Exhibition News September 2022 | Page 37

FEATURE

Doug Emslie

Dynamo Doug

Renowned for being the hardest working man in exhibitions , Doug Emslie squeezes the odd 96-mile run in between leading a global business , running trade shows across 19 countries , in 20 different sectors , and championing the industry . The Tarsus Group CEO slowed the pace for a moment to share his thoughts on the future of the exhibitions industry with Emily Wallin

When Doug Emslie and I meet in

Tarsus Group ’ s Hammersmith headquarters he is trying to spearhead the recovery of the exhibitions industry whilst preparing for a 96-mile run across the Highland Way .
Emslie is far more relaxed and friendly than you might expect a man trying to bring 180 shows back from a pandemicinduced brink on the verge of a recession .
But the softly spoken Scot has time to sit down with EN to discuss his vision of the future at length before heading off to complete a marathon training session .
After senior management roles at Blenheim and UBM , Emslie joined Tarsus at its launch in 1998 .
Emslie says the exhibitions industry has “ dramatically evolved ” in his 30-year career , with most of the UK-based big players , including Tarsus Group moving most if not all their shows abroad .
Despite their London headquarters Tarsus Group does not run a single show in this country – a fact that Emslie thinks helped them weather the Covid storm better than some because some countries opened up the shutters as other parts of the world locked down .
Stepping into the position of SISO chair just as the pandemic hit presented extra challenges . But with dogged determination Emslie set about enlisting virology specialists to show that exhibitions were safer than supermarkets to get the industry up and running again .
As the world returns to some form of normality Emslie is optimistic about the future of exhibitions , but says organisers need to work harder than ever to demonstrate their value .
“ There are always lessons learned and positive things to take forward ,” he says . “ Firstly , what we have proved as an industry we won ’ t be replaced by
September — 37