Over the course of the EN 30underThirty programme, Exhibition News will be speaking to members of the programme about their professional journey and the causes they’re championing to shape a more inclusive, forward-thinking industry.
This week, we meet Leah Peacock, operations executive at CloserStill Media.
What made you want to get involved in the industry and why?
I actually started out at Uni on a music degree, but pretty quickly realised I probably didn’t have a future in music, so it was back to the drawing board! When I thought about what I enjoyed, I knew I’d always loved organising and planning things, so I decided to move into an events degree instead.I’ve always loved the idea of creating spaces where people can come together, explore their passions and learn something new, so working in the events industry felt like a really natural fit for me.
What is the first career highlight that comes to mind?
An obvious one, when I successfully delivered my first awards ceremony as an event executive, the Student Nursing Times Awards. I remember the feeling of pride whilst watching the room fill out with guests and, of course, the relief at the end of the night that everything had gone to plan! I felt very excited in that moment for what else was to come in my career.
What have you learned about yourself since entering the events world?
I’ve learned that my voice deserves to be heard. When I first started out, I used to sit quietly in meetings, keeping ideas to myself. Over my 5 years in events, I have realised that it is important to make my ideas known and learned that the more I did so, the more confident I became as a young professional.
If you could give your younger self one piece of advice when starting out in events, what would it be?
I would say to soak up as much knowledge from your peers and surroundings as possible. For me, one of the best ways to learn was on the job, so it was important for me to always ask why, be present, curious and inspired by what was around me.
How important are schemes such as EN30under30 and do you believe the industry does enough to support young professionals?
I think schemes such as EN30under30 are important as they help to give a platform to young professionals, making them feel appreciated and recognised in the industry. I’ve also been lucky to work in environments that are very supportive of young professionals, for example my first job was straight out of university, alongside 2 other graduates. I felt really like I was starting from scratch there and gained so much knowledge during my time in that role. My current company, CloserStill Media also offer a graduate scheme which is a great way to support young professionals who are just starting out their career.
How do you see the events industry changing over the next five years, and how do you want to be part of that change?
I think an obvious answer is the rise of the use of AI. However, whilst it definitely does have its benefits, I’m still a bit scared of AI so I’m not sure how involved I will be in that change!
What is an issue or topic within the industry that you think is important and want to champion?
A topic that I think is important is environmental sustainability in the industry. I think it’s something the industry should always be thinking about, as events do come with a big environmental impact. In my previous operations roles, I worked with carbon consultancies to understand the impact of our events and look at ways that we could make changes. I found that there were actually a lot of quick wins that were easy to implement. Examples include reducing red meat on the menus at our awards events, being more aware of how many materials we were printing and reducing this where we could, and also trying to use more eco-friendly suppliers where possible. These small wins end up having a big impact!
Why is this particular issue or topic important to you?
It’s important to me as I feel that sustainability can sometimes feel like a really big issue to try and tackle, but there are lots of small changes you can make that do add up. It’s something that I am also personally interested in, so I’d like to continue learning more about it and bring what I’ve learnt from my previous roles into the events I work on in the future.
What do you plan to do to continue to champion the topic?
I think a big part of it is just asking questions and not automatically doing things the way they’ve always been done. I’d like to keep raising awareness within my teams and encouraging people to think more about sustainability in the planning process of events.
What can the industry itself do to better champion this topic?
I think the industry needs to keep talking about it and sharing ideas about what does actually work. There are lots of events and people behind them that are doing really good things, so sharing those ideas and learning from each other is a great place to start!
