Interview |
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“ On-line connectivity is complementary and useful for events , but it ’ s periphery , not a game changer . Lately it ’ s been more a case of ‘ grasping at straws ’. I sense the topic has been overamplified as a means of modernising event organising and I don ’ t see a convenient transition away from face-to-face to online .”
What is the secret to success at Mack Brooks ? Mack Brooks is especially great at delivering specialised machinery and capital equipment trade exhibitions worldwide , from a flexible base with variety of approaches depending on the sector and geography . Without borrowings , over a long period , the company established some 45 tradefairs derived from 12 invented brands . Mack Brooks ’ largest exhibition , with 95,000sqm of net sold space , became the biggest privately-owned tradeshow in the world .
Did you experience anything like the Covid crisis ? In a more limited way , yes . We were impacted at various times by everything from ash clouds to terrorism , wars , earthquakes , hurricanes , geopolitics , embargoes , SARS , financial crises and strikes . But these issues were relatively short-lived and restricted to specific geographies . I have never known anything as widespread or nightmarish . In fact , I have no recollection of anyone in events ever contemplating such global catastrophe ; it seemed unthinkable , about as likely as a Third World War .
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What do you make of the current position for organisers ? The events industry has shown remarkable resilience , resourcefulness and courage in the face of ‘ outrageous fortune ’, with limited support from either government or insurance . The co-operation and understanding of customers are vital . Unfortunately however , the cost of staff overheads in Europe and the USA is high , companies simply can ’ t afford to suffer income interruption for an extended period and , to conserve cash , many have been forced to cut into muscle , not just fat , in order to survive . There are some great people out of work . It ’ s tragic . In parts of Asia , with lower overheads , it has been more possible to maintain staff costs and , probably , the experience of SARS meant there was more knowhow about how to cope , but it ’ s been depressing everywhere .
Do you think the events sector has changed permanently ? To an extent , but not fundamentally in terms of the business of bringing people together . Undoubtedly the crisis means a shake-out will take place and weaker events will suffer and a fear of viral pandemics will remain . But , that said , we should be optimistic about improvements to manage the position , especially with new vaccines and treatments , which will make things much more bearable before too long . The desire for meetings is so visceral I anticipate strong pick-up in many people ’ s inclination to get out and meet . It may be followed by Zoom-like tiredness of too much all at once , date congestion , and gathering concern about the carbon footprint of staging events , so there ’ s still more challenges ahead . But I anticipate a significant upturn , the likes of which we ’ ve not seen .
Do you see online and data innovation as the way forward for event organisers ?
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Right : Stephen Brooks : a marathon career , not a sprint and still in the running for more event action |
No , not especially . Online connectivity is complementary and useful for events , but it ’ s periphery , not a game changer . Lately it ’ s been more a case of ‘ grasping at straws ’. I sense the topic has been overamplified as a means of modernising event organising and I don ’ t see a convenient transition away from face-to-face to on-line .
Also , the value of data has been somewhat over-hyped and exaggerated . When we look at event data we are essentially only talking about the names and business addresses of relatively small numbers of individuals . The idea event organisers can engineer valuable surveillance information about their customers , along the lines of Google , Facebook , Apple , or Amazon , is wishful thinking to my mind . I ’ d be happy to be proven wrong , but I just can ’ t see it .
Will you do anything more in events ? I ’ d like to fund event launches again from 2021 and remain on the lookout . We will see !
What sort of thing interests you ? I ’ m 10 % interested in great ideas , but 90 % interested in great execution . My preference , always , is to join with quietly confident people who know how to launch , work with clarity , and move in a straight line .
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