First published in Exhibition World Issue 2 - April 2025 / May 2025

tfconnect MD Miranda Martin identifies the growth levers driving the industry's search for top talent

There are a number of key growth levers that continue to be the dominant drivers for the industry as we source top talent for our clients. These are organic growth, new launches, evolving formats and M&A activity.

The appetite for M&A opportunities is consistent and strong. What is interesting to see is that even when businesses are deep into a sale process and are gearing up for sale, they are still actively looking for acquisition opportunities. With any M&A activity, comes change. So, our role is in supporting businesses to make sure they have the right teams in place for, and post, sale.

Recently, tfconnect has been engaged in lots of work in businesses focusing on Confexes (a term used in the UK to describe the merging of conference and exhibition formats). Not a new phrase necessarily, but one I recently discovered isn’t widely used in the States. Much of tfconnect’s work in organiser businesses in 2024 was focused on trade show professionals. This surge of Confex business is driving a need to bring talent with exhibition experience into businesses with their roots in conferencing, and individuals established in content-led formats into more traditional trade show businesses. Many more traditional conferencing businesses are looking for disruptive minds to come in, challenge the status quo and move away from pre-existing formats and methods of working. This evolution towards mixed formats drives growth in combining conference and exhibition which delivers increased market value to its communities and generates revenue from delegates, exhibitors, and sponsors.

We are predominantly seeing the shift towards this type of format in the tech and professional services sectors. What with tech overflowing into almost all sectors these days, the prevalence of this is becoming more and more widespread. We are working with a number of organisers on resourcing launch products this year, and almost without exception they have all been Confexes, or at least disruptive formats. So we’ve been hunting for commercially savvy product leaders who not only understand the value of content and how to create integrated sponsorship inventory to complement content led formats, but also square metres and expo scale.

A wise gentleman who once worked at Money2020 referred to the show as ‘the Disneyland of fintech’. Whilst this wasn’t in line with their official brand values, the phrase was coined to paint a picture of experiential surprise and delight. This is, of course, set against the backdrop of deal making opportunities and education. Several launch brands we’re working with have referenced aspirational brands like Money2020 and SXSW, who are leading the way in experiential mixed formats. We’re also seeing an increase in one-to-one meetings as a key part of the business landscape for major players across the board.

Organic growth is ongoing. There’s much talk from organisers about better serving (and upselling to) their communities all year round. Organic growth comes in all shapes and sizes, such as co-locates, adjacent content, better use of data, digital platforms, subscriptions, memberships, and comprehensive 365 integrated programmes/packages. Our clients are looking for those who can adapt and develop inventory to best serve their communities to maximise the potential of diversifying revenue streams.

Much of this growth, whilst founded by humans from within event communities, is augmented by technology. So, growth is being driven as much from salespeople at the coal face, as by those adept with the tools available to drive growth through data mining and technology. As always in events, we are a sum of our parts!

As one would expect, growth comes hand in hand with lots of talent discussions. Our focus so far this year has been on helping clients find growth minded, launch and scale-up specialists to sustain their ambitious growth plans.