Interview
Left : Pendigo ’ s brave new NEC world is a big stage for its events
Why is the success of Pendigo Events important to NEC Group ? It is part of a wider plan to grow the NEC business . When you have spaces in the calendar where the halls are empty , it makes sense to fill those spaces with owned content and develop the venue ’ s visitor offer . It has to be commercially viable , both for us as an organiser and for the private equity-backed business of the NEC Group .
With Pendigo ’ s capabilities and the backing of the NEC , we ’ ve been able to give several shows new direction , new ideas and , ultimately , an investment that will provide the best chance for growth and survival .
Do you have an investment stake in Pendigo Events ? No , I am an employed staff member and report to the Board of the NEC Group . Currently , my 12-strong team is made up of people who were running the shows when Pendigo acquired them .
How many shows does Pendigo have in its portfolio ? Currently five . BoatLife , plus the European Fitness League portfolio – PerformX Live , FitFest , Strength in Depth Championship and Strength in Depth Origins . FitFest and the Strength in Depth Championship were already held at the NEC . PerformX Live has moved from Tobacco Dock in London and Strength in Depth Origins relocated from the University of Bath .
Pendigo ’ s first acquisition was BoatLife . Was this a failing show ? BoatLife is a good example of an event that was struggling and now has a really exciting new direction . We ’ re throwing everything at it to give it its best chance of success .
Were the European Fitness League shows struggling ? They are in their infancy and were owned by Simon Kimble ’ s Opus Origin . It was a good opportunity to connect the dots and work together to invest and fast-track them to where they need to be for growth .
Were you ever told that you would run only consumer shows , only trade shows or a mixture of both ? It was left completely open . It is more about the opportunity for any particular show or immersive experience with the caveat that it doesn ’ t compete with existing NEC customers . Do we think it has the legs to grow and develop ? If the answer is yes and it doesn ’ t conflict with NEC client organisers then there ’ s a conversation to be had .
Are you looking to launch shows as well as acquire struggling ones ? Yes , again , if the opportunity and a gap in the market exist and it doesn ’ t compete with existing customers and events taking place at the NEC , then we will explore it . We are open to potentially launching both trade and consumer shows . I ’ ve had approaches for three launch ideas and I ’ ve turned them all down because of overlaps with existing shows staged at the NEC .
Can you assure NEC customers that Pendigo won ’ t compete , launch or acquire shows that overlap with their sector-specific shows ? The NEC ’ s bread and butter is its customer base so it makes no commercial sense and would be illogical to start competing with its clients .
Can you confirm that you were approached to take over the Commercial Vehicle Show ? Yes , and again , as soon as we discovered that Nineteen Group was interested , we backed away .
What venue perks do you receive as the NEC ’ s in-house organiser ? We are treated the same as every other organiser in terms of paying tenancy fees , car parking , electrics , shell-scheme , carpet and floor tape .
What is preventing the NEC from helping Pendigo to retarget visitors with data collected by the venue ’ s Wi-Fi ? I ’ ve been thoroughly impressed with the rigour , processes and protocols at the NEC to ensure that data is collected , stored and protected according to legislation such as GDPR . I ’ m confident that it could never be misused . We are treated as a separate entity so we would neither expect nor be offered access to unrelated visitor data . EW
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