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Career Development From Within<\/strong><\/p>\n There is often a shared concern in events career development that stagnation can arrive quietly. If you work consistently on the same portfolio or event, the natural influx of challenge and fresh thinking can slow. However, Mike offered a different perspective: in a world that’s constantly shifting, education never stops. The events industry is one that capitalises on change, providing the perfect landscape for challenge and growth:<\/p>\n “The thing that is always true of the events industry is that we’re chasing change and disruption as a key driver for bringing people together.”<\/p>\n Citing his experience at FCBI, Mike set out how in the mid-2010s, they rationalised their 120-plus event portfolio down to 70 events, simultaneously doubling the revenue of the business and tripling their profits. “This ‘Fewer, Bigger, Better’ approach asked us to think differently about the value we delivered for our customers and the impact that has on our ways of working internally.”<\/p>\n When FCBI was acquired by Thomson Reuters, he was faced with a unique opportunity for growth: the challenge of integrating into an institution that wasn’t built around events.<\/p>\n “It was a new and different way of working, a different institution, a brilliant institution, but not an events business. Our team, working with partners across Thomson Reuters, had to think carefully about what we retained from our FCBI days and how to evolve the business to unlock the opportunities the Thomson Reuters brand afforded us. A great example of this was the launch of Reuters NEXT which has gone on to be a global portfolio of successful flagship journalism events.”<\/p>\n Mike’s learning did not stop with Thomson Reuters. The different business models and approaches deployed across the B2B events industry came to the fore when Mike began working with techoraco. “techoraco has fantastic brands, a deep connection with leadership across the digital infrastructure community, and events of scale built around deal making. I learned a huge amount at techoraco about creating ecosystem events in a period of enormous industry change and disruption and how deal making at scale offers significant value to customers.”<\/p>\n His career makes a quiet case for embracing the next evolution of the events industry and recognising that customers’ needs change over time. “When I look back over just the last ten years I’ve seen Brexit, two exit processes, Covid, the re emergence of live events that look and feel different, and now the impact of AI. What I’ve learned is that approaching challenge and change with curiosity means that our roles continually evolve and that learning and development will follow.”<\/p>\n Managing Teams in Uncertain Times<\/strong><\/p>\n There is no denying that the disruption over the past few years has been difficult to navigate, and Mike has not only been tasked with navigating these changes himself, but has had to lead teams through them with confidence and tenacity.<\/p>\n “The events industry is incredibly resilient. It’s incredibly tough bouncing back from set backs such as the financial crash and Covid but we’ve proven ourselves time and again.”<\/p>\n Mike marks the key to managing uncertainty as being adaptable, noting that adaptability is shaped by factors both outside and inside the business. Along with the rest of the industry, one of the biggest challenges Mike was faced with was the pandemic, during which the face to face element of the events industry, the very thing that defines it, was not possible. During COVID, Mike was at Thomson Reuters, and made the decision not to return to live events in 2021. With an active community of people who still wanted to make sense of what was going on in their industry, Mike and his team were able to stay adaptable, delivering high-quality content through a combination of virtual events and marketing solutions that served both buyer and seller needs.<\/p>\n “In 2021, we delivered around 90% of the revenue we delivered in 2019. Purely from virtual events and marketing services. The team did an amazing job serving our customers’ needs and from there we accelerated quickly.”<\/p>\n Although Mike presents adaptability as a strength, he also noted the importance of it being grounded in something tangible, particularly when you have a team looking at you for answers.<\/p>\n “Giving people belief that what we’re curating makes sense and is rooted in what the customer is telling us. This, aligned with a healthy amount of optimism that we’re a very capable group of people, enabled us to be successful.”<\/p>\n Each choice Mike and his team made during the pandemic was rooted in what their customers wanted. The factor closer to home, Mike explains, was the shape of the portfolio itself: “When you have a portfolio play where we had 12 different industry sectors, it gives you the ability to flex and bend dependent upon the market conditions that you’re working within. And, when you’re adaptable, you can be resilient in the face of these headwinds. The team’s agile mindset and deep rooted core business processes gave us the framework to be adaptable and in fact in 2022\/23 when the sensible play would be to focus on rebuilding what we had, we launched into four new industry sectors and delivered many millions of new revenue.”<\/p>\n Closing the Hiring Gap<\/strong><\/p>\n Over 20+ years, Mike has built many teams. Given that the interview process can sometimes come down to 2-3 hours with the candidate, Mike offered his thoughts on how best to use that time.<\/p>\n He believes that the best way to understand a candidate’s attitude and capability is through tasks, which he typically implements in the second round of interviews:<\/p>\n “The reason I think that’s important is it brings the individual to life and it shows off their qualities. You can see their depth of industry understanding, how their brain works in identifying where the opportunities sit, their communication skills. It’s really valuable.”<\/p>\n Alongside this, Mike is conscious of ensuring the process feels balanced. Rather than saving candidate questions for the end, he integrates them throughout, so that neither side is left with an incomplete picture:<\/p>\n “I like to integrate the candidate’s questions as much as I can in the interview process, so nobody’s being misled or misrepresented along the way.”<\/p>\n It is a shift in the hiring landscape that he acknowledges openly. AI has raised the floor for interview preparation, and what once signalled effort and initiative no longer carries the same weight:<\/p>\n “What in the past you might have consciously or subconsciously noted, the quality of the slide deck and the amount of work that’s gone into it for example, I think now you need to be aware that AI can build a lot of that. Now, I’m looking closely at what’s actually being presented behind the bullet points. What level of detail do they have when pressed?”<\/p>\n The Q&A that follows a presentation has therefore become the most critical part of the process. It is where genuine understanding is tested and where the fit between candidate and role becomes clear.<\/p>\n Launching and Scaling Events<\/strong><\/p>\n Launching new events is the lifeblood of the industry, and something that Mike has been tasked with undertaking since the beginning of his career. When joining FCBI, his remit was clear: “Launch something new!” This is not easily done, and a desire to learn, invest time, and stay curious is often what separates those who succeed at launching from those who don’t.<\/p>\n Mike was candid about the amount of time it takes to research when building an event from the ground up, particularly when you don’t have any grounding in the sector you’re planning to launch in:<\/p>\n “You have to be comfortable having a blank slate. It enables you to enter new spaces where you don’t necessarily know anybody, you don’t have any credibility, you don’t have any legacy. But, by picking up the phone and talking to people, you can build out that depth of knowledge. This, aligned with a framework for critical thinking around what would make for a successful event or portfolio enables you to confidently launch into new sectors.”<\/p>\n Mike laid out two questions that sit at the heart of each new event launch: “Is there a why<\/em> behind what we’re planning to do? And, what is driving this industry disruption? Consequently, you answer the question as to whether there is a reason to bring these people together in one place. If the customer doesn’t need it, move on!”<\/p>\n What becomes clear is that successful event launches, despite being new, are supported by investment, time and a dedication to building relationships so that once your event is launched, it’s built on solid ground. “The way to surface answers to these questions is through extensive research, not just at a desk, but by speaking with people and experts within those markets, and now supplemented with the deep work AI can not only help with but also unlock new nuggets of gold.”<\/p>\n Not only do launches matter to individual businesses, but they also matter to the health of the whole industry:<\/p>\n “Unless we have that pipeline of new events coming through, the industry risks stagnating.” It is a point worth sitting with. The pipeline of new events is not just a commercial consideration; it is what keeps the industry moving forward. And as Mike’s career demonstrates, the answer begins long before the event itself does.<\/p>\n Mike has not allowed disruption to define his career; instead, he has used it as momentum, having navigated difficult times, adjusted to acquisitions, led strong teams and launched new events. It is what continues to drive him:<\/p>\n “The thrill of the chase is always something that keeps me interested. I’m constantly asking ‘I wonder if there is something in X?’ That might be something entirely new or the evolution of an event or portfolio that needs to position itself for the next phase of growth in an exciting industry.”<\/p>\n Visit Jackson Barnes Recruitment\u2019s website\u00a0www.jbrecruitment.co.uk<\/a>\u00a0to learn more about how we connect top commercial talent with world-class media and events organisations.<\/p>\n About Jackson Barnes Recruitment<\/strong><\/p>\n Jackson Barnes Recruitment delivers international recruitment solutions within the events, media, and publishing sectors. Jackson Barnes recruits Graduate to MD level in the following positions:<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Researcher<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Conference producer<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Event Marketing<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Sales \u2013 delegate, sponsorship & Business Development<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Event Manager<\/a><\/p>\n