Launching under lockdown

International Confex 21’s Let’s Do London Theatre’s ‘Launching during Lockdown’ session, 2 September, drew a panel of fresh talent from recent start-ups, who reviewed their stories of creating new businesses during the pandemic and explained how they dealt with the unfolding chaos. Speakers for the event included Maya Mhatre, co-founder and MD of Reset Connect; Anna-Marie Trzebinski, founder of AMTEvents; Max Fellows, co-founder of The Virtual Event Directory; Martin Compton, event producer at Valve Events; and Josh King, co-founder of Dependable Forces. The panel, mostly forced into redundancy as a result of the pandemic, were able to use what for many was a crisis, as an opportunity. Mhatre believed that the pandemic created the opportunity for people to recognise the necessity of sustainable business and that “the world gained a new slogan ‘build back better’.” Being prepared to fail was highlighted throughout the discussion. Compton stated that it was critical to be a “glass half full type of person” in order to see mistakes as a learning curve rather than a complete failure. Fellows added that the ‘foundation’ of success was to make sure you have a strong network to ensure people can fill the gaps in your knowledge. For further information on International Confex 21, visit here