Recruitment
Japan reaches out as Asia showcases its opportunities
Miranda Martin, MD, tfconnect discusses the‘ domino effect’, Europe’ s‘ back to school’ mindset and more M & A trends
his year of 2025 in Asia is
T turning out to be a year of change and reinvention. Trade policy continues to play its part. Tariffs introduced under the Trump administration have slowed some organiser activity in China, prompting a shift toward Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines. Among our clients, we’ re seeing ambitious growth plans, new launches, and plenty of opportunity in sectors such as technology, travel, and hospitality. And with that comes opportunity for talent across the industry to be part of the next chapter.
M & A is also beginning to reshape the landscape. JTP Corp’ s acquisition of Northstar marks a landmark deal: a rare example of an Eastern business acquiring a Western counterpart. This is a significant signal for the industry and, we hope, the start of more such activity over the next two to three years.
Around transactions like these, consultancies such as tfconnect naturally become busier – in supporting ownership transitions and ensuring management teams are structured for the next phase. With many organisers gearing up for a sale, numerous conversations between industry superstars are taking place now, well before a deal is finalised. Months in advance, conversations commence about how to prepare teams so that when new owners arrive, they inherit a capable, confident structure from day one.
Miranda Martin
Currently, we’ re working on multiple senior positions across Southeast Asia, alongside a project to identify sales talent at all levels in Singapore. Our focus isn’ t only on filling roles but on ensuring the right people are in place to sustain growth through periods of change.
This pattern isn’ t unique to Asia. Globally, we’ re seeing the same surge in demand. After a quieter summer, we’ ve felt the familiar“ back-to-school” effect: clients are now sharply focused on their talent requirements for the next 18 months. Often at this time of year we see increased appetite for commercial talent to impact the budget years ahead. It’ s a seasonal rhythm we’ ve come to expect, and it always brings with it a wave of exciting opportunities for the industry.
We’ re also engaged in activity across the US, continental Europe, the Middle East and the UK. Many of our clients operate across multiple territories, and much of what we’ re asked to do
“ Months in advance, conversations commence about how to prepare teams so that when new owners arrive, they inherit a capable, confident structure from day one” involves finding launchers, business leaders and wider talent, for new or expanding markets. These projects are often a mix of defined commercial or product leadership roles, and more open-ended requests to“ introduce us to good people”. The latter often arise in the context of M & A, where discussions about senior talent happen early and are shaped as much by chemistry and culture as by job descriptions.
As M & A activity gathers pace, we can expect to see lots of movement and opportunities across the industry. The start of new ownership cycles often marks the moment when businesses are able to invest and from a talent perspective, scale up for growth. It seems that once the first move is made, a domino effect may follow. There’ s much to look forward to – an exciting time for all of us! EW
68 Issue 5 2025 www. exhibitionworld. co. uk