Staffing Advisors is proud to have partnered with RE+ Events in the selection of its Vice President of Trade Show Operations, Iain Mackenzie. RE+ Events is a global event and association management organization specializing in the clean energy industry. The organization delivers leading-edge, global trade events for solar, storage, and renewable energy, promoting leadership, education, and economic growth in the marketplace. RE+ operates with approximately 45 staff members. Learn more about the RE+ Events leadership team here.
About the Search for RE+ Event’s Next VP of Trade Show Operations
After a deep discovery process to identify the organization’s most critical business issues and strategic priorities, Staffing Advisors sought an experienced executive to own the strategic operations for the full portfolio of domestic events. The new leader would be stepping into an organization experiencing rapid growth amid landmark investment in renewable energy at that time. Their challenge would be to analyze trends, forecast opportunities, and predict challenges in the event production landscape—keeping RE+ two steps ahead with robust operational contingency plans and high-quality contracts that support growth.
The search was led by Staffing Advisors Vice President of Executive Search Lilly Khan, with strategy consulting from Founder & President Bob Corlett and support from the entire Staffing Advisors team.
Working closely with the RE+ Event’s leadership, Staffing Advisors surfaced several key focus areas that would demonstrate success within the new leader’s first 1-2 years:
- Revenue and Program Growth. Develop and execute strategies to grow existing show revenue, establish new domestic shows, and support RE+’s industry-leading partners, SEIA (Solar Energy Industries Association) and SEPA (Smart Electric Power Alliance).
- Contract Management. Review existing contracts, conduct appropriate negotiations, and look at long-term contracts to ensure scalable, cost-effective agreements are in place. Ensure arrangements reflect the growth of the organization.
- Partner Relationships. Lead the relationship with the general services contractor to ensure services meet requirements, schedules, and budgets. Establish and maintain excellent relationships with suppliers, decorators, hotels, convention centers, housing, registration, security, exhibit management, transportation, and other relevant partners.
- Team Leadership. Employ an inclusive leadership approach to shape the team for the future. Assess the operations department’s strengths and weaknesses and allocate staff resources to leverage their expertise while supporting professional growth. Lead staff to embrace their roles as service providers to the larger organization.
The Staffing Advisors team was honored to support RE+ Events in this important leadership transition. We have also partnered with RE+ Events on other key roles, including a Human Resources Director.