AIPC CEO Sven Bossu (pictured) says the industry can harness passion and sense of purpose to compete in the jobs market
The Big Resignation in the US continues in 2022 – it is expected that 23% of the workforce will seek a new job this year, according to research done by ResumeBuilder. The same is happening in Western Europe, with especially young Europeans re-examining their jobs according to research by YPulse. While the figures in Asia are lower, employers recognise it is hard to attract and retain talent, as discussed during a roundtable organised by PRovokeAP. The common factor: it is no longer about the salary – employees are rethinking not just how they work but why they work. We can make this an opportunity for the event industry.
When talking to CEOs of convention centres worldwide who have re-opened for business or are planning to do so shortly, there is one common topic: the shortage of labour. It is not uncommon to hear statements like: “It is a good thing we can’t work at full capacity yet, because we don’t have the staff to make it happen”. There are several causes for this situation. The two-year standstill resulted in qualified staff leaving the event industry – in some cases, the term ‘brain drain’ has been used
Stageco, one of the world’s biggest stage builders, already sounded the alarm bell: stating there are not enough qualified staff for the upcoming concerts and festivals. In addition, the quarantine rules still in place in many countries can have a considerable and unpredictable impact on staff availability. Thirdly: there is of course the impact of ‘The Big Resignation’, whereby people question their relationship to work – thereby providing an opportunity for the event industry to attract talent.
When asked why they want to change jobs, salary and benefits of course still play a big role, but less than one would imagine. The research by YPulse showed that salary was the key driver in only 20% of the cases. Other drivers are: no passion for the current job, no sense of purpose, negative impact on mental health or the lack of advancement opportunities.
Talking to the participants of the AIPC talent programme, Future Shapers, on why they like working in the event industry, the exact opposite can be heard – it is all about values like passion, purpose and personal growth. The sense of purpose for example: when you play a role in making COP26 happen, it may be challenging to deliver, but the sense of purpose is definitely there. How is that for a mental boost? There are many examples like COP26, where bringing communities together results in innovation, collaboration or breakthroughs which impact people across the globe.
The second big advantage of the event industry is the wide range of opportunities for personal growth on all types of levels. For me personally, the human side of events – meeting people from different cultures, discovering communities and industries previously unknown, seeing the variety in interactions – has helped me grow enormously as an individual. But there are also the various ‘classic’ growth opportunities, both vertical and horizontal. Moving from catering to sales, to operations to finance? Perfectly possible in a convention centre.
The third key value is, of course, passion. Event professionals have a passion for people and in delivering success, and it is a passion which is shared by all the parties involved in creating those unique moments which are the hallmark of great events. When the magic of organised events happens, the emotions of the people involved can be best compared to those of the people in the NASA-control room when a rocket is successfully launched – joy, pride, and a sense of belonging to something very special.
As an industry, we should consider the Big Resignation as a unique opportunity to attract talent looking for purpose, personal growth and passion and we should showcase all the opportunities we can offer. The participants to the AIPC talent programme, Future Shapers, will be part of that effort, as ambassadors and role models. As the global association of convention centres, AIPC will continue make sure their stories are heard.
Click here to read the feature in the CMW March/ April 2022 Magazine.
