lthough the actions of governments around the world continue to be largely unpredictable , for now it is mostly ‘ all systems go ’ for the re-opening of exhibitions . As expected , this is seeing a need for event businesses to scale up again on resources in order to get events on the show floor . This re-recruitment is , for sure , a challenge on many levels . For those employers who think it can be the same as before : it simply can ’ t . Employees are thinking differently .

There is clearly friction and conflict between the needs of an events business and the new attitudes of employees coming to the fore in our post-pandemic world .

I do see businesses making sensible decisions , but this may still have the effect of reducing the talent pool in the short / medium term . This is simply because a significant percentage of employees do not feel the same way as employers about the need to be in the office . For sure , it will be a different solution by function , but the situation is unlikely to settle down until next year .

Regarding human resources , we are now in what I believe is the second of three phases of the industry recovery .

Earlier this year , phase one saw businesses needing to re-engage at a junior level – sales and marketing executives and managers - to start selling to and communicating with market communities . This phase was successful until we reached the point where not all of those who had lost their roles 18 months ago wanted to come back . At best estimate , 50 % of more junior sales and marketing personnel have currently made the call not to return to our industry .

Many of those who had to go find employment in other sectors found

Above : Trevor Foley

“ The shortage of available talent at the lower levels is more of a concern than it has ever been .”

that the grass was , in fact , greener . No trade show deadlines to stress about ; no long days and weekends of working ; often better pay and they were away from the uncertainty of the future that the events sector will face for the next year or two .

The intellectual debate is also growing . The industry has few defined training or qualifications and so it is difficult for prospective employees to the sector to understand the career path .

The industry has not , as many feared , been disrupted by digital media , however , to be sustainable , and to grow , it must develop a graduate / new entry development programme . For now , the shortage of available talent at the lower levels is more of a concern than it has ever been .

Phase 2 of the recovery now sees the call for the middle tier of industry talent – event and portfolio directors , sales directors , marketing directors and other roles at a similar level . There are two types of candidates for these roles : those who are talented but who lost their roles because they were often an overhead that their previous employers could not carry

for the near 18 months of industry lockdown . There is also a group of people who are not happy with the manner in which their employer dealt with the pandemic issue within their companies . Of course , many were happy with the manner in which their employers handled the crisis . However , where this is not the case , people are looking elsewhere .

The good news for employers is that there are currently many very talented individuals available to fill these mid-level roles .

The third phase will be the leadership level . As the industry continues its recovery , many companies will be reviewing their senior management to assess whether there needs to be additions to the team to ensure that businesses are set fair for a post-pandemic world . Again , there is a good range of available talent for the industry ’ s top tables .

So , yes , there are skills shortages at the lower level but many an option at the mid and senior levels to make sure that event businesses can rebuild and thrive .

It ’ s mad out there right now but the future is bright !