interesting to
see how, or if, the government listens
to our concerns on these matters.
Security is another issue that the
industry must reassess. After the
terrorist attacks at Manchester
Arena in 2017 and Fishmonger’s Hall
in 2019, event organisers cannot
afford to be complacent. We are
taking this issue seriously, and on
Day 2 at Confex this year, Figen
Murray, the mother of Martyn Hett,
who was killed in the Manchester
Arena attack, will be talking to event
professionals about ‘Martyn’s Law’,
which aspires to improve security at
events. I urge you all to come along.
The one thing that will never
change about the events industry is
its resilience and capacity to
embrace change.