Cover Feature
EN Editor Saul Leese sits down
with Emma Barrett to discuss
what makes a great indy event
business and the lengths it
needs to go to
Words: Saul Leese
Photography: James/Splento
Meeting Emma Barrett for the first time,
it’s easy to understand why so many
people admire her for what she’s
achieved in a short space of time.
Barrett, who started Hampshire-
based, Broadway Events 10 years
ago, is about as nervous as I am
doing my first interview for EN. No
pressure.
I quickly explain to her that this
isn’t one of ‘those’ interviews,
and she’s under no obligation to
bombard me with facts and figures,
far from it. I just want my readers
to get a flavour of what it’s like to
run a successful indy business in
today’s competitive landscape.
Barrett is currently preparing for
Broadway’s latest instalment of
Childcare Expo on 27/28 September
at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena.
“We have to do everything on a
shoestring! When you have those
last few stands to sell, it’s so easy
to just chuck a few seats in there.
But we don’t do that at Broadway,
so we came up with a feature area
called Eco Crafting at this year’s
Childcare Expo. Literally, everyone
is scrabbling together empty milk
and water bottles, as well as used
cereal boxes from home, so visitors
can make elephants and paint
them.” She laughs.
“We even came up with a rock
painting feature, because they’re
free, and kids love decorating and
hiding them.”
Barrett is deeply immersed in her
market, and understands that her
visitors (mainly Nursery and Early
Years business owners), suffer from
relentless Government cuts, and
she feels compelled to come up
with ingenious ways to save them
money.
“The Government has brought
in this ‘33 Hours’ initiative with
no additional funding to cover the
shortfall in staff, so nurseries are
really suffering. I’m trying to give
them ideas to inspire them and
show them that kids don’t always
need toys to have fun.”
Barrett studied Radio Production
at college but at the ripe old age
of 18, she decided she wanted to
organise events and ended up
at a Capital Corporate Events,
which were launching Credit UK
at Manchester Central. The show
never took off, and she found
herself sending scores of CVs
around the industry until she
got her lucky break with Wave
Exhibitions in 2004, on The Care
Show.
“I was event manager doing
everything, as there was only me
and the MD, Lorne Cheatham
and I absolutely loved it. We
then launched a second show in
Harrogate in 2005 which didn’t
go so well, so we moved it to The
NEC. I was only 21 at the time and
it was brilliant because these two
shows were turning over £800,000.
Back then, that was a lot of money
for two little shows. I was probably
part of the deal when they sold it”,
she laughs.
In 2006, UBM acquired the show
and she found herself torn between
loyalty and ambition. In the end
she cut a deal with UBM to work
for them 3 days a week, and with
her former boss, who had launched
Ocean Events, the rest.
“I was only 23 at the time and I
needed to make a decision about
going full-time. I didn’t like
working at UBM because they had
a way of doing things and I’d gone
from doing everything to just the
sales, despite exhibitors calling me
all the time about everything from,
marketing to operations. I didn’t
like losing control, I’m definitely a
control freak.”
Loyalty won and Emma was back
in control, launching the Nursery
and Work Wear Shows at Ocean.
In 2009, Barrett found herself at
a career crossroad, asking herself
if she should have stayed at UBM
and tried to climb the ranks. She
knew she had to do something and
decided to launch an operations
company because she liked that
side of the business the most.
“I was about to set up this
business and many of my exhibitors
said why don’t you launch an Early
Years exhibition in The Midlands as
there’s a real need for it. I felt a bit
like, ‘I can’t do that’, but then out of
the blue an insurance company in
the sector approached me and said
I should do it and they would be the
headline sponsor. I contacted a few
key exhibitors and the next thing I
knew I’d launched Childcare Expo
at the Ricoh Arena in 2010. That
first year I did everything on my
own, I rented an office, as I knew I
wouldn’t be motivated enough to
work from home; I did the whole lot
that first year.”
She launched the show with
an impressive 90 exhibitors and
2,000 visitors. In 2014, Haymarket,
owners of Nursery World Magazine
and Nursery World Show,
announced they were scrapping
their show and wanted to
October — 21