First published in Exhibition World Issue 5 October / November 2024

In the first half of 2024, writes event recruitment specialist tfconnect’s Miranda Martin, we saw huge demand from our clients for high-ranking technical marketing specialists to streamline technology, improve technique and commercial marketing, and integrate products post-acquisition. The latter half of the year (thus far) has been much more commercially focused.

Organisers and venues across the board are in growth mode. Whether it be JV’s, geo-adapts, organic growth, acquisitions, diversifying the value proposition, or new launches… we’re seeing appetite for it all. With some bold moves into new territories, venues, niches and formats on the horizon, organisers, venues and in turn suppliers all over the globe are active.

Our clients are eager to meet entrepreneurial launch types who can autonomously take on these opportunities and put their stamp on the activity in question. Often our brief is: ‘introduce us to interesting people’. In turn we’re talking to some punchy commercial candidates who are approaching growth in new ways, from disruption of event formats, to questioning negotiation tactics around big budget cost lines, to introduction of new revenue streams. We’re hearing lots of ideas around varied growth levers to drive profit to the bottom line. In pure revenue terms, in the UK, whilst typically B2B trade shows don’t take entry fees, elsewhere globally, especially Germany, gate money makes up a significant percentage of the revenues, so it makes good sense for UK organisers to geo-adapt internationally to tap into that budget line.

The UK’s AEO conference, recently hosted at Manchester Central, brought together the great and the good of the UK events eco-system. The legendary Tony Robinson, who built and sold UKI Group to CloserStill in their biggest acquisition ever, reminded us to make it fun, to keep going even when people tell you it won’t work, and that at the core of it all, you need good salespeople. The type with a disproportionate sense of self belief, for whom failure isn’t an option. I am personally excited to see what Tony’s next venture, Next Events, will bring. And in the meantime, there are boundless opportunities for the Tony Robinson type sales folk in the current climate.

In the UK, venues are exploring ways to maximise profits. They’re upping their game when it comes to creating more reasons for organisers and their customers to spend their money and increase dwell time in house. Manchester Central has just opened Junction, a great restaurant onsite and is looking at ways to bring the city of Manchester into the venue to deliver symbiotic, ‘of the place’ experiences and services for its customers. ExCeL’s much anticipated 25,000m2 expansion will offer convention, exhibition, and conference space plus destination waterfront hospitality attractions and a ‘pocket park’, and will make it Europe’s largest fully integrated conference and exhibition venue. The NEC is working to improve its value proposition across the board, as well as looking at how to maximise margins. The launch of its organiser division, Pendigo sees an events programme, complementary to its existing client event roster, taking unused dates and space to max out tenancy.

Many of our clients are on their Private Equity journeys. With punchy growth ambitions to as much as double existing multimillion pound EBITA’s, they are open to meeting commercially savvy drivers who can come on the journey.

Moreover, if anyone out there has show ideas, we’re talking to lots of hungry organisers and investors eager to launch new product in 2026.

Bottom line, if it can deliver value to an audience and the bottom line, it’s worth a punt.

MIRANDA MARTIN - MD