ESSA
ESSA unites members under one roof at last
Sustainability , diversity , recruitment and relationship with government were among the themes discussed at the ESSA Conference and Awards , which took place on a chilly 2 December at Stadium : MK . Joe Gallop reports
With the theme ‘ unite , ignite , inspire ’, the Event Supplier and Services Association ( ESSA ) conference explored the hurdles the industry has overcome since the pandemic , the immediate challenges it faces and what the future holds amid the uncertainty around the new Omicron variant .
The event gathered delegates in a long room overlooking the pitch , where they networked in-between sessions , tucking into food and sipping on Barmotion ’ s selection of refreshments .
ESSA chair Lou Kiwanuka opened the conference , saying it was a “ tall order ” for the association to try to retain 150 members at the start of the pandemic last year , having started with 245 .
Kiwanuka said she was most proud of the association , which is currently on 211 members , for putting forward the Freedom of Information requests to local authorities across the country to seek financial support for its members .
She said , “ We know that we need a different and
“ We know that we need a different and stronger relationship with government .”
stronger relationship with government , and we know we need to spend more money to make that happen - and to make ESSA bigger , stronger and better to have more impact .
“ We can ’ t afford to run at the pace we ’ re currently at and we can ’ t ignore the waste of our industry .
“ We need to sustain our people and we must become an industry that ’ s attractive to the next generation and explore the ways we can meet the needs so we can access the talent in the outer world , not just the talent currently on our show floors .”
A Milton Keynes-wide power outage after the first talk by Vixen Labs CEO James Poulter , leaving the audience plunged into darkness , did not dampen spirits when ESSA brought back its “ most highly-rated session ”, the Solutions Room .
During the session delegates formed teams of five and discussed pressing topics such as how the industry can build back better , as well as what the roadmap should look like for diversity and inclusion and how to work towards Net Zero .
This was followed by various breakout sessions , including one on recruitment , hosted by Expocast cofounders Natasha Layal and Mike Frost , as well as an inspiring talk from polar adventurer and three times Guinness World Record holder Victoria Humphries , who told the audience that “ anything is possible ” and to say “ why not ” wherever possible .
The day concluded with the ESSA Awards , which saw the likes of the BDC and RX Global pick up gongs , following a heated debate over the crunchiness of the green beans at dinner , prompting # greenbeangate to pop up on the live Twitter feed screen .
During the awards ESSA director Andrew Harrison said the event felt like the association is “ starting back on a different journey ” and “ getting back into some of the good habits ” of 2019 .
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