“Engagement first!” Why XSEM ripped up the rulebook
When virtual trade shows outperformed live events across almost every metric, XSEM's Dan Bardgett was forced to confront an uncomfortable truth. Now, his Leeds-based agency is leading with engagement, not format.
For a brief moment during the pandemic, Dan Bardgett saw something that didn’t quite make sense.
The trade shows his agency XSEM delivered had gone fully virtual - a forced pivot at the time, and one met with the usual scepticism about whether digital could ever replicate the live experience. But when the results came in, the data told a different story.
“Pretty much every metric that you can measure a trade show by was better online than it was live,” he says.
Attendance increased. Engagement went up. Deals were easier to transact. Costs dropped. By almost every commercial measure, the virtual model outperformed its physical counterpart.
“And then,” Bardgett adds, “as soon as Covid was done, we all said, ‘let’s get back in a big room and just go back to the way we were doing it.’”
That contradiction became a learning moment for Bardgett and his Leeds-based agency XSEM. Because while the numbers stacked up, something fundamental was missing.
“You just can’t recreate the human connections,” he says.
It is from that realisation that XSEM’s current philosophy has taken shape - one that places engagement firmly ahead of format.
Dan Bardgett
Dan Bardgett
The XSEM team
The XSEM team
From logistics to intent
Founded in 2003 by Bardgett and business partner Michael Gwilliam after the collapse of a golf agency they both worked for, XSEM has grown from a two-person startup into a 41-strong business delivering events and customer engagement campaigns across sectors including retail, construction, pharmaceutical, and FMCG.
“We were thrown in the deep end,” he recalls. “We just lived on our wits - one client, building trust, and grafting.”
Like many agencies, its early growth was organic - starting in corporate hospitality before expanding into conferences, incentives and large-scale exhibitions. A turning point came in 2014 with a major trade show contract that pushed the business into full-service delivery.
For much of that time, XSEM was by Bardgett’s own admission seen primarily as a safe pair of hands.
“We shifted from being a very logistical, customer service-driven agency to getting more involved in the strategic conversation,” he says.
That shift has accelerated in recent years, driven in part by the lessons of Covid.
“Ultimately, the measurement of an event’s success is in the attendee engagement that it delivers,” he explains. “It doesn’t really matter whether it’s a golf day, a conference, an exhibition or an overseas incentive - the format needs to best serve the audience and their needs.”
Instead of starting with the event itself, the agency now begins with intent.
“What do you want people to think, do, feel differently after the event? We start with that before we delve into the logistics.”
Quiet growth, northern roots
Now based in a refurbished warehouse in Holbeck, just south of Leeds city centre, XSEM has grown steadily, if not always visibly.
“I think we’ve probably sailed under the radar a little bit,” Bardgett admits.
That may be partly geographic. In an industry often centred on London, XSEM has resisted opening a capital base.
“We’re very proud of our Yorkshire heritage and clients really seem to warm towards that, we’ve made a conscious effort to stay true to our roots and based up north - our office in Leeds has become a great hub for our clients from all over the country to regularly come and visit us.”
That quieter approach certainly doesn't seem to have held the agency back. The team has expanded rapidly - including a surge of 17 hires in 2022 - and now sits at 41 people, placing it in the M&IT Awards “large agency” category.
“Being recognised in a category alongside some of the biggest and best agencies in the country is always a pinch-me moment, and makes us all very proud of how far we’ve come.” he says.
Meeting Needs and industry involvement
While golf was the original basis of the business, it now makes up about 15 per cent of XSEM's activities.
"We probably have a stronger reputation in golf than that figure suggests," admits Bardgett.
So when Bardgett joined the board of Meeting Needs last year, his first major contribution was a bit of a no-brainer - helping to establish a golf day for the charity foundation.
Organised with Matt Curran of Chew Events, the first Meeting Needs Golf Day teed off at Carden Park Hotel, and has the potential to go on to become a new fixture in the UK industry calendar.
Bringing together 24 players for a friendly contest between 12 agency golfers and 12 supplier partners, the supplier team took the honours by four matches to two, raising £3,700 for Meeting Needs in the process.
“It was great to see the event supported by so many prominent agencies and partners from across the industry," he says. "Our aim was to start small, bring together a great bunch of people, and build on it in 2026 and beyond.”
Joining Meeting Needs has been "very rewarding," he adds. "Meeting Needs isn’t a charity itself - it’s a foundation that can support any charity connected to the events industry. That flexibility allows organisations to support causes that are personally meaningful. We’ve even funded small local charities nominated by industry professionals."
Photo by XSEM
Photo by XSEM
Meeting Needs Golf Day
Meeting Needs Golf Day
Incentives, data and commercial outcomes
If there is one area where XSEM’s engagement-first philosophy is most evident, it is in its approach to incentives and customer engagement campaigns.
“The majority of the incentives that we deliver are sales-led,” Bardgett explains. “We don’t just run the incentive, we run the sales drive behind it with full and detailed marketing campaigns.”
That means analysing client data, identifying growth opportunities and building campaigns that drive measurable behaviour change, with the incentive acting as the reward.
“In today’s world, customer engagement campaigns are almost non-negotiable,” he says. “Everybody’s scrambling for share of wallet.
“The incentive destination or reward itself is secondary. It’s all about the relationships built between customer and company that has a lasting effect.”
What next?
With a strengthened leadership team now in place, Bardgett has stepped back slightly from day-to-day operations, creating space to focus on growth, profile and the agency’s next phase.
“I’ve got a really strong leadership team, so I’ve got a little bit more time to not be quite so in the weeds of the business,” he says.
For now, the focus remains on building sustainably, both commercially and culturally, with increasing emphasis on ESG and procurement expectations. That growth is currently organic, but acquisitions are on the radar, albeit with caution.
“You have to be very careful not to underestimate the power of the people in your business,” he says. “Most of our client relationships are held by the team. It’s all about trust.”
