Recruitment
Go for growth
n the first half of 2024 ,
I writes event recruitment specialist tfconnect ' s Miranda Martin , we saw huge demand from our clients for high-ranking technical marketing specialists to streamline technology , improve technique and commercial marketing , and integrate products post-acquisition . The latter half of the year ( thus far ) has been much more commercially focused .
Organisers and venues across the board are in growth mode . Whether it be JVs , geo-adapts , organic growth , acquisitions , diversifying the value proposition , or new launches … we ’ re seeing an appetite for it all . With some bold moves into new territories , venues , niches and formats on the horizon , organisers , venues and suppliers all over the globe are active .
Our clients are eager to meet entrepreneurial launch types who can autonomously take on these opportunities and put their stamp on the activity in question .
Often our brief is : ‘ Introduce us to interesting people ’. In turn , we ’ re talking to some punchy commercial candidates who are approaching growth in new ways , from the disruption of event formats to questioning negotiation tactics around big-budget cost lines , to introducing new revenue streams . We ’ re hearing ideas around varied growth levers to drive profit to the bottom line . In pure revenue terms , in the UK , while typically B2B trade shows don ’ t take entry fees , elsewhere globally , especially in Germany , gate money makes up a significant percentage of the revenues , so it makes good sense for UK organisers to geo-adapt internationally to tap into that budget line .
The UK ’ s AEO conference , recently hosted at Manchester Central , brought together the great and the good of the UK events eco-system . The legendary Tony Robinson , who built and sold UKI Group to CloserStill in its biggest acquisition ever , reminded us to make it fun , to keep going even when people tell you it won ’ t work , and that at the core of it all , you need good sales people . The type with a disproportionate sense of
Above : Miranda Martin
self-belief , for whom failure isn ’ t an option . I am personally excited to see what Tony ’ s next venture , Next Events , will bring . In the meantime , there are boundless opportunities for the Tony Robinson-type sales folk in the current climate .
In the UK , venues are exploring ways to maximise profits . They ’ re upping their game when it comes to creating more reasons for organisers and their customers to spend their money and increase dwell time in-house .
Manchester Central has just opened Junction , a great restaurant onsite and is looking at ways to bring the city of Manchester into the venue to deliver symbiotic , ‘ of the place ’ experiences and services for its customers .
ExCeL London ’ s much anticipated 25,000sqm expansion will offer convention , exhibition , and conference space plus destination waterfront hospitality attractions and a ‘ pocket park ’. It will make it Europe ’ s largest fully integrated conference and exhibition venue .
The NEC in Birmingham is working to improve its value proposition across the board , as well as looking at how to maximise margins . The launch of its organiser division , Pendigo sees an events programme complementary to its existing client event roster , taking unused dates and space to max out tenancy .
Many of our clients are on their Private Equity journeys . With punchy growth ambitions to as much as double existing multimillion-pound EBITAs , they are open to meeting commercially savvy drivers for that journey . Moreover , if anyone out there has show ideas , we ’ re talking to lots of hungry organisers and if it can deliver value to an audience and the bottom line , it ’ s worth a punt . EW
www . exhibitionworld . co . uk Issue 5 2024 23