Tom Cindric is an energetic guy. A real Texan, Tom works as a vice president at Informa Exhibitions(formerly Hanley Wood Exhibitions.) I first met Tom at a 2007 SISO event in New York and I’ve been keeping tabs on his progress since then. As is the case with Adam Andersen, about whom I recently wrote, Tom also has risen through the ranks quite quickly. Thus, I was keen to know some of his secrets.
Recently Tom and I spoke about the influence of millennials at Informa and how he goes about the hiring, managing, and harnessing of their talents. What most interested me about our conversation was his attitude towards the incorporation of innovation into events that Informa manages year after year. Tom’s rise at Informa/Hanley Wood has been based on his ability to build a portfolio of profitable events that can sustain that success over a span of a number of years.
What’s his main event, you might ask? It’s The World of Concrete.
I asked Tom about how much innovation could be done with such an event, yet still keep the revenues flowing and the costs managed. His response was that he had to reinvent the experience EVERY year. As was the case with Adam in the last article, there are no sacred cows allowed in Tom’s group. For the World of Concrete, Tom wants to promote an exciting, carnival-like atmosphere.
Among the things he has done are:
- Transform the outdoor Demonstrations to be dynamic and engaging and let the exhibitors take control of what they are experts in by showcasing their creativeness like in the decorative concrete area.
- Expand existing areas such as:
- Material Handling, offering trucks, excavators and more for material delivery, distribution, concrete placement, and earth moving;
- Concrete Repair & Demolition, housing a display of surface preparation equipment, scarifying, grinding, sawing equipment, and other demolition products;
- Technology for Construction, featuring the newest products and tools for the commercial construction industry from top information technology and systems providers; and
- Concrete Surfaces & Decorative, showcasing the popularity of decorative concrete for both commercial and residential applications.
- Add new areas such as:
- Pre-cast to The Producer Center, a marketplace of materials, equipment, demos, and seminars for concrete producers;
- Masonry Veneer Live to the World of Masonry, showcasing products, tools, information, and technology for masonry professionals/
Tom’s group also focuses on the sustainability of the raw materials and finished product associated with the industry, addressing issues of how best to reuse and recycle materials.
What about the foundation and structure of Informa helps to deliver an end product such as the World of Concrete? The key tenets are:
- Have functional meetings that span multiple events and include sales, marketing, operations, content, and others, thus ensuring that best practices can be shared.
- Accept that innovation is important, even given the pressure for short term revenue and profitability. Recognize that new ideas will sometime take time to reach margins of 30%.
- Make sure that Senior Management supports innovation and the testing of new concepts. For example, one of the newer sales reps at Informa wanted to offer sponsorship for the aisle signs sponsored. Though everyone else thought it was a bad idea, Informa tried it and the results were massive sales!
- Make every staff member an entrepreneur. Sometimes the best ideas come from the ‘small’ places!
All in all, it’s easy to see why Tom and Informa are highly regarded for their success in the business. And I, for one, am a fan of how they continue to make it happen!