Feature
The future
is human
Orson Francescone, head of events
at Haymarket, on the upcoming
launch of the Festival of Work, a show
with a festival feel and a B2B heart
A
central concern of the
Festival of Work, a new
launch for the HR, learning and
development (L&D) industries,
is looking at the human future
of the working world in a world
increasingly dominated by the
latest tech.
Orson Francescone, head of
events at organiser Haymarket
Media, tells EN: “The world of
work is undergoing a revolution
brought about by technological
innovation such as artificial
intelligence, and in which the
role of humans will inevitably
and drastically change.
“Working with our partners
at the CIPD, the leading
professional body for HR and
people development, we wanted
to address these changes and
how businesses can equip
themselves to cope with them
with a new landmark event.”
The show will see the co-
location of two of the CIPD’s
most successful annual events
(the Learning & Development
Show and the HR Software
and Recruitment Show), which
will be central elements of the
new festival, along with new
launch The Future of Work
Show. Franscecone explains the
reasoning behind the ‘festival’
label for the trade event.
“While meditation zones,
innovation and start-up villages,
an amazing opening ceremony
and on-floor experiences like
36 —May
“The role of
content has
been crucial”
The Festival of Work
comes to Olympia
London on 12-13
June 2019.
no other will give the event that
special ‘Festival feel’, the show is
still at its heart very much a B2B
one,” he tells EN.”
The show will include six
content streams covering
everything from the future of
leadership and talent to the
future of learning and HR tech
and digital working, plus a
sizable plenary theatre for the
opening and closing keynote
sessions. With Francesone’s
background as a conference
organiser, and Haymarket’s
creative director Simon Kanter
working closely alongside him,
it’s no surprise that content will
be taking a central role.
“The role of content has been
crucial in order to capture every
link in the industry’s supply
chain and provide our delegates
with the most innovative and
cutting-edge conference,” agrees
Francescone. “Not only will
this be the country’s largest HR
and L&D event by quite a mile,
but it will also appeal to senior
business leaders who need to
grapple with the challenges of
the future world of work.”
Like many modern trade
shows, the Festival of Work
will also be facilitating visitor
and exhibitor meetings and
interactions.
“Through our partners at
Sector Global we have launched
Festival Connect, a unique
personalised technology
and concierge service that
will enable our 300-plus
exhibitors to maximise their
ROI by connecting with
their prospective buyers and
arranging on-site meetings,”
explains Francescone.
The final piece of the Festival
of Work puzzle is the ever-
challenging question of event
marketing, especially in the age
of GDPR.
“Reaching new audiences
is what we event organisers
wake up with in our mind and
fall asleep with every day,”
Francescone tells EN. “I am
constantly looking at new ways
of optimising our marketing
effort. I am a huge believer that
having a marketing machine
firing on all cylinders can
prove to be the most effective
competitive advantage in our
industry. With an amazing team
behind me and working with our
partners at The Social Effect,
a digital social media agency
specialising in trade shows, we
have rolled out one of the most
intricate and targeted digital
media campaigns and the results
have been very exciting!” EN