By Paul Mathers.
25 years ago, I decided to give up my stalled acting career and pivot into the world of event management. Not because I stopped loving the theatre, but because I wanted more out of life than the weekly struggle to make rent.
The offer to join what was then dmg world media (all in lowercase) seemed like a logical step into a more corporate world. It combined my production and communication skills with a recently developed ability to sell. And it turned out to be a world in which I thrived. In my four years at dmg, I was promoted three times, relocating between Sydney and Melbourne each time. That led to 13 years at ETF, and eventually to setting up my own event business in the UK.
It was a golden time. Pre-Covid, the events industry was growing, opportunities were plentiful, and my career seemed to validate the decision I’d made years earlier to leave the arts.
But things have changed. The post-Covid events industry is a very different place.
Companies are downsizing, merging or disappearing altogether. Senior opportunities seem to be becoming harder to find, and even those of us with decades of experience and a track record of success can find ourselves struggling to land the next opportunity.
And from the recruiters who actually do reply, the response is often the same: “It’s bloody tough out there right now.”
If you’re a senior events leader exploring new opportunities, I suspect you may be feeling the same. But please remember:
• Your experience is still valid and valuable.
• Your successes are still yours to own.
• The industry still needs your experience and IP.
• You are not alone.
During the Covid years, the global live events industry came together under the banner of We Make Events to advocate for support and relief for the people whose livelihoods depended upon our industry. One of the things it reminded us of was that our industry is fundamentally about people.
So I’m not going to tell you how to job search. I’m not going to tell you to take a course in AI. I’m not going to give you another list of five things you need to do to “stand out” on LinkedIn.
But I will listen.
I will share what I’ve learned.
I will make an introduction where I can.
And if you’re struggling to find your next senior role in event management, feel free to reach out.
Because perhaps, after 25 years in this industry, the most useful thing I can offer isn’t another event. It’s a little support for the people who make them happen.
Paul Mathers
Paul is a highly experienced commercial event executive with more than 30 years’ experience building, launching and growing successful consumer event brands across Australia, the United States, United Kingdom and Southeast Asia. His career spans business leadership, P&L accountability, strategic partnerships, sponsorship, revenue growth, brand development and team leadership. Paul has led multidisciplinary teams across sales, marketing, operations and event delivery, while developing commercially successful events in the automotive, lifestyle and pet sectors.
His achievements include leading some of Australia’s foremost consumer events, delivering multiple EEAA Award-winning exhibitions and building internationally recognised brands in highly competitive and diverse markets globally. Connect with Paul through LinkedIn HERE
