Management buyout of Congrex UK, renames as Contendam

International event management agency Congrex Group’s UK subsidiary, Congrex UK, has been bought by its management team for an undisclosed sum. The management buyout has been led by Congrex Group Chief Operating Officer, Rob Harrison.
 
The 30-year-old company will be now known as Contendam and will focus on a consultative approach to providing PCO and extended management services to its UK and international association clients.
 
Contendam will retain all of Congrex UK’s existing staff and management team and all client contracts for events will remain with the new ownership. All 20 staff will remain at Contendam and the firm will be based in its current premises in Hammersmith, London and Glasgow, Scotland.
 
The management team at Contendam comprises of four PCO professionals who have been working closely together for over two decades, originally at Concorde Services under the direction of industry veteran Sarah Storie-Pugh. Rob Harrison has become the CEO of Contendam, Susan Hayden is now MD, Dion Basset retains the role of Operations Director and Caroline Mackenzie becomes Business Development Director.
 
“We have witnessed significant changes in the conference industry in recent years, in particular in the association sector, which demand a more agile and tailored approach to delivering events that truly deliver on associations’ wide ranging objectives,” says Harrison. “To achieve this effectively requires a more consultative approach to understanding association needs and significant flexibility. We believe this can be best achieved with a more independent operation capable of responding quicker to market changes.
 
“We chose to take the opportunity to create a new breed of consultative PCO with Contendam, combining traditional PCO values of personal approach with a contemporary approach to flexible working with different experts and consultants to ensure the optimum delivery to meet each specific clients’ needs.”
 
Harrison says Contendam has been chosen as the new name for the firm, intending to convey its focus on a more nurturing approach to ’tending’ associations and their face-to-face communications requirements.
 
Team development will also be a key factor at Contendam, with Harrison aiming to create an environment where people “can envisage a clear career path”, aiming to keep staff turnover low and provide consistency of relationship management to clients.
 
Contendam works with over 20 UK and international associations, including the Association of Physicians UK and Ireland, International Spinal Cord Society and British Laryngological Association to deliver events across the globe.
 
 Any conference-related news? Email sarah@mashmedia.net