Amanda Finck, Senior Director-HR and Administration, LEO Events
Once an event professional, always an event professional.
While some seasoned members of the event marketing industry left roles in the wake of the pandemic as they faced instability and the unknown, many have returned this year to what they know (well) and love. It’s one of several people and policy insights we picked up from our quarterly agency HR conversation.
“We always say if you’re in this industry, you either figure out if you love it or hate it pretty quickly. And if it’s in your blood, you can take a break, but you always come back to it,” says Amanda Finck, senior director-HR and administration, at LEO Events.
Here, we explore four more talent and work insights from Finck and the team at LEO.
Freelancers Seeking Full-Time Positions
Many longtime freelancers who have worked with LEO’s teams directly on shows over the years, or those who are aware of the work the agency executes, have inquired about full-time positions—an interesting twist on the talent landscape, given the freedom and flexibility that comes with the freelance lifestyle.
“I think they are looking for that stability and a way to work with different brands that maybe they haven’t had the opportunity to work with on their own,” Finck says. “That’s been a really interesting new layer, and it’s not even a recruitment trend because they’re approaching us directly.”
Layered Training
Since the shakeup year that was 2020, many new hires at LEO have hailed from other industries, applying their transferrable skills to the experiential marketing industry. Finck says it has been interesting to observe what industries and backgrounds are requiring extra support to bring people up to speed in what is a very unique industry.
“Our approach to onboarding has always been very personalized. We look at the person, the role and their background, and curate a really unique experience,” she says. “It could include foundational training if they’re more entry level or if they come from a different industry altogether. One thing we try to look at is if they were more experienced in their past life and they’re coming to us at a little bit of a lower level, how do we help fast track that?”
At LEO, new hires are exposed to a variety of different clients and event sizes so they can ease their way in, immerse themselves in different roles, and start to develop areas of expertise naturally. The team is also building a mentorship program, where new hires can build connect with people in other departments, which exposes them to other roles and capabilities outside their specific department. In the end, Finck says, it makes new hires more well-rounded.
Outside Consultants for Remote Work
LEO is not alone, in that a one-size-fits-all remote work or back-to-office policy is difficult to maintain across four office locations. For example, the agency’s Nashville office houses employees in event production roles who travel more than anyone else. And in their case, flexibility is key. Other offices, like the Memphis location, may have more administrative roles that benefit from an in-person experience.
“We’re just trying to navigate what the future looks like that works for all the different departments and all our offices, plus our full-time remote employees,” Finck says. To that end, the agency has hired an outside facilitator to run focus group discussions as part of a listening tour. The facilitator met with senior leaders, full-time remote employees, as well as veteran employees and those who are brand new to LEO.
“We had a really great, honest and safe conversation about work-from-home and culture overall,” she says. “And [the consultant] is providing a lot of really great feedback on how we can continue to grow and foster a positive culture.”
Need for Skilled Writers
Artificial intelligence may be the hottest topic of the year, but as far as skills, writing is one Finck and her team are focusing on, seeking talent with journalism backgrounds to help create content and case studies or other communications that showcase the work the agency is doing for clients. “Not everyone has that knack, and that’s been an interesting thing to go looking for that we’re trying to think about a little differently,” she says.
Have an event agency HR story to share? Send us a note.
Featured Image: iStock/Kenstocker
