Interview
Geoff Dickinson : From emap to UFI and places in between …
Geoff Dickinson was brought up with a strong work ethic and graduated with a Law degree at the age of 20 .
He didn ’ t go into Law , however , but made a career in publishing , joining emap in London , initially working on the launch of computer magazines as the tech revolution started to explode with the advent of desktop computing .
After just one year of working on magazines he joined the newly launched emap exhibitions division and was in on the launch of a number of computer shows which very quickly gained traction and success . From that point , he tells EW , he was hooked on events and says he knew he had found his future career path .
A later meeting with Richard Hease an entrepreneur in the publishing and events space , resulted in the 25-year-old Geoff Dickinson being made MD of his events company ( Focus Events ). He quickly picked up the skill of writing smart budgets and creating event launch strategies . At the end of the 80 ’ s he joined Haymarket Publishing and along with boss Peter Osborne launched Haymarket Exhibitions and BBC Haymarket Exhibitions .
In the early 90 ’ s followed a move to IIR , owned and operated by Irvine Laidlaw a successful entrepreneur , who sent Dickinson to Dubai to create the Middle East office where he quickly also took on the Far East office in Singapore to develop a portfolio of events throughout the Middle East , Africa and Southeast Asia .
In 1996 Dickinson was appointed MD globally for exhibitions and regionally in the Middle East and Eastern Europe for conferences . He says he learned then that focus is key , and you have to learn to ‘ Chase the Winners ’.
In the late 90 ’ s he developed a friendship with Michael El Nayal , and together they launched a number of events in Dubai . After some early struggles , they made the business a success , selling to Messe Frankfurt in 2005 .
Followed a return to the corporate world with dmg events where he has now been for 13 years , operating as the global CEO . dmg events is part of DMGT ( Daily Mail General Trust ). The business is owned by its chairman Viscount Lord Rothermere and operated by CEO Tim Collier who backed the business during the pandemic which has now rebounded .
Dickinson says getting to know the excellent work and commitment of Kai Hattendorf , the UFI CEO and all his team , as well as growing closer to recent UFI presidents including Mary Larkin , Monica Lee Muller and Michael Duck and seeing their commitment to the industry had inspired him to serve as the current UFI president .
One piece of advice he says he would pass on to young people considering a career in the exhibition industry is , “ Don ’ t get to the end of your career and ask yourself if you achieved anything or enjoyed it . If you take on a career in events and do it with passion , you can have a sense of purpose and enjoy what you do . Events should have engaging content that truly helps industries develop and evolve to become better . If you create amazing events , then you will find your sense of purpose .”
www . exhibitionworld . co . uk Issue 6 2023 31