The essential conference for freelancers working in events, exhibitions & brand experience.
Brought to you by Connektd - Your Freelance Community
Event Summary
Welcome to our inaugural Event Freelancer Summit!
We are proud to bring together the result of many conversations we have had with freelancers around the world, all who are currently struggling with the issues around Covid-19 and the devastating affects on the events industry. We have spoken to business leaders and key industry figures who all reflect the troubling times and difficult decisions they have had to make in order to protect their businesses. We have also read reports about the potential future of agency business models which do not make for easy reading.
But we know that this industry and all the people in it are extremely resilient, and will work together to find solutions and continue to support one another. We have gathered some amazing speakers who have all helped to develop the sessions and the content for you. So please do take this opportunity to ask questions, and we will endeavour to ensure they are all answered, albeit some of them after the close of the event. We hope you find this Summit as fullfilling as we have found it in bringing it together.
Steve Squires & Ajay Parekh, Connektd - Your Freelance Community
Simon Hughes
Chair, Business Visits & Events Partnership (BVEP)
Cecilia Lavin
President, ILEA UK
Dr Caroline Jackson
Founding Member, AEME.
Vice-chair, BVEP
Laura Capell-Abra
Director, Stress Matters
Michael Wyrley-Birch
CEO, TRO
Samantha Salisbury
Event Manager & Events Lecturer
Martin Fullard
Editorial Director, Mash Media
Hamson Wai
Immediate past-President, ILEA Hong Kong
Dawn Dennis
Events & Operations Consultant, Continuity Consulting
Adrian Bell
Executive Director, Action Impact
Livvy Drake
Director, Sustainable Sidekicks
Andy Lenthall
GM, Production Services Association (PSA)
Gareth Ellis-Unwin
Head of Film & Animation - Screen Skills
Danny Fenton
Owner, Zig Zag Productions
Chris Burke
MD, Creative Technology Asia
The global team
The Make It Blue Collective
Event Schedule
We have a full day of interesting and stimulating content. Feel free to register to as many sessions as you wish and please do take full advantage of the networking sessions with other attendees.
Detailed session times will be published closer to the event and we are still confirming more exciting speakers so come back to this page regularly to check up on the agenda. You will have the opportunity to submit questions to all sessions and speakers and although we may not be able to answer them all the on day, we will do our best to follow up after the event.
Welcome & Introduction
Steve Squires & Ajay Parekh, Connektd
BST: 0900 GST: 1200
HKT: 1600 AEST: 1800
Keynote - Where are we as an industry?
Simon Hughes - BVEP
BST: 0905 GST: 1205
HKT: 1605 AEST: 1805
How do we move forward as an industry?
Simon Hughes - BVEP & Michael Wyrley-Birch, CEO, TRO
BST: 0920 GST: 1220
HKT: 1620 AEST: 1820
MICE - What's the global picture?
Cecila Lavin - President, ILEA UK
Paul Berger - President, ILEA Middle East
Hamson Wai - Immediate Past-President, ILEA Hong Kong
Christian Seidenstücker - President, ILEA Europe
BST: 0945 GST: 1245
HKT: 1645 AEST: 1845
How do companies manage their freelancers
Marc Iacono - GM, GPJ Australia
Dawn Dennis - Events & Operations Consultant, Continuity Consulting
Adrian Bell - Executive Director, Action Impact
Chris MacDonald - Operations Director
BST:1015 GST:1315
HKT:1715 AEST:1915
Networking
BST: 1045 GST: 1345
HKT: 1745 AEST: 1945
How do I raise my profile as a freelancer & build my client base?
Samantha Salisbury - Experienced Event Manager & Lecturer in events
Kim Gerard - Head of Production, GPJ Aus & NZ.
Simon Burton - CEO, Exposure Communications
BST: 1100 GST: 1400
HKT: 1800 AEST: 2000
How do I use social media to get noticed?
Kitty Newman, Director, Trapeze Media
BST: 1130 GST: 1430
HKT: 1830 AEST: 2030
Insurance - What do I need?
Luke Perkins - Create Insurance
BST: 1200 GST: 1500
HKT: 1900 AEST: 2100
How should I run my freelance business?
Lucy Cohen - Mazuma Money
BST: 1220 GST: 1520
HKT: 1920 AEST: 2120
Are you prepared for new normal? Expanding your skills
Madeleine Johnson, Freelance Event Director
Gareth Tomlinson - Director, FourImpact
Angie Choi - Freelancer, Virtual Events
BST: 1240 GST: 1540
HKT: 1940 AEST: 2140
Networking
BST: 1310 GST: 1610
HKT: 2010 AEST: 2210
How the industry needs to change to meet the needs of freelancers
Martin Fullard - Editorial Director, Mash Media
Caroline Jackson - Event Consultant & Educator
BST: 1340 GST: 1640
HKT: 2040 AEST: 2240
My first steps in the industry
Priya Narain- Co-Founder, Event First Steps
Grace Nelson, Benedicta Asante, Jordan Lewis-Pryde
BST: 1410 GST: 1710
HKT: 2110 AEST: 2310
How can I develop my career?
Caroline Jackson, Event Consultant & Educator
Claire Derrick - Principal & Founding Director, Event Academy
David Preston - CEO, Realise
BST: 1430 GST: 1730
HKT: 2130 AEST: 2330
How can I look after my mental health?
Laura Capell-Abra, Stress Matters
BST: 1500 GST: 1800
HKT: 2200 AEST: 0000 (+1)
Sustainability in Events
Livvy Drake - Sustainable Sidekicks
Anna Abdelnoor - Freelance Sustainability Consultant
BST: 1520 GST: 1820
HKT: 2220 AEST: 0020 (+1)
Networking
BST: 1540 GST: 1840
HKT: 2240 AEST: 0040 (+1)
How's it looking in other industries?
Anna Robb - Theatre Art Life
Danny Fenton - Owner, Zig Zag Productions
Gareth Ellis-Unwin - Head of Film & Animation at Screen Skills
BST: 1555 GST: 1855
HKT: 2255 AEST: 0055 (+1)
How will events run in a Covid-19 environment?
Andy Lenthall - Production Services Association (PSA)
Jim Winship - Event Industry Forum (EIF)
Rob Haworth, Event Safety Plan
BST: 1625 GST: 1925
HKT: 2325 AEST: 0125 (+1)
What's new in virtual events
Chris Burke - MD, Creative Technology Asia
BST: 1655 GST: 1955
HKT: 2355 AEST: 0155 (+1)
A light in the darkness. How have we come together as an industry?
The Make it Blue Collective
BST: 1725 GST: 2025
HKT: 0025 (+1) AEST: 0225 (+1)
Close & Wrap up
Steve Squires & Ajay Parekh, Connektd
BST: 1755 GST: 2055
HKT: 0055 (+1) AEST: 0255 (+1)