Feature
Rising stars
Steve Monnington of Mayfield Merger Strategies continues
this series focusing on Manchester organiser Holden Media
and its alternative take on exhibition organising
T
hom Hetherington
doesn’t see himself as
an exhibition organiser.
His first introduction into
media, was a magazine
telesales job where he met
Andy Clayfield, who would
become his long-term
business partner
Hetherington moved
to Mondiale Publishing,
working on nightclub and
bar magazines, where he got
his first taste Manchester’s
60 — December
developing restaurant and
bar scene.
Various jobs followed
including a start-up website
for the restaurant industry
– therestaurantgame.com.
“It tanked spectacularly
and all the investors lost
their money rather quickly,”
Hetherington recalls.
“However, the company
moved the concept offline
and created Restaurant
Magazine, launching events
and awards. I realised at
this time that I loved the
restaurant industry and that
publishing and events were a
means to access it.”
After a few years he
realised that he was tired
of working for someone
else. “Neil Thackray at
Quantum Business Media
wanted to sell his Northern
Restaurant and Bar (NRB)
in Manchester so I took the
plunge and set up Moorfield
Media with Andy with the
intention of buying the
show.”
The bank pulled their funding
The acquisition was almost
de-railed when the bank
pulled their funding at the
last minute. Despite this,
they still managed to pull off
the deal, investing their own
money and promising to pay
the balance out of profits
over the following five years.