First published in Exhibition World Summer 2024 Edition 3

Miranda Martin, MD of industry recruitment specialists tfconnect, identifies a major shift in sales and marketing and notes 'the great return' is underway

Another month, another vibrant triumph for our industry. Being at the UK’s Exhibition News Awards, the din in the room was deafening as nearly 1000 exhibition and event professionals gathered together for a lively celebration of our industry.

So, are we back to normality? After several iterations of ‘the new normal’, what even is normal now?

During Covid times there was an exodus from our industry. Sales folk went off to get their commission elsewhere. Marketeers headed towards e-commerce, tech etc. To be fair, our industry couldn’t keep everyone working anyway. But what we’re seeing now, is those who moved from events to say finance, tech, or digital marketplaces, bouncing back onto the market seeking a return to what they love. They’re pursuing the dynamic people focused culture, the ‘in it together’ mentality, the relaxed but hardworking likeminded professionals, the cut and thrust of events. Once an events person, always an events person.

We’ve seen a major shift in the methods of sales and marketing. It took some time getting used to the idea, but the new normal in sales isn’t hours of phone bashing. It’s multi-faceted outreach campaigns combining content led marketing, data driven lead gen (now typically generated by marketing people), emails, networking, AND phone time.

Those savvy enough to specialise in data, digital and tech during Covid times now find themselves in a strong position, where the digital and transformation skills they gained whilst pivoting events, or gleaned from outside of our industry, are now highly desirable in the new landscape. Marketing and performance metrics now demand an evolved technical skillset, with the flow of content and storytelling, communicated through a suitable MarTech stack and ongoing data augmentation at the core. Now, across the board, we’re seeing that when it comes to hiring marketing talent, digital prowess is a must have, not a nice to have. Better still if you’re a ‘digital native’.

Many clients we’re supporting in their search for talent are Private Equity backed businesses whose typical 5-year cycle has been prolonged for obvious reasons. Now very much back on track and exit-minded, our clients are looking for ambitious, talented, and motivated individuals to come on their growth journeys. There does still seem to be a general aversion to hiring from outside the industry, bar one or two notable exceptions where we’re seeing culture and values-based hiring; where businesses are seeking a mix of transferable skills and the right attitude.

Trends across the market include doubling down on growth of solid core properties, geo-cloning product in new markets, organic growth, launching and the M&A activity that continues feverishly. We’re also seeing some brave moves from venues, likely to in time dramatically change the UK events landscape.

We’re working with a number of global clients, searching for talent with international experience to amplify their worldwide impact. This is especially true of companies on a mission to geo-clone leading core products in new markets, as well as a specific client in the Middle East on a major hiring drive. Fancy an adventure anyone… a life in the sun!?

As an increase in office time becomes more and more mandatory, have you seen some of the google-style new offices? In the UK, CloserStill, Nineteen Group, GovNet, and Hyve in New York... the list goes on. Businesses are seriously considering how to attract their talent.

As far as candidates are concerned, the short answer: there are lots of highly skilled passionate events people on the market – from C-suite to MD’s, PD’s, creative entrepreneurial leaders, Senior Marketing and Commercial professionals, Digital and Transformation specialists.

In conclusion, we’re seeing healthy supply and demand and an appetite to get stuck into the meaty challenges where one can make an impact.