After a challenging couple of years, Brand Experience is back with a bang and with more focus on creativity and technology than ever before. It’s an exciting time and there’s no sign of a slowdown which is great news for the Cubed Brand Experience team, headed up by Emma Shields. Emma has recruited in Events and Exhibitions since 2016, having worked both as an external recruiter and inhouse managing recruitment for agencies such as 2Heads before joining the talent team here at Cubed; she’s a huge advocate for the sector and its phenomenal talent. In this interview and just ahead of next week's industry event EventTech, Emma shares her thoughts and explains why this is her favourite sector. 

It’s exciting to see the bounceback isn’t it - no doubt we have all navigated choppy waters but perhaps the Exhibitions industry has felt it most keenly. In terms of the industry, how do you think people are ‘coping’?
I think Exhibition agencies are bouncing back in a big way. Although my main feelings are overwhelmingly positive, I think it’s important to keep in mind how sudden the changes came about in 2020; people went from having a full schedule to absolutely nothing overnight. My own experience mirrored this; one day I had 23 vacancies, and the next day I had zero – it was that quick. Most of my clients work globally so the ‘sweep’ of Covid across the world was echoed at work - one by one our markets disappeared! There were redundancies straight away. Lots of talent exited the industry immediately and we are still feeling the effects of that. Particularly over the last 6-8 months, it's come back so strongly; much stronger than people were expecting. The pace of growth is so fast now - the fastest I’ve seen in my six years in the industry.
 
Where did all those leavers go?! It didn’t feel like there were a lot of career options available at the time.
A lot of people left the industry completely. Many Project Managers and Designers moved into Construction because there was still work available and it’s an industry where skills from Exhibitions and Events are transferable. Business Development and Account Managers seemed to move to a wide variety of sectors because lets be honest, people buy from people! That can be transferred across products. It was an exodus that is reversing now but we are still missing a huge number of people.
 
That’s interesting about transferable skills – can you elaborate?
It’s very hard to transfer into the world of Exhibitions, specifically when coming in at a more senior level. Even transferring from the Events agencies or Organiser side to Exhibition agencies presents its own challenges. I think the Exhibition world has such a specific combination of skills and experience that cannot be found in many other sectors; there’s specifics to the roles that only apply to them in terms of the kit, the designs, the technology – they’re all a world in themselves too. On the design front it’s different elevations, specific 3d considerations, the way Exhibition halls are set up, electrics, audio…it’s why I love it. It’s my favourite industry and I would never recruit for any other industry than Creative!
 
Events & Exhibitions is renowned for that ‘work hard, play hard’ culture in the past. Is this changing? How would you sum up the culture in general and how do you explain this to candidates?
My clients are nearly always repeat business and long-term relationships. The good and bad thing about this industry is everyone knows everyone; it’s a running joke. There’s a ‘grapevine’ which means that reputation and actions are EVERYTHING, everybody talks and I think that’s a well-known thing so I’m comfortable saying that! There are pros and cons of it being so ‘incestuous’ if that’s the right term, but everyone is quite closely linked. If you consider the life cycle of an exhibition; it involves full teams on-site in one room for days on end during build and then rip down. Teams from many agencies are travelling to the same locations, relaxing in the same bars, so there’s a lot of familiarity.
 
What does a ‘good’ culture look like for your clients in Events & Exhibitions?
An awareness and commitment to ‘shut-off’ time. Making sure it’s not a 24/7 machine given the technology and habits we all have now - that’s the biggest focus. One of our clients, Identity, had a day where they shut the laptops for the whole day and put on an event before a busy period when they knew there would be no time to get together. That sense of reward ahead of a crucial period such as ‘September Madness’ always works well.
This isn’t a 9-5 industry and never will be between deadlines and extensive national and international travel. Post-pandemic, people are more aware of wanting balance in their lives, and employees and candidates are keen to talk about this. The best agencies handle work/life balance in a way that makes it just standard rather than making exceptions. The best example is 2LK; they had it nailed before Covid and really have flexible working ingrained. It’s not a case of people being able to start half an hour earlier or later – it’s about how can we bring the best people to the company and how can we make sure they are happy, successful and feel appreciated.  
 
Is it true that the candidate mindset has changed post-pandemic?
Definitely - candidates want more and are brave enough to say it. But in Events & Exhibitions, the vast majority of roles and agencies have always had flexibility, so the change hasn’t been as drastic as it has in other industries. However, I do think the level of flexibility or amount of days working from home has potentially increased. Out of all the vacancies we are currently working on, only one is 100% office based and even that has some flexibility.
 
Which upcoming event are you most excited about?
EventTech this month I’m very excited to attend – it’s always fantastic. What makes a good Exhibition is the creativity and interaction with the stands. I’m always interested in who has designed the stand - the people behind the concepts. I love the technology aspects too; the games, the VR, the whole experience. Drop me a line if you’re planning on going this year and we can meet up for a chat!