Recruitment
Wishing You a Niche New Year!
developing trend in
the world of talent and
recruitment has become
an absolute that may
make you ‘stand out’ in 2020.
As organisers specialise by sectors
and/or geographies, increasingly look
at the ‘data’ piece or expand their
M&A and geo-clone activities, the age
of the specialist or niche organiser is
very much here.
The search for a General Manager
is anything but a search for a
generalist! There might be four
or five tick boxes that need to be
checked. An essential language, a
particular passport, M&A experience,
sector expertise, or evidence of joint
venture partnership management
success might be the minimum
requirement to get on the shortlist
for a key role.
Such is the attention on
globalisation that global organisers
are, for example, looking for
separate regional MDs for Hong
Kong, Singapore and South China, all
for the purpose of specialised growth
in different countries and different
regions in Asia.
Some clients are now telling me
that data marketing is growing
in both strategic and tactical
importance compared to the sales
function. ‘Sales’ is being declared as
a marketing channel and the desire
for marketers who can structure,
analyse and segment visitor groups
are the greater need. The balance
“Data marketing
is growing in
importance
compared to the
sales function.”
48
Issue 6 2019
in the respective size of these two
teams is set to change.
There is more data available to
organisers than ever before – the
problem is that there is a challenge
to turn this data into action. The
sheer volume of data means Data
Analysts are set to become a crucial
commodity in 2020 and beyond. In
truth, we are playing catch up with
the tech and social media giants, so
we will all need to get on top of this
as quickly as possible.
More broadly, there is a positive
reaction from clients being
introduced to individuals who can
demonstrate experience and success
in delivering different forms of
visitor and show experiences. Those
with the ability to seamlessly blend
brand messaging with attendee
experience and immerse visitors
in meaningful events that they
won’t forget will grab the attention
of today’s organisers and venue
owners. It’s a necessary shift -
today’s consumers are increasingly
unimpressed by traditional event
formats. Those with a true passion
about a sector will be able to harness
Above: Data
Analysts are set to
become a crucial
commodity in 2020
and beyond
Trevor Foley
(pictured right)
is Managing
Director of
tfconnect,
a specialist
recruitment
and executive
search
consultancy
for the global
events and
exhibitions
industry.
their creative vision to provide the
most authentic means to interact
with visitors.
I’m delighted to see that
sustainability is also right at the
top of the list of key issues for
show organisers. As our customers
demand we pay attention to our
environmental responsibilities,
organisations are beginning to make
room for staff positions like Director
of Corporate Responsibility and
Sustainability Manager. The ability
to implement strategies in order to
run more efficiently, cut waste, and
increase profits while doing so, is an
attractive skillset to possess.
In short, the organiser growth
process is becoming more sophisticated
across all functions – sales, marketing,
and operations – as well as at general
management and C-level.
If you possess a niche specialism in
any of these areas,
you could be set
for a brighter and
bigger career in
the next decade.
Happy New
Year!
w w w.exhibitionworld.co.uk