34 Feature
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Louisa Daley chats with event agencies to understand how they ’ re attracting and retaining talent in 2023
he recruitment landscape has undoubtedly changed over the past three years . Following the pandemic , we have seen a flurry of eventprofs leave the industry .
Despite this , we are bouncing back . We are not only seeing some eventprofs return , but we are also seeing new talent coming through the pipeline . However , the cost-of-living crisis , combined with new employee expectations , is causing uncertainty and therefore a much slower uptake .
To understand what potential employees are looking for in 2023 , and how a company ’ s reputation and branding plays a key role when it comes to attracting and retaining talent , I spoke to Edward Low , head of growth , OrangeDoor ; Harriet Bullen , senior talent manager , TRO ; Charli Briggs , founder and director , Eventure ; and Robert Kenward , fitability © recruiter , You Search & Select and co-founder at You Exclusive .
Cast a wide net Although the recruitment landscape has changed – there isn ’ t a talent shortage according to Kenward . “ Imagine you have a pool of talent that you have always fished in , that pool has drained a little , so companies simply need to
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HIDDEN TALENTS |
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look wider and fish in other pools .
“ We have a huge talent pool ; we have tens of thousands of people in their fifties who are regarded as ‘ past it ’ by some employers and we have a huge number of young people entering the industry who can ’ t find work because companies are demanding three to five years ’ experience for a junior role .”
He says this is a big opportunity for an employer to bring DEI into recruitment and “ be more varied and inclusive ” in their approach . Employers need to “ redefine ” their branding , as well as how and where they recruit .
After all , “ a workforce which encompasses different sexes , genders , ages and ethnicities will be able to better understand a more diverse range of audiences , and create a more diverse range of solutions ,” adds Kenward .
Bullen and Low echo this and speak from experience : “ Having a diverse workforce helps us find well rounded solutions for our clients . It ’ s also important internally as well . Everyone ’ s the right fit , as long as they ’ ve got the right attitude . TRO is all about creating experiences for all , by all ,” says Bullen .
“ We want people who are coming at problems from a range of different backgrounds . There are two things that we need : diversity of thought , but also friction . Friction is important because it is the hotbed of creative conflict . If everybody ’ s got the same ideas , there ’ s no friction , and there is no broad creativity ,” says Low .
“ Having a diverse workforce helps us find well rounded solutions for our clients .”
– Harriet Bullen
Charli Briggs
Harriet Bullen
Robert Kenward www . conference-news . co . uk