Andy has memories with a Scandinavian twist . “ There are so many happy memories , but I remember one year I had to welcome a VIP delegation to the Nordic stand including the ambassador . I greeted the guests at 10am on the steps of Earls Court 1 and escorted them through onto the stand where the Danish ambassador insisted that I joined him in a glass of champagne and offered me one of the largest cigars I ’ ve ever seen .
“ Midway through the conversation , I spied my MD in the aisle who was shaking his head in disbelief but laughing at the same time .”
Bringing the conversation up to date , Duncan Custerson reflected on his more recent experience . “ Confex has given me endless opportunity to collaborate and innovate , have ‘ fun ’ and meet some seriously awesome and categorically bonkers people . Love it or hate it – it is the perfect representation of this industry .”
EVERYONE ’ S A CRITIC
I ask them all what it ’ s like to run a show for an audience or event organisers , a highly discerning and sometime critical audience who could presume to think that they could run it better . Duncan Custerson continues : “ You ’ ve nailed it in the question . Everyone thinks they can do it better . During my first few months on Confex I suffered from imposter syndrome as everyone gave me their unfiltered opinions .
“ While overwhelming at the time , this was my fuel for developing the show . It is the event for the events industry after all , so listening to industry opinion seemed logical .
“ The key for me has been filtering out the negative ( when not constructive ) and focusing on the abundant love for the show and willingness to collaborate and contribute . Our advisory board for 2021 is absolute testament to that .”
Duncan Reid adds : “ It was difficult and thankless at times , and some people would talk it down , but we saw off most of the launches against us and the show remains strong .”
“ IT HAD CHALLENGES IN THE PAST , BUT IT REMAINS AN ICONIC EXHIBITION THAT BRINGS TOGETHER THE GREAT AND THE GOOD OF OUR INDUSTRY AND IS ABSOLUTELY BIGGER THAT ANY ONE OF US , IT IS DEFINITELY HERE T O S TAY . ”
– Tanya Cohen
Tanya completes the picture on a positive note : “ It had challenges in the past , but it remains an iconic exhibition that brings together the great and the good of our industry and is absolutely bigger that any one of us , it is definitely here to stay . This year it feels that Confex has an even more important role to play .”
LEGACY OF LOVE
We all like to think we have made an indelible mark on our events , but what is our dream team ’ s legacy ? Andy starts : “ When I took on the show , the expo side of things was great , but the educational aspect needed strengthening . Aside from walking the aisles , as a visitor there wasn ’ t much else to do . We wanted attendees to go home feeling that they ’ d gained some practical advice that would help them do their job better in the future . So , we introduced seminar theatres onto the expo floor and created ‘ The Knowledge ’ which offered free seminars and case studies on a wide range of topics .”
June — 15