Recruitment
Back to life , back to normality
Miranda Martin , MD of industry recruitment specialists tfconnect , identifies a major shift in sales and marketing and notes ‘ the great return ’ is underway
nother month , another
A vibrant triumph for our industry . Being at the UK ’ s Exhibition News Awards recently in London , the din in the room was deafening as 1,000 event professionals held a healthy celebration of our industry .
So , are we back to normality ? Indeed , what even is normal now ?
During Covid times there was an exodus from our industry . Sales folk went off to get their commission elsewhere . Marketeers headed towards e-commerce , tech , etc . Now those who moved from events to , say , finance , tech , or digital marketplaces , are bouncing back onto the market seeking a return to what they love . They ’ re pursuing the dynamic , people-focused culture , the ‘ in it together ’ mentality , the relaxed but hardworking likeminded professionals , the cut and thrust of events . Once an events person , always an events person .
We ’ ve seen a major shift in the methods of sales and marketing . It took some time getting used to the idea , but the new normal in sales isn ’ t hours of phone bashing . It ’ s multi-faceted outreach campaigns combining content-led marketing , data driven lead generated ( now typically generated by marketing people ), emails , networking , AND phone time .
Those savvy enough to specialise in data , digital and tech during Covid times now find themselves in a strong position , where the digital
Above : Miranda Martin
“ Once an events person , always an events person .”
and transformation skills they gained while pivoting events , or gleaned from outside of our industry , are now highly desirable in the new landscape .
Marketing and performance metrics now demand an evolved technical skillset , with the flow of content and storytelling , communicated through a suitable MarTech stack and ongoing data augmentation at the core . Now , across the board , we ’ re seeing that when it comes to hiring marketing talent , digital prowess is a must have , not a nice to have . Better still if you ’ re a ‘ digital native ’.
Many clients we ’ re supporting in their search for talent are Private Equity backed businesses whose typical five-year cycle has been prolonged for obvious reasons . Now very much back on track and exitminded , our clients are looking for talented , and motivated individuals to come on their growth journeys . There does still seem to be a general aversion to hiring from outside the industry , bar one or two notable exceptions where we ’ re seeing culture and values-based hiring ; where businesses are seeking a mix of transferable skills and the right attitude .
Trends across the market include doubling down on growth of solid core properties , geo-cloning product in new markets , organic growth , launching and the M & A activity that continues feverishly .
As an increase in office time becomes more and more mandatory , have you seen some of the Google-style new offices ? In the UK , CloserStill , Nineteen Group , GovNet , and Hyve in New York ... the list goes on . Businesses are seriously considering how to attract their talent .
As far as candidates are concerned , the short answer : there are lots of highly skilled passionate events people on the market . We ’ re seeing healthy supply and demand and an appetite to get stuck into the meaty challenges where one can make an impact . EW
54 Issue 3 2024 www . exhibitionworld . co . uk