Exhibition News November 2022 | Page 17

We want our own people to be in a position to take new opportunities at Easyfairs and grow with us , hence why we ’ re investing in their development . We want our people to feel valued and nurtured .
Even recently , a leaver , someone who doesn ’ t even work at Easyfairs anymore , told their friend to come and join our operations team . That ’ s the kind of reputation that we want . AW : Culture definitely is part of that . There ’ s the training and development and respect that we give people , but the culture is what draws people . Easyfairs is very much a family . People feel respected , empowered , and they feel trust . I ’ ve worked with a few different organisers , which don ’ t have so much collaboration , but
Richard Ainsworth
everybody ’ s opinion and voice really counts . RA : That ’ s not an accident . We ’ re a family-owned business . That is by design .
So , is retention your recruitment strategy ? RA : Absolutely . But there ’ s also been a number of new roles created this year , we ’ ve tripled the digital team . You do have natural replacements but retention helps with
Alison Willis
recruitment . We have an online academy with 1000s of hours of video content and it ’ s fantastic for new starters , to go and watch and learn about training . AW : Depending on your discipline , you can look at different learning paths , but then you can also learn about the other disciplines . You also see all the people you might not meet like Eric [ Everard , Easyfairs ’ CEO ].
RA : We ’ ve also introduced a performance coach , she ’ s a trained psychologist who spends a day with us every couple of weeks . We wanted somebody to unlock mental barriers that may stop them from reaching their maximum potential . That ’ s been a hugely popular investment . I don ’ t believe that ’ s happing elsewhere in the exhibitions industry .
We ’ ve introduced other initiatives to support mental health , an employee assistance program , a virtual GP all kinds of different pillars for people to get that support AW : We have a mental health toolkit , and managers have training on that , which has be great to help you know what sort of questions to ask and how to support stuff .
Margaret Dunn I joined Easyfairs in 2015 as publisher for Tank Storage Magazine . Prior to that I had various roles as conference producer , event manager and editor of a variety of industry publications . After completing the Easyfairs Leadership Development Programme I have just been promoted to portfolio director for Tank Storage Magazine , the Tank Storage Awards , AntwerpXL and StocExpo .
Easyfairs is a very fast paced working environment . It ’ s a big company with a family feel and very sociable .
They put a huge emphasis on talent development and we have a comprehensive online training academy that we can refer back to at any time , which is especially useful when starting a new role .
I love the fact the company is flexible and promotes a work life balance . We work hard but are rewarded for doing so . We get a generous maternity package , holiday allowance and pension contribution .
Easyfairs puts a real focus on ESG and diversity , and as part of this I have recently moderated conference sessions . There are loads of opportunities for career development and Easyfairs has a big focus on making their employees feel valued .
Courtney LeBorgne I started at Easyfairs in 2017 as a sales manager and was promoted to event manager after a year . I acquired Aesthetics Media in August 2019 and became event director in 2022 .
I have loved my five and a half years at Easyfairs and learnt so much from so many different people .
I went from sales manager on one show , to working on an acquisition , launching a show , to being the event director of five products in just five years . It really goes to show that you can really shape your own future here .
I have always been encouraged to take the lead on my own career development , to understand what the nest step looks like and what I need to develop and learn to get there .
I was one of 12 employees that made it onto the Easyfairs leadership development programme and have been lucky enough to be mentored by every senior leader at the company , including our new group CEO Matt Benyon .
Being put forward for awards , like EN30Under30 and the AEO Futures board , which I ’ m now chair of , has really made me feel valued .
Easyfairs is like a family . It ’ s very much an open-door policy and I feel like I could talk to all of the SLT about anything .
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