The Event Supplier & Services Association (ESSA)
has announced its new board members for 2025/2026.
Announced at ESSA's AGM at The Meetings Show, Lisa Tyson, deputy managing director at Aztec Event Services and Simon Ridout, commercial director at Showlite Ltd, were elected as new members of the board.
Several members of the board were also re-elected, including Andy
Hickenbotham, head of sales at Tecna, Marija Erzen, co-founder and director
of Solutions2 UK and Kane Thomas, commercial director at Full Circle Events
& Exhibitions.
The last 12 months has seen new ESSA initiatives such as the introduction of its Senior Leaders
Summit, continued support for members working abroad, as well as lobbying of
the government to ensure better representation of the events industry.
Opening the annual general meeting was current ESSA chair Rob
Brackstone, MD at ESM, who celebrated the association’s growing
membership and representation, highlighting the news that business events will
now have their own select committee due to the continued work with government.
He said: “While political landscapes may shift, our commitment to advocacy
remains constant. After our tireless efforts with the support of the Event
Industry Alliance and Cavendish Advocacy, business events now have their own
select committee – one of only six chosen from over 250 submissions and an
important milestone for increased recognition of our industry at the government
level.”
Leadership remained a theme throughout the AGM, with a reminder of the
success of this year’s inaugural Senior Leaders Summit, which saw senior event
professionals gather to assess the needs of their business and work together to
create plans to support both their businesses and teams.
Reflecting on the Senior Leaders Summit in particular, Andrew Harrison, director at ESSA, said: “We created the Senior Leaders Summit to ensure a safe space for
reflection, discussion and development where all of our members feel they can
grow as a result.
“As the events industry continues to transform, forums like the Senior
Leaders Summit will be essential in ensuring we are all innovating and growing
within our businesses.”
A study conducted at the Senior Leaders Summit revealed that two-thirds
(65 per cent) of event industry suppliers say international and overseas markets are
the biggest growth opportunity for their business.
In line with these findings and other research conducted in the past 12
months, ESSA has invested heavily in its working abroad resources, creating
country reports for more than 20 different countries that outline the key
information required when it comes to working on events abroad.
Concluding the AGM was Noel Reeves, CEO at Rocket Exhibition Services,
who summarised the previous 12 months as a year of ‘growth, influence and
industry leadership’.
He said: “Thank you for the trust you place in us to drive these programmes
forward. Together, we are enabling meaningful change, equipping our people for
the future, and laying the foundations for a more resilient, skilled and
inclusive industry.
“We are - we always have been - stronger together.”
