In the second Annual Event Salary Survey Q&A, Jill Hawkins talks to Georgie Simon, operations manager, emc3. She says the industry must attract, nurture and educate the next generation of eventprofs.
Recruitment
Jill Hawkins: What’s the biggest recruitment challenge facing the industry now?
Georgie Simon: Finding fantastic candidates in the UK, we are always on the look out for new talent
JH: Could you share any initiatives you have implemented to help recruitment?
GS: We have been successful in enticing some of our fabulous freelancers to become permanent staff. We are also working hard on the marketing strategy behind our job posts and how to really get the ethos of the company across on a page.
Salary
JH: How do you currently decide the salary for new starters?
GS: We have salary bands for each role that we look to recruit within whilst keeping in line with existing team, some of whom have worked for us for over eight years.
JH: What do you think will happen to salaries in the 12-18 months?
GS: We think that there will be a period of increase (not least due to the increased cost of living), but then it will level out again.
JH: What benefits are job seekers asking you for now and how do you think this may change over the next 12-18 months?
GS: We are a fully remote team now with the UK team meeting in the office one day a week and this is not set to change. In addition to this, candidates seem to be very keen to learn about our company culture/work-life balance and how we protect it.
JH: What would you say to someone thinking of coming into the industry?
GS: It is a work hard, play hard industry full of people who are passionate about what they do and what could be better than to spend every day loving your job.
JH: What do you think that the industry can do to attract the next generation of talent?
GS: We place a great deal of focus on the next generation, nurturing placement students during their year with us, so much so that they don’t want to leave (plan to come straight back).
We are also looking to work closely with the REACH programme and local universities to see how we can give back, educate and invigorate the next generation.
Complete the Annual Event Industry Survey here.
