Recruitment
Infectious showmen
Trevor Foley explores ‘all things good’
or an upcoming
presentation, I’ve been
exploring ‘all things good’
about our industry at
the moment. Of course, the money
is flowing in from everywhere,
globalisation continues apace and
we are starting to make strides in
getting to grips with the big issues such
as data, content and tech. All these
things allow us to better serve the
communities we operate in.
‘Talent’ is always part of the
industry agenda and, as part of this
exercise, I’ve been looking at how
we can better attract talent. I’ve
been talking to a number of heads
of leading events businesses and I’ve
also interviewed folk who have joined
our industry from other sectors. It is
proving absolutely fascinating, with
countless words and descriptors being
used again and again to explain why
and how our industry is working so
well.
I asked Clarion Chairman, Simon
Kimble how he would explain the
constant growth and success of that
business. He said: “Simple, it’s about
the love of events and having many
‘showmen’ in the business. And not
just one or two, but 10 or 12, always.”
He went on to say that these
showmen and women are ‘the
soulmakers’ – they create the soul
of the business. They in turn look to
‘infect’ the teams they employ in the
same way…it works!
Senior players who have joined the
industry over the last decade, from
sectors such as automotive, sport,
airlines, healthcare, and beyond, have
a lot of good things to say. A recurring
theme was the sense of collaboration,
community, and fun associated with
our industry - something they have
never experienced before.
Many said that the plethora of other
industries they had worked in did not
have these things, describing them as
w w w.exhibitionworld.co.uk
‘painted grey’ in comparison to our
vibrant world of events. It was also
said that the politics often holding
people back in other industries
simply don’t exist in our world. The
impact that a single person can have,
if they have the drive, vision and
determination, is limited only by
imagination.
Noting that the industry still retains
a great balance between acquiring
the hard skills and experience
and the softer side of relationship
management, NEC’s MD, Kathryn
James, said: “I understand why
friendships and relationships made
in this industry last a lifetime. Not all
sectors can say that.”
One of those I interviewed,
Chris Preston, Freeman’s EMEA boss,
said we all have to work very hard
and to deadlines but, as an industry,
we genuinely have fun doing it.
Chris said that several people told
him that he’d be here ‘for a year or
forever’. Two and a half years in and
it looks like it’s the latter.
The descriptors used speak
“Showmen
create the
soul of the
business
– they
look to
‘infect’ the
teams they
employ.”
volumes: collaborative, friendly,
buzzing, vibrant, tenacious, ‘like a
family’. Most of the industry players
had no visibility of the industry before
they joined it, so it makes sense to use
this type of language when seeking to
recruit talent into your business.
Ironically, it seems we have
forgotten to market ourselves to the
next generation. As the skills gap
widens and the need for fresh
talent increases, the onus is on us to
attract the best and the brightest to
take our industry forward. We are
a creative industry that relies on a
diverse set of minds, so we need to
help those with diverse expertise and
passions to see themselves in
the dynamic and limitless role
of an events
professional. If we
can get this right
as an industry,
then we’re onto
a future-proof
formula.
Trevor Foley is Managing Director
of tfconnect, a specialist recruitment
and executive search consultancy
for the global events and exhibitions
industry.
Issue 5 2019
53