Interview
Evolving a dynasty
Mash Media MD Julian Agostini hears how ITE’s rebrand
to Hyve Group is taking the business to the next level
Julian Agostini:
Why did you
pick the name
Hyve?
Mark Shashoua: Hyve is the
culmination of a three-year
transformation programme. I started
here in September 2016, and we
announced within three or four
months a completely different vision,
a different strategy. We went from a
completely decentralised business
focusing on emerging markets, to
only focusing on market-leading
shows, regardless of geography.
We’re now a truly global business
and Hyve represents that three-year
transformation. We’ve got a great group
of people, all going in one direction.
JA: The
Shashoua name
has quite a
stamp on the
industry – you’re
quite a dynasty.
What legacy do
you want? MS: Hyve is very much the legacy.
This is the culmination of a lot of
learning. I started in the industry at a
very young age, with a lot of successes
and a lot of failures. With Hyve, I’m
putting it all into one.
JA: Do you see
yourself as part
of the ‘industry’
– or as part of a
vertical market? MS: That’s a really good question.
We always felt we were outsiders – I
was brought up to believe we were
outsiders, that we were never part of
the institution. And I still feel like that. I
think that’s what gives me my hunger.
w w w.exhibitionworld.co.uk
You can watch the full video interview online:
www.exhibitionworld.co.uk/node/321263
Above:
CEO Mark
Shashoua -
putting it all
into Hyve JA: Where do
you go for your
inspiration?
For your
information? MS: I read a lot. I try to talk to as
many different people as I can on a
regular basis, that are nothing to do
with the events world. We’re very
privileged in exhibitions – we get to
go to a lot of different shows, see a
lot of different industries at work.
When I go to these shows, I try to
understand where that world is
going, where that industry is going.
And that’s what I find fascinating.
That’s what gives me my ideas.
Left:
Julian
Agostini,
Mash Media
MD JA: We’ve
known each
other for a
long while, and
things have
changed a lot
in the industry.
Content has
developed, the
demand for
experiences
has increased.
Where next for
exhibitions? MS: I think the whole concept of
connectivity will grow in importance.
We’re just scratching the surface of
actually connecting people together.
At the moment, we bring everybody
into one massive hall, and just let
them get on with it. But in the future,
I think those dynamics will become
much more sophisticated – how do
we match the right buyer and the
right seller?
Issue 6 2019
33