Feature
The power of live events
Recruitment
Chris Skeith, CEO, AEO
“It is interesting to see an almost equal split with those who
struggle and those who don’t. There are some obvious regional
variations with some organisations outside of London struggling
with a small pool of talent and, in the larger cities, where there
is a seemingly plentiful supply, candidate expectations are out of
balance with experience and ability.
“Broadening the talent pool for the industry will help address
both of these issues. By promoting the industry as a fantastic
career choice, we can attract a broader church of talent and create
a more diverse workforce. AEO is working with careers advisors,
school leavers and degree alternative providers to educate and
inform future candidates about the benefits of working in the
exhibitions and conferences sector.”
“In the past we’ve seen home-grown talent reach the top, but
I think this will change as we see more disciplines entering the
sector such as data analysts. This year’s AEO salary survey is
seeking to benchmark the events industry against other sectors
in terms of salaries and benefits. We hope to use the results in a
number of ways, including identifying where the industry could
improve what we offer to attract more senior career switchers
from other key sectors.”
“Event directors is showing to be the most difficult role to
recruit for. The key here is to retain good talent so that it doesn’t
leave the industry and ensure new entrants understand the career
development route to becoming an event director.”
How easy is it
to recruit in the
follwing fields?
Marketing
Very easy
8%
Quite easy
30%
Quite difficult
34%
Very difficult
14%
N/A
14%
Sales
Very easy
6%
Quite easy
28%
Quite difficult
26%
Very difficult
24%
N/A
16%
Do you struggle
to recruit junior
staff members?
Yes 44%
No 40%
N/A 16%
Do you struggle
to recruit senior
staff members?
Ops
Very easy
6.12%
Quite easy
42.66%
Quite difficult
24.49%
Very difficult
14.29%
N/A
12.24%
Data
Very easy
8%
Quite easy
20%
Quite difficult
32%
Very difficult
12%
N/A
28%
Event Directors
Very easy
4%
Quite easy
22%
Quite difficult
24%
Very difficult
32%
N/A
18%
Yes 40%
No 36%
N/A 24%
Christine Martin
Executive director, marketing and
customer experience, GES EMEA
“I dislike the word ‘festivalisation’ and the
idea it fosters that we need to adopt teen-
speak to make our events attractive to a
younger, hipster demographic.
However, I am an ardent believer in our
collective need to reimagine the buyer/
seller dynamic and encouraged as the data
suggests that many of the respondents share
that view.
“At GES we have seen a cultural shift:
clients are talking to us more than ever about
the visitor experience and engaging us early
in the event lifecycle to talk about audience
acquisition, customer engagement, brand
consistency throughout the visitor journey,
increasing dwell times and driving attendee
NPS scores. It’s a change we relish.
“Marketers are attracted to platforms
(physical and digital) with strong
communities and loyal followers. High
performing exhibition brands are effectively
gatekeepers to that community and will find
a ready market of exhibitors who want to
gain access to the ‘secret garden’.
“But beware: loyalty is hard won and
quickly lost. New, younger buyers are the
new tribe we need to recruit and whilst the
evidence suggest they embrace ‘face-to-face’
experiences as complementary to digital (and
not an alternative), they are a demanding and
fickle bunch – as any parent will tell you.
“Experience, education and novelty are
all key drivers for this group and successful
event brands will need to curate, innovate
and personalise if they are to secure long
term fealty. Work/life balance also means the
blending of those two, once separate, worlds
and they fully expect to be entertained as
well as informed regardless of whether they
are in a B2B or B2C environment.
“You say festivalisation, I say experiential,
the terminology is a matter of taste. What is
unequivocal is the direction of travel as the
new generation of budget holders dictate the
terms of engagement. It’s a buyers’ market –
arguably always was – and the winners will
be organisers that create spaces, places and
communities they crave to be part of.”
Do you believe
exhibitions
need to be
‘experiential’ to
succeed?
Yes 64%
No 28%
N/A 8%
Do you believe
exhibitions are
holding their
own against
other marketing
channels?
Yes 72%
No 18%
N/A 10%
What do you see
as the biggest
threat to trade
shows?
Brand
Activations 22%
Social media
30%
Online
advertising/
marketing 26%
Print
advertising/
marketing 0%
Other 22%
Respondents
named
additional
threats such
as market
fragmentations,
other trade
shows, too
much of the
same content,
e-commerce
and niche
offerings which
demonstrate a
transparent ROI.
July — 25