Recruitment
Global comparisons on the talent agenda
Trevor Foley looks at who is getting the right people in the right place at the right time
W ith this issue of EW centred around the European industry , as UFI holds its European Conference in Maastricht , it is worth looking at how Europe is comparing with other parts of the world in terms of the talent agenda .
I ’ m delighted to have been invited to speak at the Women In Exhibitions meet that precedes the UFI European Congress . The gender issue is a fascinating one around the globe .
It is often said that men are much more confident than women when it comes to assessing how they match against a role brief . I see this play out on a day-to-day basis . Actually , a better word than confident is ‘ relaxed ’. Men will be almost blasé about their fit against the criteria for the role . Women certainly consider the criteria checklist in much more detail and will be more cautious around areas that they perceive as a weakness in their skillsets . Recently , a very talented woman in the industry , emailed me in response to a role , questioning her own ability to step from VP into a CEO role . This was despite recommendations from senior industry colleagues . She finished the sentence by saying “ How female was that response !” I ’ m not sure this can ever change ( men and women are different you know !) but , maybe my role is to help women to see their skillsets and perceived areas of weakness , in a better light .
One geographical area where I do not have to do very much of this is in the US . Recent processes Stateside have not only seen the ‘ final three ’ shortlist of candidates for VP / MD roles consisting only of women , but women with such strong skillsets that employers have found it incredibly difficult to choose between those candidates .
In Asia , the mix of candidates for mid-level and senior roles is very much a 50 / 50 split between men and women . And in Europe it is a different picture based on the level of the role . At a mid-level ( event director ), there seem to be more women meeting the brief for roles and at a more senior level ( portfolio director , MD ) definitely a predominance of men wanting to go for such roles .
Above : Trevor Foley
“ It is often said that men are much more confident than women when it comes to assessing how they match against a role brief .”
The maturity of talent markets around the globe is very much linked to the different ways in which different continents / countries dealt with the recovery from Covid .
The US and Middle East markets have been active for some time now because cash has been flowing for so much longer . Things got moving in Europe somewhat later but are now fully up and running except for Germany . The slower recovery of the large international events has held things back in the territory , with events having to be run with leaner teams . This should change next year .
In Asia , we are yet to see a great deal of people movement , but we will soon . Hong Kong and China are firing up rapidly now , which can only fuel further positivity and growth in our industry globally .
One final trend worth highlighting is the ever present one of popular vs unpopular companies in the industry . The best talent is always open , indeed keen , to leave the companies not motivating their people ( usually for reasons of culture or vision ) to join those that are seen as the more exciting players of the moment .
It always surprises me when the leaders of the less popular companies can ’ t see that their best talents are not motivated , particularly as the reasons are usually quite clear and obvious . On the other hand , it is great to be able to help those with a ‘ following wind ’ to turbo-charge their growth . The industry is mad at the moment , good mad . The right people , in the right place , at the right time always adds significant value to shows , brands and businesses at a good premium to the cost of that talent !
www . exhibitionworld . co . uk Issue 3 2023 29