Thom Hetherington describes himself as an accidental exhibition organiser . He never set out to run a trade show . After starting out in publishing , but reluctant to move his business to London , he saw an opportunity when Quantum Business Media offered him a failing northern trade show in the hospitality sector .
Hetherington saw
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Northern Restaurant and Bar ( NRB ) as an opportunity to combine his love of the food and drinks industry and northern geography .
“ I ’ d never run an exhibition before , never run anything else at scale before . But it was a really interesting opportunity ,” he says .
The show was struggling financially and the burgeoning hospitality industry in the North did
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“ I fought back from a global financial collapse . I ’ ve fought back from a global pandemic and associated recession , have I got a third fight in me ?” |
not respect it , he says , but he seized the chance to turn it around and make it a success .
“ I ’ d spent five years running a restaurant magazine based in the North of England , so I felt very much that I knew those audiences and I understood them .”
Hetherington took a “ hearts and minds ” approach to getting his northern hospitality connections on
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Spring — 21 |