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From Producer to VP at Shoptalk: A Spotlight On Adam Plom

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 14:00:29 GMT

Adam Plom, VP, Head of Content - Europe at Shoptalk has had a striking 13 year-long career in events, and not solely because of his success at Shoptalk. His path has run from starting out at a founder-led business, where he was handed a lot of responsibility from the jump, to a stretch of freelance conference production for other companies, and now to leading content for Shoptalk Europe, which had over 4,500 attendees this year in Barcelona.

Adam Plom, VP, Head of Content - Europe at Shoptalk

As often heard from many individuals in B2B events, Adam was completely unaware of the industry, and in fact found out about conference production not long after leaving university:

"My exposure to conference production was that my friend's older brother went to the same university as I did, he was a couple of years above me, he did the same degree, and the same Masters. I started seeing on social media that he was travelling a little bit and seemed to be doing well for himself. I asked his brother, who's still a really good friend, and he said "oh he does conference production", and I was like, "what on earth is that?"

From there, Adam began applying for conference producer roles, with the idea that if someone with his same interests and academic background was succeeding, he may also find success within the field. "If I hadn't learned of it through my friend's brother's career path, I don't know if I would have stumbled on it through generic job boards at the time." It's a familiar story across B2B events, where the industry often finds people before people find it.

At aged 23, Adam found his first conference producer role at Corinium Global Intelligence, a data and analytics focused events business founded in 2013. Adam was one of the first to be brought into the business, where he produced launch events in defence, insurance and data analytics. What appealed to Adam wasn't the size of the company, it was the chance to matter within it:

"I liked the idea of being somewhere where it wasn't as big, where you weren't one of a number, and you could drive something from the ground up."

Corinium grew very quickly during its first year, scaling to a point of unsustainability, leading both Adam and the founder to reevaluate the company strategy:

"The company grew quickly but unsustainably, and had deviated from its founding vision of being a fully remote company dedicated to great events in one domain. So the founder and I reevaluated the approach. It was more a big refocus than a case of starting again."

Although the company soon found its footing, Adam was still the only producer, so, without formal training, he ultimately became a manager, initially of an entry-level conference producer, and a more experienced freelance producer based in Australia:

"I used to have a 7am meeting every Thursday with the freelancer. She was so much more experienced than me, and when we first started, she was like, what on earth is going on here, I'm reporting to a 24-year-old in the UK. I would ask her for things because that was the only way I knew to look at the work, but if you compared what she'd done against what I actually needed, all the content was there, it just wasn't presented in a way I was familiar with."

Adam summarised it simply: "Always be aware of what you're asking your direct reports for, and how and why. Is it something you need, or something you want because that's how you'd do it?"

As Corinium grew, so did Adam, progressing from producer to manager, to Head of Conference Production, and eventually Managing Director of their Americas and Europe division within two years. The step up arrived without much warning. As Adam described it, it felt like being told he was the closest thing the business had to an MD, and that he'd be stepping into the role. Despite Adam's proven resilience, he stepped into the role feeling uncertain: "I didn't really have the first clue about how to be an MD."

This feeling of being thrown in without a playbook is one that many managers and senior leaders in the industry can relate to. Adam pointed to a wider gap behind it:

"I don't think our industry is great at training people when they first start, and I also don't think we're good at training managers when they first step in."

It's a gap that doesn't disappear with experience either, it can still catch people out, particularly when they're stepping into a managerial role for the first time.

After five years at Corinium, with the majority of it spent working remotely, Adam sought a new experience, joining WBR as a Divisional Director of Conference Production. "I left after about five years. I felt like I needed a change." His time at WBR proved a valuable next step, sharpening his experience managing both people and events.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, an undeniably difficult period for the wider industry, Adam found himself back at Corinium, stepping straight into a leadership gap. "I almost became de facto head of production overnight." Remarkably, Corinium faced little to no adjustment period, having already been built as a remote business.

As the industry began to recover, Adam moved into freelancing, and found it reignited his conference producer spark after years spent managing cross-functional teams rather than producing. During his time as a freelancer, Adam was asked to produce a retail event: "I always quite liked the retail side of things."

Coincidentally with Adam's love of retail events, a new opportunity presented itself: Global Head of Content, Special Projects at Shoptalk. Although Adam was undoubtedly excited about the opportunity, the title itself brought along some hesitations:

"I sat there and looked at the job title and thought, well, that sounds cool, head of special projects, but I don't know what it means. It doesn't sound like the sort of thing that would make sense, on paper, for somebody who was an MD two years ago."

However, after taking some time to think about his decision, Adam came to the conclusion that the role was worth overcoming his precautions: "What's there to lose? It's an incredible event portfolio and opportunity, and I could go back to freelancing if it doesn't work, but also I would get to have a good crack at it."

Once joining Shoptalk, Adam quickly progressed to VP, Head of Content - Europe, and when asked what advice he'd offer to those caught up on job titles, Adam offered this:

"Sometimes you have to look beyond the job title. You have to look beyond what feels like a logical next step on paper. You can see a job title and then see the spec, and think, well, that doesn't sound like an event director, or that sounds like a head of sales or whatever it might be. So really digging down into what that looks like is quite important."

Now, after being with Shoptalk for almost three years, Adam has just finished Shoptalk Europe 2026. Shoptalk is famed for its scale and success, with its flagship event in Vegas drawing over 10,000 attendees each year. When asked what sets Shoptalk apart from other large scale events, Adam defined three pillars of success.

Firstly, Adam set out the value of content, not just the volume of sessions, but the seniority of speakers:

"We have really large, really senior speaker faculties in our track stages, they're still senior VP level and above or equivalent. On our main stage, we get some pretty big hitters on there."

With both the volume and seniority of speakers, it is much more likely that attendees will always find something of value, regardless of if they initially came for a specific bit of content.

Adam was careful to draw a distinction between being primarily a trade show, and having a quality show floor. Shoptalk doesn't position itself as a trade show, but it still runs a genuinely large exhibition alongside everything else. It's the pillar for attendees who want to see the technology and the buzz directly rather than through a session. "We're not a trade show, but we do have a really large exhibition."

The third, and arguably most important, pillar set out by Adam is Shoptalk's meetup programme, a platform based system that matches attendees with other attendees and with sponsors, based on mutual interest, rather than leaving networking to chance:

"Having the right people in the room and not leaving it to chance that they will meet, regardless of size and scale, is the big, big difference maker."

This intentional philosophy had tangible success at this year's event, with Adam sharing that they had 25,000 meetings over the three days.

When asked what Shoptalk gets right that other events often miss, Adam highlighted the importance of the experience above all else. The Shoptalk Europe experience includes food and beverage fully covered, activations on the show floor, a swag store, a band, an end of show party, and dinners, all treated as part of the actual product rather than an afterthought: "People like having a nice time, and people like doing nice things, and I don't think our industry is amazing at recognising that sometimes."

Although Shoptalk Europe has proved to be a hit amongst both delegates and sponsors, Adam shared that he typically has little time to witness and enjoy the event he spends twelve months building, as he's always busy behind the scenes. This year, however, Adam stepped onto the main stage himself: "Opening the show for the first time, I've never done that before, which was fun, and interviewing Nadine Graf at Estee Lauder was great."

Adam has seen a lot of growth in his career, from his own rapid rise at Corinium, to the developing success of Shoptalk, and as emphasised by Adam, that growth will continue: "Even though we've been running now since '22, we're only scratching the surface of how large the show can be, and our reputation."

Reflecting on how far he's come, Adam put it simply: "I've never, ever worked on events of that scale. The largest event I'd worked on was, like, 400 or 500 people, and Shoptalk, Vegas is 10,000, Europe's 4.5, so, you know, a different world."

Visit Jackson Barnes Recruitment’s website www.jbrecruitment.co.uk to learn more about

how we connect top commercial talent with world-class media and events organisations.

About Jackson Barnes Recruitment

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:

• Researcher

• Conference producer

• Event Marketing

• Sales – delegate, sponsorship & Business Development

• Event Manager

• Editor

We recruit for organisations in the UK and overseas, with success in London, Dubai, New York, Singapore and Australia.

Why Conference Producers Need a Personal Brand

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:55:00 GMT

Conference production has long been a career path that you will hear people say they "fell into." With many producers coming from research-heavy, academic backgrounds, it is no surprise that they so naturally excel at desktop research and agenda writing, but a new path for producers is arising, and that is the one of personal branding. The concept of personal branding can often be an overwhelming one for producers, who tend to be comfortable letting their events speak for themselves. One producer who has taken personal branding in her stride is Hayley Nicholson. Since starting in events in 2019, she's moved through in-house roles at GDS Group, Forum Business Training and Incisive Media before founding her own agency, Nuff Said, in November 2023, and within two years won Startup Agency at the CN Agency Awards.

Hayley Nicholson, Owner & Event Content Specialist, Nuff Said

Hayley has worked across a number of portfolios throughout her career, and prides herself on her versatility. Starting Nuff Said allowed her to apply her diverse experience, bringing what she's learnt to each event she produces:

"I describe myself as a sector agnostic producer... I like to be challenged and research new industries, but then also take lessons from other industries and ideas and formats, to put into new projects that I'm working on."

Hayley was quickly rewarded for her ambition, with Nuff Said winning Startup Agency at the CN Agency Awards:

"I was up against some really fantastic full service agencies. So to be coming in as a niche, with event content, it was absolutely surreal."

Alongside her company, Hayley launched Speak Easy, a Nuff Said podcast, with two of her ex-colleagues, Jenny Arnau Cattanach and Mia Breading. The idea for the podcast came from a business development initiative, with most of Hayley's recommendations coming from word of mouth at the time:

"Social media only reaches people at a particular moment in time. I wanted to create something people could come back to, something I could point clients and producers towards that had a bit more longevity."

The other driving factor was the lack of quality content for producers. Despite the sheer amount of content producers work on for others, there is hardly any designed for their own consumption:

"There really isn't much content specifically for conference producers. At industry events, we might get one or two sessions that are relevant to us. But for such a central role in the conference team, I felt there wasn't enough being said about what we actually do, or how to do better."

Building the podcast was no easy feat; however, Hayley drew on her conference production skillset, approaching audience building like speaker recruitment:

"Building the audience was a task, but I approached it like speaker recruitment: I did a lot of LinkedIn outreach. I messaged people I knew, emailed conference producers, Heads of Content and contacts across the industry, saying, 'This is a new project, I want to shine a light on conference production, I'd love you to give it a listen.'"

Not only did the podcast do what Hayley intended it to, but it allowed both her and her co-host, Jenny, to share their expertise and solidify their status as leading voices in what they do.

Hayley's desire to develop was what led her to freelance, and ultimately start Nuff Said:

"After working in house for a number of years, I knew I wanted to become a consultant, although that evolved over time. I also realised I needed a much broader understanding of the events industry. Working in house, I felt quite siloed, and unless you're exposed to the wider industry, it's easy to stay within one corner of it."

Hayley began looking beyond her day job, leading her to discover International Confex and then the Fast Forward 15 mentoring programme:

"I joined in 2022 and was incredibly lucky to be paired with Martin Fullard, who was Editor at Conference News at the time. Interestingly, our conversations weren't really about delivering events. They were about building a personal brand, networking, developing confidence and making the right connections. Those were the skills that ultimately gave me the confidence to start my own business."

Hayley spent twelve months of the programme developing those areas, and six months after finishing it she launched Nuff Said.

One thing Hayley especially enjoys about being in control of her personal brand is having a platform to share her genuine opinions on the industry, rather than staying silent on the topics that matter to her:

"Everything I've done with my personal brand has been intentional... I want to be a leading voice in event content, because we need more people shouting about our brilliance. That means sharing my opinions, even when they're a little controversial. Whether it's diversity on speaker line-ups, poor keynote quality, how we treat conference producers, or the systems we use to manage content, I think it's important to contribute to those conversations and share the reality of our job."

Despite her success, Hayley is not afraid to admit she hasn't perfected the art of personal branding; it is something she continues to learn about and grow from:

"Within the conference production world, people know exactly what I do. But when I speak to founders of agencies or leaders elsewhere in the events industry, I'm still working on getting my reputation known in that space."

When asked what advice she would offer to producers wanting to build upon their own branding, Hayley said this:

"If you genuinely have something valuable to say, don't let the fear of feeling a bit cringey stop you. Share your work, share your opinions and share what you're learning. Over time, that's what builds your reputation."

Personal branding takes time, dedication and confidence, particularly for those used to working behind the scenes. But as Hayley's career shows, it can be learned, and it pays off.

Hayley Nicholson shares insights on conference production, speaker management and the business of events on

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hayleynicholson

Instagram: @hayleyinevents

Nuff Said Events is a UK-based event content agency specialising in conference production, agenda development and speaker management, helping organisations create conferences people actually want to attend.

Website: https://nuffsaidevents.co.uk

Speak Easy, a Nuff Said podcast, taking listeners behind the scenes of conference content production. Hosted by Hayley Nicholson and Jenny Arnau Cattanach, episodes are available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4yALKuidCZtanuUVrvxVwi?si=BMSEy6hnQ2aLYMI-PSMFGg

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NuffSaidEvents

Visit Jackson Barnes Recruitment’s website www.jbrecruitment.co.uk to learn more about how we connect top commercial talent with world-class media and events organisations.

About Jackson Barnes Recruitment

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:

• Researcher

• Conference producer

• Event Marketing

• Sales – delegate, sponsorship & Business Development

• Event Manager

• Editor

We recruit for organisations in the UK and overseas, with success in London, Dubai, New York, Singapore and Australia.

Bowmark Capital Acquires Majority Stake in InfraXmedia

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:50:59 GMT

Private equity's appetite for B2B events shows no sign of slowing, and this week it found its way to one of the fastest growing corners of the industry. On 17 August, it was announced that UK based private equity firm Bowmark Capital has acquired a majority shareholding in InfraXmedia from Opus Origin, a private investment firm.

InfraXmedia has a rich portfolio, with brands including DatacenterDynamics (DCD), Data Center Nation, Yotta and SDxCentral, all serving audiences across the global data centre, compute and AI infrastructure sectors.

This is Opus Origin's first major exit since it was founded in 2022. InfraXmedia itself has grown through acquisition, taking on DatacenterDynamics in 2022 and Data Center Nation in 2024, while also launching Yotta in 2023, a brand focused solely on AI, energy and infrastructure. Dan Loosemore, CEO of InfraXmedia, spoke on the deal, saying: "The next era of economic growth will be built on the convergence of AI, energy, compute and data centres. […] With Bowmark's support, we look forward to expanding our global reach, strengthening our platform, and continuing to build a business of enduring value for our customers."

InfraXmedia's success so far has been staggering, with annual revenue having grown more than 40 per cent in recent years, driven by the international expansion of its events brands and the scaling of its data-driven sales enablement and learning platforms.

Opus Origin's backer is Stephen Brooks, who sold Mack Brooks, a UK based B2B exhibitions company covering sectors including engineering, transport, infrastructure, chemicals and industrial manufacturing, to RX Global in 2019. Opus Origin has retained the rest of its portfolio, WHD Event GmbH, which runs cloud festivals, and Retcon, focused on the future of real estate, choosing to realise value from its most successful asset while continuing to build the others.

Bowmark's four areas of focus are clear: investment in a new market intelligence product called DCD Intelligence, continued international expansion of the events portfolio, enhanced AI and tech capability, and further acquisitions. Fiona McCormick, partner at Bowmark, shared her enthusiasm for the deal: "We are delighted to be partnering with the team, who have built a differentiated platform with a clear path to continued growth." The approach reflects Bowmark's wider strategy of backing companies positioned to benefit from long-term structural trends. This is Bowmark's second acquisition in the space of a month, having also invested in SFG20, a UK building maintenance software and standards business.

These three deals coming together within mere months of each other point to a larger pattern: private equity firms are noticing the true value behind the B2B events space, live events, loyal audiences and real data, with Apollo completing its acquisition and combination of Emerald Expositions and Questex on 14 July 2026, and Searchlight Capital agreeing to invest in CloserStill Media alongside Providence Equity on 1 May 2026.

This move also marks Stephen Brooks's second major exit from a B2B events business in under a decade, with Brooks continuing to back Opus Origin's remaining portfolio, WHD Event GmbH and Retcon.

Visit Jackson Barnes Recruitment’s website www.jbrecruitment.co.uk to learn more about how we connect top commercial talent with world-class media and events organisations.

About Jackson Barnes Recruitment

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:

• Researcher

• Conference producer

• Event Marketing

• Sales – delegate, sponsorship & Business Development

• Event Manager

• Editor

We recruit for organisations in the UK and overseas, with success in London, Dubai, New York, Singapore and Australia.

Why Honesty Beats Persuasion in Sales

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:45:19 GMT

Bradley James Cole has spent the past decade building his career in B2B events and business intelligence, working his way from conference production through to his current role as Global Head of Business Development at Green Street where he leads commercial strategy across a global portfolio of real estate, infrastructure, and project finance events.

Bradley James Cole, Global Head of Business Development, Green Street

We got the opportunity to sit down with Bradley to get his thoughts on sales, and why he believes the most effective salespeople succeed not through persuasion, but through honesty.

Bradley rejected the assumption of there being one right way to sell, introducing the idea that different people suit different situations within a sales process. To lay out this concept, he used the analogy of a football team:

"You will have players that can only play in particular positions... it doesn't make them a bad footballer, but you need different things from different players at different times."

This sentiment brings with it the importance of team composition, recognising each individual's strengths and knowing where they're best placed to succeed.

The more traditional style identified by Bradley is that of the process-driven salesperson, someone who thrives in a more defined structure:

"They are comfortable being within a structure. And as much as they may not try to make it sound like one, in their head, that structure is their comfort zone."

However, Bradley was not critical of this approach, signalling its importance in the sales process, particularly when a team needs to move through a high volume of prospects quickly:

"That is an approach that has stood the test of time. It's a little bit like football: you can still win by playing 1-0."

In comparison, the style Bradley likes to lean into relies more on patience and reading the moment: "My style is a little bit more of a counter-attacking style." For Bradley, this doesn't look like going straight into a pitch during the first conversation, but waiting for the right moment to turn what starts as a casual exchange into something more substantial:

"There will always be a point where the conversation bridges to a next layer of depth. My job is to use that bridge to get further into what actually matters."

But how does Bradley go beyond the surface-level sales relationship and add more substance? He puts it down to earning enough trust to get past that surface-level exchange:

"Part of getting there is making the client comfortable enough to have that discussion with you. So I always try to casualise things as much as I can."

It's this level of authenticity and intentionality that builds long-standing respect in a client relationship:

"If you inject a little bit of personality, so long as your product is strong, you'll garner respect from a client. They may not necessarily like you, but they'll respect that you know your craft."

The value of the product is undoubtedly the most important part of a sale, but what can make your product stand out above the rest is putting yourself forward with it. Rather than positioning yourself as a seller, make it clear that you're an expert.

When putting this approach into practice, Bradley received the following feedback:

"It was good to work with people with a personality... now we can be human again. We're getting away from the corporate veneer and mask here."

It is that human element that is being brought up repeatedly in the industry, and there is no time more important than now to lean into it when building professional relationships. As advised by Bradley:

"Don't be afraid to be authentic, especially now, when I think a lot of things are generated by AI."

On where his role can offer the most value, Bradley highlighted the importance of honesty, particularly when advising clients:

"I think you should do this and this, but I don't think you should do that. And I don't think you're establishing that market to get the return on investment. I think you should revisit that market when you have a story to tell for it."

However, the search for the truth is no easy one, particularly when clients don't always know exactly what it is that they want:

"It's about getting to the truth about what the customer wants, and getting to the truth about whether the product serves that. And honestly, sometimes the customer doesn't really know what they want. Maybe there'll be another product down the line that's better suited to their needs."

The ability to identify and understand the customer's needs, often before they can themselves, is a skill possessed by the most talented of salespeople. It's this same pursuit of depth, over the surface-level exchange Bradley described earlier, that continues to substantiate the client relationship.

This quality often goes against a salesperson's natural instinct to get deals over the line quickly, particularly when they have targets to meet. However, Bradley pointed to this fast-paced mentality as something that can actually damage the deal:

"When salespeople don't have a pipeline that's de-risked enough, they're literally thinking, oh my god, please say yes, I'll throw everything at you to say yes, especially when it gets to the end of the month... then it just collapses the whole regime."

Getting to the truth of a customer's desires is what Bradley labels as the real core of a salesperson's job, acknowledging how this contrasts with the reputation that often follows sales:

"For salespeople, it's all about getting to the truth. And I think that's really, ironically, where the reputation of the industry has got to nearly the opposite end of where it actually should be, because there's always this veneer of deception with sales. But actually, it's all about getting to the truth."

If you nurture client relationships with a pursuit of truth at the centre, staying aligned with the direction of their business growth becomes much easier. Truth doesn't just bring clarity, it builds trust, and that trust is what ultimately makes a client relationship strong and lasting.

Visit Jackson Barnes Recruitment’s website www.jbrecruitment.co.uk to learn more about how we connect top commercial talent with world-class media and events organisations.

About Jackson Barnes Recruitment

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:

• Researcher

• Conference producer

• Event Marketing

• Sales – delegate, sponsorship & Business Development

• Event Manager

• Editor

We recruit for organisations in the UK and overseas, with success in London, Dubai, New York, Singapore and Australia.

Leadership vs Management, and Why One Comes First

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 14:02:32 GMT

Bradley James Cole has spent the past decade building his career in B2B events and business intelligence, most recently as Global Head of Business Development at Green Street, where he now leads a growing team across a global portfolio of real estate, infrastructure, and project finance events. Along the way, he's hired, managed, and led people through several career transitions of his own.

Bradley James Cole, Global Head of Business Development, Green Street

We asked him what he looks for when building a team, the difference between managing and leading, and what he wishes someone had told him earlier in his career.

When asked about the qualities he looks for in a candidate, Bradley pointed out the niche advantage offered by a sales interview:

"Sales has an advantage with the interview process... how you sell yourself is probably going to be how you sell a product."

Bradley looks beyond a candidate's CV when interviewing them, placing importance on their demeanour and how they interact with people in the office, as he considers the way they carry themselves in an interview to reflect how they'll interact with clients:

"There are loads of subtle things that you can see with a person. You can see how smiley they are, how they interact with people around the office and how they walk into the interview."

When asked how he approaches the interview as a hiring manager, Bradley drew a distinction between his process and a more traditional way of interviewing:

"It's part of the interviewer's responsibility to allow them to show their best self. I always feel it's quite archaic and a little backwards facing for an interviewer to go for the gotcha, catch-you-out approach."

As part of this approach, and in an effort to avoid bias, Bradley set out the importance of a second opinion:

"I always like to have a second opinion where I'm not in the room... did I get them on a particularly bad day or good day? If we share the same perspective, that means we've had that kind of consistency. If not, then that's an opportunity to dissect the discrepancy."

Bradley's approach to hiring reflects his approach to leadership as a whole, with his values placed not solely on skill and experience, but on personality and attitude.

When asked about the difference between being a good manager and a good leader, Bradley was careful to draw that distinction:

"Being a good leader makes management easier. But being a good manager doesn't make leadership easier."

Bradley traced this point back to the idea of leading by example:

"If I'm leading a call and my team can see I've done a good job, it makes leading them very easy down the line, because there's credibility behind it. If the call goes badly, it's more 50-50 whether my team trusts my judgement. Then you're in the management zone, where you're just the arbitrator of KPIs and keeping track of inputs and outputs."

As explained by Bradley, credibility is built through action and evidence, which in turn makes coaching and trust easier to earn: "Being able to coach comes from your team trusting you, and that trust can only really come from that credibility that you create."

That same credibility, Bradley suggested, starts with knowing your own value. When asked what advice he would give to himself at the start of his career, he offered a confronting piece of advice: "Know you're worth a lot more."

Bradley tied this advice to his first experience of salary negotiation:

"I remember feeling extremely grateful just to have a job. In my first salary negotiation, that fear of failure was still there. I was underwhelmed by their offer, but I took it anyway."

Although Bradley admitted that his fear of failure is what kept him afloat at the beginning of his career, he was quick to highlight its unsustainability:

"Once that fear of failure goes, then you're going to have to find what it means to pursue and create success."

Fear of failure might keep you in a job, but what will continue to drive you forward is the desire for success.

Bradley made sure to strike a balance between believing in yourself and overestimating your ability:

"Don't think that you know everything straight away either. Talking about things you have an idea of, but not a real understanding of, will more likely land you in the arrogant bucket than the confident one."

This extends into his approach to leadership too, maintaining the belief that no matter how far he's progressed in his career, he can still learn from those around him, particularly in the B2B events world:

"You're working with equally educated people that probably have the same ability, and therefore you will do better to listen and observe rather than try and get your point across."

Curiosity, however, is a separate trait entirely, and one of the qualities Bradley searches for within candidates, capable of making the difference between a yes and a no:

"If you get a producer that is curious, you are 80% of the way there. Everything else from that point can be taught. But curiosity is something which is a bit more innate and something which is just a personality trait."

"I have failed consistently to make an uncurious person curious."

A willingness to listen and continue learning is a theme that runs through everything Bradley looks for, in the people he hires, the way he leads, and the way he continues to approach his own career: stay curious and the rest tends to follow.

Visit Jackson Barnes Recruitment’s website www.jbrecruitment.co.uk to learn more about how we connect top commercial talent with world-class media and events organisations.

About Jackson Barnes Recruitment

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:

• Researcher

• Conference producer

• Event Marketing

• Sales – delegate, sponsorship & Business Development

• Event Manager

• Editor

We recruit for organisations in the UK and overseas, with success in London, Dubai, New York, Singapore and Australia.

The Importance of Onboarding, and How to Get It Right

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 14:07:56 GMT

Onboarding is a process often lost in the rush of a new hire, particularly with SMEs, where employers are commonly eager for their new hire to hit the ground running. Data indicates that a vigorous onboarding programme is a key factor in staff retention. According to Brandon Hall Group research, conducted for Glassdoor, strong onboarding can improve new hire retention by 82% and productivity by more than 70%. Strong onboarding also supports longer term loyalty, with employees who experience a structured onboarding programme reported to be 69% more likely to stay with a company for three years.

We spoke with Emily Perry, Managing Director of The People Consultancy, an HR partner for SME owners that works to build resilient cultures within their clients' businesses. Emily highlighted the mismatch between the initial intention behind a new hire and the reality of their onboarding:

"It is a bit of an afterthought for lots of employers. They work really hard on the recruitment side, they spend a lot of money, a lot of time doing that recruitment process, and then the onboarding is almost forgotten about."

Emily was quick to note that it is not that employers lack care for their new hire. In fact, with SMEs, each new employee is a significant investment. However, there is a lack of understanding of how crucial the onboarding process is.

Industry data suggests that around 20% of staff turnover happens within the first 45 days of employment if onboarding is poor. While this reflects the earliest weeks in a role, it points to a wider pattern, suggesting that the time between offer and start date matters just as much for new employees as their first weeks on the job. When asked about this period, Emily highlighted the lack of communication that regularly takes place:

"There's no communication between the offer and when that person starts. If it's a month, that can feel like a really long time, if it's three months, that's a really long time to go from your final interview to when you start."

Once an offer is accepted, that can feel like a complete process for an employer, especially when they have many other responsibilities. But when there's a lack of touchpoints, uncertainty for new hires begins to grow, often leading them to enter their role feeling unconfident.

So, what does a strong onboarding process look like? Emily laid out the following:

"Get yourself a checklist together of all the key things to work out and get arranged. Who are the key stakeholders in the business that they need to meet?

How can they set up calls or meetings with them to get a bit of structure and planning around that?"

Emily also stressed the importance of regular, diarised checkpoints, where employers can iron out small, yet key details before the start date:

"Even down to things like this is our dress code, this is what we do for lunch, all those tiny things that actually, when you're starting in a new business, can feel really scary. It's just that basic human connection, so that the person knows that yes, it's all still going ahead as planned, they know what they're doing on their first day, everything is in place."

Another factor that Emily introduced was a buddy system, when feasible. If SMEs have the capacity to assign an experienced employee to a new hire, even if founders themselves can't be hands on, their new starters still have someone to rely on for support and guidance.

"Having somebody that is going to be assigned to look after that person can again just make the experience a lot smoother and nicer for them."

When asked what The People Consultancy has done to implement stronger onboarding processes, Emily spoke on how she's currently helping an SME build out their onboarding:

"We're supporting on the recruitment, but then we're also literally building out an onboarding process, and we're using Copilot and workflows to automate a lot of that as well."

Emily made clear that onboarding is not a process that must be undertaken as an individual responsibility. In fact, having support from businesses like Emily's can help you build the most rigorous and practical process possible.

Research suggests companies with effective onboarding see employees reach full productivity up to 50% faster. So, onboarding is not a nice to have, but a process that can truly add to your business long term, with both retention and productivity.

Visit Jackson Barnes Recruitment’s website www.jbrecruitment.co.uk to learn more about how we connect top commercial talent with world-class media and events organisations.

About Jackson Barnes Recruitment

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:

• Researcher

• Conference producer

• Event Marketing

• Sales – delegate, sponsorship & Business Development

• Event Manager

• Editor

We recruit for organisations in the UK and overseas, with success in London, Dubai, New York, Singapore and Australia.

Hiring, Coaching and Scaling: A US Commercial Playbook

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 14:10:18 GMT

Alexander Siegel has over fifteen years of experience leading commercial teams and managing B2B event portfolios across numerous industries, largely in finance and tech. He most recently held the role of Head of Business Development at Money20/20 in New York, leading a team focused on new revenue and logo acquisition across the company's US portfolio. Considering Alex's experience, we asked him about what it takes to build a commercial team that performs over the long term, from who you hire through to how you scale a culture as you grow.

When asked what instincts are sought out when hiring salespeople in the US market, Alex made a clear distinction between the ideal behaviours in US salespeople and those in other markets, "the market tends to reward a more aggressive commercial instinct than I've typically seen in other geographies."

Diving deeper into this commercial instinct, Alex presented it as something that should drive initiative, "we're all looking for hunters who can consistently open doors, navigate complex enterprise environments and land the big, strategic accounts. That's table stakes." But for Alex, that's only the baseline. What really sets someone apart is what happens once the deal is closed.

"The best salespeople don't just win business; they know how to nurture it. They stay focused on delivering the right experience, building long-term relationships and creating value that keeps clients coming back year after year."

That focus on relationships is something Alex treats as a genuine test of capability. If a salesperson can walk him through how they grow an account rather than simply how they win one, that's how he knows they can build something lasting:

"If you can show me how you scale your accounts, uncover new opportunities and build referral networks in the process, I know we have someone who can build a business, not just a book of business."

Alex has been both a top individual contributor and a team leader at different points in his career. When asked to reflect on the shift from being the person who closes the deal to being the person who builds that capability in others, Alex spoke on the growth of responsibility:

"The biggest shift is realizing that your success is no longer measured by the deals you close, but by the deals your team closes. You lead a unit now, individual instinct doesn't scale like it does as an IC, you have to be able to explain why something works."

That need to explain, rather than simply instinct his way through, is what shapes how Alex actually coaches. It starts with a problem he sees across the industry: "Sales coaching leans on scripts and objection handling too often. I think that's backwards."

Alex takes a different approach when coaching his teams, spending time helping his salespeople with visualisation, working through questions like "What's the person on the other side of the table bringing to the conversation? What are they trying to achieve and what of our events/services will resonate with them, and earn you the credibility to be the person they trust to execute on their decisions?"

By flipping the script, Alex explains what a more organic client conversation actually looks like:

"If you know your audience, their aims, and can make a logical commercial case by establishing genuine credibility, the whole discussion will have a much more natural arc and objections get handled in the course of conversation and discovery, rather than during negotiation. Flipping (or ditching) the script and getting your team focused on frameworks rather than rote learning, that's how you build a team that will consistently grow and outperform."

Coaching is not the only factor worth considering when building a strong sales team. Producing talented salespeople isn't enough, you must then keep them engaged and performing at their best.

Alex was quick to note that motivation does not tend to be a struggle faced by top salespeople, instead it's the environment around them that needs building:

"The strongest salespeople tend to have a streak of self-motivation already, so I don't spend as much time trying to inspire them. Instead, I'm creating an environment where they are always moving and improving. Progress beats motivation, every day."

That movement isn't always the obvious next step up the ladder, but the smaller, day-to-day chances to grow. Alex spoke on the significance of small improvements in sustaining high performers:

"There are daily opportunities to make small but meaningful improvements: sharpening a pitch, a new angle to your value proposition, a new sector to develop, whatever it may be. Those incremental gains will compound in time and keep engagement growing alongside sales performance."

For Alex, that everyday progress is what ultimately sustains performance over the long run:

"Ultimately, sustained success comes from combining continuous improvement with genuine accountability. When one can see their own progress and feel a sense of responsibility for outcomes, motivation tends to see to itself."

Alex is well-versed in building strong commercial teams, and has also seen first hand what scaling into the US actually takes. When asked about the most common mistake B2B events companies make when scaling their sales teams, Alex pointed to culture: "the biggest mistake I see is a lack of clarity around culture."

Leaders often assume the easiest path is adapting a new team to fit an existing culture; Alex sees this as a missed opportunity:

"Leaders often think in terms of adapting a new team to an existing culture, when the real opportunity is to define the culture you're trying to build and deliberately incorporate the strongest qualities of the people you're bringing in, especially when hiring across geographies."

Photocopying a successful commercial model and team is not the answer, and success in one market does not automatically equal prosperity in another. What's needed is adaptability:

"The best businesses don't simply replicate what worked elsewhere; they evolve. That evolution can get lost in the day to day of running a team or business."

Get culture right, and it sets up commercial organisations for everything else that follows:

"A clear and cohesive culture feeds into everything else that, over time, separates good commercial organizations from great ones."

Across every stage, from who you hire to how you scale, Alex's approach comes back to the same idea: build for the long term, not just the close.

Visit Jackson Barnes Recruitment’s website www.jbrecruitment.co.uk to learn more about how we connect top commercial talent with world-class media and events organisations.

About Jackson Barnes Recruitment

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:

• Researcher

• Conference producer

• Event Marketing

• Sales – delegate, sponsorship & Business Development

• Event Manager

• Editor

We recruit for organisations in the UK and overseas, with success in London, Dubai, New York, Singapore and Australia.

Growing Through Uncertainty: A Spotlight On Mike Setters

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 14:14:36 GMT

The B2B events industry is one you'll repeatedly hear industry professionals say they 'fell into.' With this sentiment, it can be hard to gauge what the model events career journey looks like, but this month's newsletter spotlight has one worth paying attention to.

Mike Setters has over 20 years of experience in the B2B events world. Starting at FC Business Intelligence and rising through to COO, he remained at the business through their acquisition by private equity firm LDC in 2018 and then Thomson Reuters in 2019, where he went on to lead a global portfolio of conferences and exhibitions as Managing Director. Most recently, Mike worked with techoraco as Chief Product Strategy Officer, working at the intersection of commercial strategy and event portfolio development. Each chapter has brought a different scale, a different challenge, and the same instinct for growth.

Career Development From Within

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:

"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."

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."

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.

"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."

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."

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."

Managing Teams in Uncertain Times

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.

"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."

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.

"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."

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.

"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."

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."

Closing the Hiring Gap

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.

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:

"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."

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:

"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."

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:

"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?"

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.

Launching and Scaling Events

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.

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:

"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."

Mike laid out two questions that sit at the heart of each new event launch: "Is there a why 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!"

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."

Not only do launches matter to individual businesses, but they also matter to the health of the whole industry:

"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.

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:

"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."

Visit Jackson Barnes Recruitment’s website www.jbrecruitment.co.uk to learn more about how we connect top commercial talent with world-class media and events organisations.

About Jackson Barnes Recruitment

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:

• Researcher

• Conference producer

• Event Marketing

• Sales – delegate, sponsorship & Business Development

• Event Manager

• Editor

We recruit for organisations in the UK and overseas, with success in London, Dubai, New York, Singapore and Australia.

The JB Edit, Edition 4

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:09:05 GMT

Editor's Note

Welcome back to The JB Edit. This fourth edition brings together three pieces from talented industry figures, alongside a fourth from us at Jackson Barnes, taking a closer look at Bowmark Capital's acquisition of InfraXmedia.

This month's spotlight sits down with Adam Plom, VP, Head of Content for Europe at Shoptalk. Adam shared his path into conference production, how he progressed through the industry, and the remarkable success of Shoptalk Europe this year. Hayley Nicholson spoke to us about her decision to build a personal brand, and the success it has brought through her company Nuff Said and her podcast Speak Easy. Global Head of Business Development at Green Street, Bradley James Cole, shared with us why leading with truth, rather than persuasion, is what sets great salespeople apart. Finally, we turned our attention to Bowmark Capital's acquisition of InfraXmedia, and what it, alongside a run of similar deals this year, signals about private equity's growing interest in B2B events.

It was such a pleasure hearing from three such insightful industry figures, and just as valuable exploring what this wider pattern means for our own industry. I hope you enjoy this month's issue as much as we enjoyed putting it together.

Grace Content & Community Manager, Jackson Barnes Recruitment

In the Spotlight

Adam Plom, VP, Head of Content - Europe at Shoptalk has had a striking 13-year-long career in events, and not solely because of his success at Shoptalk. His path has run from starting out at a founder-led business, where he was handed a lot of responsibility from the jump, to a stretch of freelance conference production for other companies, and now to leading content for Shoptalk Europe, which had over 4,500 attendees this year in Barcelona.

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:

"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."

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.

"These changes are generational and will massively impact employers moving forward. Employees will have significantly more protection (and from earlier) and the remedies available to them will be greatly expanded."

Harry Abrams, Partner in Shoosmiths' Employment practice group

Jackson Barnes was first introduced to Harry at the recent CIPD Festival of Work, where he was speaking as part of Shoosmiths' ongoing partnership with the CIPD:

Emily Perry On: What Great Onboarding Looks Like

We would love to hear from you. Whether you have thoughts on something we have covered, want to talk about what is happening across the industry, are interested in being featured in a future spotlight, are exploring new opportunities, or need support with hiring, our door is always open.

Grace, Content & Community Manager: grace@jbrecruitment.co.uk

Helen, Director: helen@jbrecruitment.co.uk

To find out more about who we are, what we do, and the roles we are currently working on, visit us at jbrecruitment.co.uk

Managing Teams in Uncertain Times

"Shoosmiths have an ongoing collaboration with the CIPD designed to develop a thought leadership series that looks at some of the challenges that lie ahead for the people profession, not only offering perspectives on how to prepare, but also how to maximise the opportunities that change presents. As part of that, I was privileged to speak at two recent CIPD events, being their Festival of Work and the Employment Law conference. You can read more about our collaboration with the CIPD here: Future-focused HR "

After hearing Harry deliver a clear and informative explanation on how the Employment Rights Act would be impacting businesses, we wanted to dive deeper into what companies should expect, and how they can prepare.

When asked what he believed to be the most notable change, Harry highlighted the multi-layered change to unfair dismissal law:

"From October 2026, not only are employers now having to take 'all reasonable steps' to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace (an increase from the current requirement to take 'reasonable steps') but now employers will be liable for harassment by third parties to their employees if such harassment takes place 'in the course of employment.' What counts as 'in the course of employment' is one that will be open to some interpretation."

"Be prepared and work with HR to implement these new changes. Try to see these changes as an opportunity to really put yourself as an employer of choice and to stand out from your competitors."

He also shared a recent example of how he directly supported one of his start-up clients in preparing for the new legislation:

"I did an Employment law 101 training session with their HR manager and management team explaining the key employment law principles they were likely to have to deal with. This helped empower the decision makers and management which not only protects the business but also helped it continue its momentum. We also did various case studies and role play around 'Office banter' to help understand what is legally and professionally acceptable."

For businesses unsure where to start, Harry pointed to three urgent actions:

"We can help companies understand their legal obligations, how to implement processes to discharge them and how to respond if they are alleged to have breached them. We have expertise in all People matters including immigration, pension and employee incentive matters. We are also full service to our clients and so can assist on other workstreams such as corporate, commercial and real estate matters."

With thanks to Harry Abrams for sharing his expertise. For further guidance on these changes, Harry and the Shoosmiths Employment team are ready to help.

Harry Abrams: Harry.Abrams@shoosmiths.com

Shoosmiths: Shoosmiths | For What Matters

When asked what instincts are sought out when hiring salespeople in the US market, Alex made a clear distinction between the ideal behaviours in US salespeople and those in other markets: "the market tends to reward a more aggressive commercial instinct than I've typically seen in other geographies."

Diving deeper into this commercial instinct, Alex presented it as something that should drive initiative: "we're all looking for hunters who can consistently open doors, navigate complex enterprise environments and land the big, strategic accounts. That's table stakes." But for Alex, that's only the baseline. What really sets someone apart is what happens once the deal is closed.

"If you can show me how you scale your accounts, uncover new opportunities and build referral networks in the process, I know we have someone who can build a business, not just a book of business."

By flipping the script, Alex explains what a more organic client conversation actually looks like:

Coaching is not the only factor worth considering when building a strong sales team. Producing talented salespeople isn't enough; you must then keep them engaged and performing at their best.

Alex was quick to note that motivation does not tend to be a struggle faced by top salespeople; instead, it's the environment around them that needs building:

"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."

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."

What's important to note is the added layer of third party harassment. Responsibility to protect your employees is no longer restricted to only protecting them from others you employ or engage, but it will now extend to protecting them from external parties too.

Harry works with a broad client base but has a particular interest in start-ups and fast growth companies, so when asked what he would advise these businesses, he offered a positive perspective:

And for those still feeling uncertain about what these changes mean for them, Harry says:

"Speak to me! But there are also great resources via our Shoosmiths website, ACAS and the CIPD which can act as a starting point."

On what Shoosmiths offers beyond individual advice, he adds:

Alex Siegel On: What it Takes to Build a Commercial Team in the US

"For me, it is the two-pronged change to unfair dismissal law. From 1 January 2027, the service required to bring an unfair dismissal claim is reduced from 2 years to only 6 months. On top of this, the compensation for a claim which is currently set at the lower of £123,000 or 12 months' gross pay is becoming entirely uncapped. In theory, an employee could claim damages for the whole period they have been unable to secure comparative employment. This means that the parameters around settlement discussions are in essence being broken down as there is no 'high bar' that an employer can refer to in the hope to manage the employee's expectations."

Of the two changes, it is the removal of the compensation cap that carries the greater consequence, since it takes away the fixed ceiling employers have long relied on when negotiating settlements.

Unfair dismissal reform has attracted the most attention, so we asked Harry which change he felt was going under-recognised. He pointed to harassment:

"Review of probation review process (given the change to unfair dismissal rules), ensuring HR/Managers are aware of the legal changes, and rolling out of appropriate policy and training regarding sexual harassment."

That movement isn't always the obvious next step up the ladder, but the smaller, day-to-day chances to grow. Alex spoke on the significance of small improvements in sustaining high performers:

For Alex, that everyday progress is what ultimately sustains performance over the long run:

Alex is well-versed in building strong commercial teams, and has also seen first-hand what scaling into the US actually takes. When asked about the most common mistake B2B events companies make when scaling their sales teams, Alex pointed to culture: "the biggest mistake I see is a lack of clarity around culture."

Leaders often assume the easiest path is adapting a new team to fit an existing culture; Alex sees this as a missed opportunity:

Photocopying a successful commercial model and team is not the answer, and success in one market does not automatically equal prosperity in another. What's needed is adaptability:

"The best businesses don't simply replicate what worked elsewhere; they evolve. That evolution can get lost in the day to day of running a team or business."

Get culture right, and it sets up commercial organisations for everything else that follows:

"A clear and cohesive culture feeds into everything else that, over time, separates good commercial organizations from great ones."

Across every stage, from who you hire to how you scale, Alex's approach comes back to the same idea: build for the long term, not just the close.

Get in Touch

Onboarding is a process often lost in the rush of a new hire, particularly with SMEs, where employers are commonly eager for their new hire to hit the ground running. Data indicates that a rigorous onboarding programme is a key factor in staff retention. According to Brandon Hall Group research, conducted for Glassdoor, strong onboarding can improve new hire retention by 82% and productivity by more than 70%. Strong onboarding also supports longer term loyalty, with employees who experience a structured onboarding programme reported to be 69% more likely to stay with a company for three years.

Emily Perry, Managing Director, The People Consultancy

So, what does a strong onboarding process look like? Emily laid out the following:

"Get yourself a checklist together of all the key things to work out and get arranged. Who are the key stakeholders in the business that they need to meet? How can they set up calls or meetings with them to get a bit of structure and planning around that?"

Emily also stressed the importance of regular, diarised checkpoints, where employers can iron out small, yet key details before the start date:

"Having somebody that is going to be assigned to look after that person can again just make the experience a lot smoother and nicer for them."

When asked what The People Consultancy has done to implement stronger onboarding processes, Emily spoke on how she's currently helping an SME build out their onboarding:

"We're supporting on the recruitment, but then we're also literally building out an onboarding process, and we're using Copilot and workflows to automate a lot of that as well."

Leading With Clarity: A Spotlight On Krista Iverson Vazquez

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 14:17:29 GMT

Krista Iverson Vazquez, Vice President at the C5 Group including the American Conference Institute, Canadian Institute and C5, brings a career defined by leading global teams with empathy and curiosity, developing talent, and building event portfolios that perform commercially without losing sight of the people behind them. Krista's impressive B2B events career spans over two decades, having worked at standout companies including Informa, Corinium and C5.

Krista Iverson Vazquez, Vice President at the C5 Group

Krista's experience covers both European and American markets, granting her an insightful transatlantic perspective. The States, particularly, has always been characterised by its distinctive go-getter attitude, which Krista was quick to speak to when asked about the differences she has noticed between the two over time: "The US market has always had a larger appetite for risk. It feels way more entrepreneurial, built on a spirit of giving great ideas a shot."

The entrepreneurial spirit is an intrinsic part of the industry's identity on that side of the Atlantic. It is an attitude Krista herself embodies, leading her teams with courage and drive at the forefront.

When asked about her approach to leadership, Krista identified three pillars she lives by when heading teams. The first is clarity of vision: understanding what your team's driving force actually is. "You have to have a vision that is clear and simple. Why are we here? What are we trying to achieve? We are here to build events that are growing economically by providing value to our customers. Simple. Clear." When tasked with motivating a team, it is easy to overcomplicate the goal. Krista's first pillar may seem straightforward, but it is one that consistently gets lost in the process.

Her second pillar extends this idea into clarity of responsibility. Vision alone is not enough to guide a team to success; each individual needs to understand their own purpose within the broader goal and have the freedom to meet that goal by leaning into their own strengths. "People need to know what their job actually is within the team's goals and have some agency over how they meet those goals." When even one team member feels misaligned or not able to leverage their best skillsets, it risks derailing the entire process.

Krista's third pillar is psychological safety, and it is perhaps the most telling of the three. Her approach to shortcomings is not forensic but forward-looking: "When something fails, bring the team together, acknowledge it, and focus the conversation on what you would do differently now that you know what you know, not on auditing what went wrong." Each mistake is treated as a learning curve rather than a liability, which creates the room for growth and clarity that Krista values so deeply.

"Leaders have a choice when something fails. It can be a forensic investigation into everything a person did, or it can be a forward-looking, honest conversation. The first is not a safe environment. The second is where real learning happens."

The consequences of getting this wrong are ones Krista has seen play out across the industry. "Things go wrong on event teams when people start pointing fingers backwards. Production did it. Marketing did it. Sales did it." When blame becomes the default response to failure, it spreads quickly and becomes very difficult to reverse. As Krista is clear to point out, there is not always a formula for why something did not work in the industry. Sometimes you do all the right things and the market response wasn't what you anticipated. Part of this business is very much an art, and sometimes there is a bit of mystery about why some things fly and some struggle to take off. It is this, Krista notes, that makes this such a fascinating industry. You cannot be afraid to fail, and you have to always be excited to get back on the pitch.

The idea of growth extends beyond teams, and alongside that entrepreneurial mindset comes an ever-changing events landscape. When asked about the shifts she has observed in recent years, Krista was excited about the industry's proven resilience. "I've seen this industry shift post 9/11, respond to the financial crisis of 2008 and pivot quickly during COVID. Every shift, including the ongoing AI transformation, has introduced opportunities to redefine our value proposition and deliver meaningful innovation."

Rather than attempting to reverse these market shifts, the more productive question is how you and your teams can adapt by leaning into them and fully accepting the change they bring to the market. For Krista, that question always leads back to the same place: the clarity of your vision, leaning into the strength of your team, and the courage to lead both honestly.

Visit Jackson Barnes Recruitment’s website www.jbrecruitment.co.uk to learn more about how we connect top commercial talent with world-class media and events organisations.

About Jackson Barnes Recruitment

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:

• Researcher

• Conference producer

• Event Marketing

• Sales – delegate, sponsorship & Business Development

• Event Manager

• Editor

We recruit for organisations in the UK and overseas, with success in London, Dubai, New York, Singapore and Australia.

Employment Rights Act: What Employers Need to Know

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 14:20:18 GMT

The Employment Rights Act is bringing significant change to UK employment law, reforming areas such as unfair dismissal rights and harassment policies. We spoke with employment lawyer Harry Abrams, Partner in Shoosmiths' Employment practice group, about the upcoming legal changes, what's to be expected and why it's important to address them now

Harry Abrams, Partner in Shoosmiths' Employment practice group

Jackson Barnes was first introduced to Harry at the recent CIPD Festival of Work, where he was speaking as part of Shoosmiths' ongoing partnership with the CIPD:

When asked what he believed to be the most notable change, Harry highlighted the multi layered change to unfair dismissal law:

"For me, it is the two-pronged change to unfair dismissal law. From 1 January 2027, the service required to bring an unfair dismissal claim is reduced from 2 years to only 6 months. On top of this, the compensation for a claim which is currently set at the lower of £123,000 or 12 months' gross pay is becoming entirely uncapped. In theory, an employee could claim damages for the whole period they have been unable to secure comparative employment. This means that the parameters around settlement discussions are in essence being broken down as there is no "high bar" that an employer can refer to in the hope to manage the employee's expectations."

Of the two changes, it is the removal of the compensation cap that carries the greater consequence, since it takes away the fixed ceiling employers have long relied on when negotiating settlements.

Unfair dismissal reform has attracted the most attention, so we asked Harry which change he felt was going under-recognised. He pointed to harassment:

What's important to note is the added layer of third party harassment. Responsibility to protect your employees no longer is restricted to only protecting them from others you employ or engage , but it will now extend to protecting them from external parties too.

Harry works with a broad client base but has a particular interest in start-ups and fast growth companies, so when asked what he would advise these businesses, he offered a positive perspective:

"Be prepared and work with HR to implement these new changes. Try to see these changes as an opportunity to really put yourself as an employer of choice and to stand out from your competitors."

He also shared a recent example of how he directly supported one of his start-up clients in preparing for the new legislation:

“I did an Employment law 101 training session with their HR manager and management team explaining the key employment law principles they were likely to have to deal with. This helped empower the decision makers and management which not only protects the business but also helped it continue its momentum. We also did various case studies and role play around 'Office banter' to help understand what is legally and professionally acceptable.”

For businesses unsure where to start, Harry pointed to three urgent actions:

And for those still feeling uncertain about what these changes mean for them, Harry says: "Speak to me! But there are also great resources via our Shoosmiths website ( People & reward ), ACAS and the CIPD which can act as a starting point.”

On what Shoosmiths offers beyond individual advice, he adds:

“We can help companies understand their legal obligations, how to implement processes to discharge them and how to respond if they are alleged to have breached them. We have expertise in all People matters including immigration, pension and employee incentive matters. We are also full service to our clients and so can assist on other workstreams such as corporate, commercial and real estate matters.”

With thanks to Harry Abrams for sharing his expertise. For further guidance on these changes, Harry and the Shoosmiths Employment team are ready to help.

Harry Abrams – Harry.Abrams@shoosmiths.com

Shoosmiths - Shoosmiths | For What Matters

Visit Jackson Barnes Recruitment’s website www.jbrecruitment.co.uk to learn more about how we connect top commercial talent with world-class media and events organisations.

About Jackson Barnes Recruitment

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:

• Researcher

• Conference producer

• Event Marketing

• Sales – delegate, sponsorship & Business Development

• Event Manager

• Editor

We recruit for organisations in the UK and overseas, with success in London, Dubai, New York, Singapore and Australia.

The JB Edit, Edition 3

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 13:29:30 GMT

Editor's Note

Welcome back to The JB Edit. This newsletter's third edition is packed with quality content from some talented figures, each an expert in their respective field.

This month's spotlight is the knowledgeable Mike Setters, who has had a rich career, working across companies like Thomson Reuters and techoraco. Mike gave us some valuable insights on career development, managing teams through uncertain times and the trick to successfully scaling events.

We spoke with Harry Abrams about the changes taking place in Employment Law and how they'll impact the B2B events world. Alex Siegel shared his insights, backed by years of experience working in the US market, into what it takes to build and coach a successful commercial team. Finally, we spoke with Managing Director Emily Perry on why onboarding is one of the most crucial parts of staff retention and how companies can step up their approach to it.

It was a pleasure to speak with four such skilled and insightful individuals, and I'm certain everyone will gain something from reading this month's issue. Enjoy!

Grace Content & Community Manager, Jackson Barnes Recruitment

In the Spotlight

There is often a shared concern in events career development that stagnation can arrive quietly.

"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."

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.

Harry Abrams, Partner in Shoosmiths' Employment practice group

Jackson Barnes was first introduced to Harry at the recent CIPD Festival of Work, where he was speaking as part of Shoosmiths' ongoing partnership with the CIPD:

Emily Perry On: What Great Onboarding Looks Like

Grace, Content & Community Manager: grace@jbrecruitment.co.uk

Helen, Director: helen@jbrecruitment.co.uk

To find out more about who we are, what we do, and the roles we are currently working on, visit us at jbrecruitment.co.uk

Managing Teams in Uncertain Times

When asked what he believed to be the most notable change, Harry highlighted the multi-layered change to unfair dismissal law:

"Be prepared and work with HR to implement these new changes. Try to see these changes as an opportunity to really put yourself as an employer of choice and to stand out from your competitors."

He also shared a recent example of how he directly supported one of his start-up clients in preparing for the new legislation:

For businesses unsure where to start, Harry pointed to three urgent actions:

With thanks to Harry Abrams for sharing his expertise. For further guidance on these changes, Harry and the Shoosmiths Employment team are ready to help.

Harry Abrams: Harry.Abrams@shoosmiths.com

Shoosmiths: Shoosmiths | For What Matters

When asked what instincts are sought out when hiring salespeople in the US market, Alex made a clear distinction between the ideal behaviours in US salespeople and those in other markets: "the market tends to reward a more aggressive commercial instinct than I've typically seen in other geographies."

"If you can show me how you scale your accounts, uncover new opportunities and build referral networks in the process, I know we have someone who can build a business, not just a book of business."

By flipping the script, Alex explains what a more organic client conversation actually looks like:

Coaching is not the only factor worth considering when building a strong sales team. Producing talented salespeople isn't enough; you must then keep them engaged and performing at their best.

Alex was quick to note that motivation does not tend to be a struggle faced by top salespeople; instead, it's the environment around them that needs building:

Career Development From Within