Pendigo Events managing director Anthony Mitchell answers the questions organisers have been asking Mike Fletcher to put to the NEC’s new in-house organiser arm.
In April 2024, the NEC Birmingham launched an in-house organiser arm called Pendigo Events.
Initial reactions from the UK organiser community ranged from suspicion – “Will another venue launch against one of its customers?” “Will the NEC share my visitor data with its organising division?
– to outrage:
“This will open future conflicts with NEC customers”
“Venues should work with entrepreneurs to get shows into their venues, not against them.”
“Why should Pendigo get preferential rates on parking, hall space etc?” “
“Other venues diversify revenue streams without wanting to own the hardware and software, why can’t the NEC?“.
Pendigo’s first bit of business was to rescue the struggling NEC-based marine consumer exhibition, BoatLife. It then added four events for fitness competitors and enthusiasts, two of which were again, already held at the Midlands venue.
The questions kept coming:
“Is Pendigo only a vehicle for breathing new life into fledgling or failing shows within its halls?“
“Will it eventually launch shows of its own? How will that work?“
“What happens if an NEC customer wants to buy an exhibition, already in talks with Pendigo?”
The answer to this last question came in August when the three association owners of the Commercial Vehicle Show approached Pendigo for help. Nineteen Group, which runs shows at the NEC, was also interested in becoming the three-day event’s strategic partner.
According to Peter Jones, Nineteen Group CEO, as soon as Pendigo was made aware of Nineteen Group’s interest, it backed away leaving him and the Institute of Road Transport Engineers (IRTE), the Road Haulage Association (RHA) and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) to strike a deal.
Still, there are plenty more questions that organisers need answers to so EN sat down with Anthony Mitchell, Pendigo Events’ managing director to get his responses.
This is what he had to say…
Tell us a bit about you and your background.
I’ve been in the industry for 24 years. For Media10 I was involved with running the Coronation Festival at Buckingham Palace and the launch of Design Shanghai in China, before becoming head of sales for Mack Brooks Exhibitions in 2016. More recently, I was sales director of the Pub in the Park Festival with Tom Kerridge.
When were you appointed MD of Pendigo Events?
At the start of the year, I received a call inviting me to speak with NEC Group MD Exhibitions, Ian Taylor and Opus Origin chairman / NEC advisor, Simon Kimble. I met them, and they told me about the project, and it sounded exciting. I was then appointed MD of NEC Group Events in April 2024. Six weeks later we renamed it Pendigo Events.
What was Taylor and Kimble’s pitch?
Originally, they wanted to create an in-house capability which could fill NEC halls with owned content during those times of the year when the halls are empty. That was the initial concept. It has since become something broader and more beneficial for the industry because events were struggling. With Pendigo’s capabilities and the backing of the NEC, we’ve been able to give several shows new direction, new ideas and ultimately, an investment that will provide the best chance for growth and survival.
Do you have an investment stake in Pendigo Events?
No, I am an employed staff member, and as managing director, I report to the Board of the NEC Group. I lead an experienced team to organise the events within our portfolio. Currently, my 12-strong team is made up of people who were running the shows when Pendigo acquired them.
How many shows does Pendigo currently have in its portfolio?
Currently five. BoatLife, plus the European Fitness League portfolio – PerformX Live, FitFest, Strength in Depth Championship and Strength in Depth Origins.
FitFest and the Strength in Depth Championship were already held at the NEC. PerformX Live has moved from Tobacco Dock in London and Strength in Depth Origins has relocated from the University of Bath.
Pendigo’s first acquisition was BoatLife. Was this a failing show?
BoatLife is a good example of an event that was struggling and now has a really exciting new direction. We’re throwing everything at it to give it its best chance of success.
What about the European Fitness League shows? Were they struggling?
They are in their infancy and were owned by Simon Kimble’s Opus Origin. It was a good opportunity to connect the dots and work together to invest and fast-track them to where they need to be for future growth.
Were you ever told that you would run only consumer shows, only trade shows or a mixture of both?
It was left completely open. It is more about the opportunity for any particular show or immersive experience with the caveat that it doesn’t compete with existing NEC customers.
Do we think it has the legs to grow and develop? If the answer is yes and it doesn’t conflict with NEC client organisers then there’s a conversation to be had.
Are you looking to launch shows as well as acquire struggling ones?
Yes, again, if the opportunity and a gap in the market exist and it doesn’t compete with existing customers and events taking place at the NEC, then we will explore it. We are open to potentially launching both trade and consumer shows.
Have you had any approaches for launching shows?
Yes, I’ve had approaches for three launch ideas. To date, I’ve turned them all down because of overlaps with existing shows staged at the NEC.
Why is the success of Pendigo Events important to NEC Group?
It is part of a wider plan to grow the NEC business. When you have spaces in the calendar where the halls are empty, it makes sense to fill those spaces with owned content and develop the venue’s visitor offer. It has to be commercially viable, both for us as an organiser and for the private equity-backed business of the NEC Group.
Can you assure NEC customers that Pendigo won’t compete, launch or acquire shows that overlap with their sector-specific shows?
The NEC’s bread and butter is its customer base so it makes no commercial sense and would be illogical to start competing with its clients.
Where there are gaps in the NEC calendar and when the halls are empty, as long as it doesn’t compete with any existing NEC customers, we will explore the opportunities, only under those terms.
It makes it a much more straightforward process because when organisers approach us, we can do a quick profile check to see if there’s anything considered an overlap. If there is, the decision not to proceed can be made quickly.
Can you confirm that you were approached to take over the Commercial Vehicle Show?
Yes, and again, as soon as we discovered that Nineteen Group was interested, we backed away. It is refreshing and interesting to me because I hadn’t worked with the NEC in an organiser’s capacity before. To see how transparent it is behind the scenes and witness first-hand how the venue always puts its customers first is correct, proper and great to see.
What venue perks do you receive as the NEC’s in-house organiser?
We are treated the same as every other organiser in terms of paying tenancy fees, car parking, electrics, shell-scheme, carpet and floor tape. It has been made clear to every NEC department that like every other organiser, we have to pay. There is no preferential treatment.
A recent fall-out between a venue and organiser resulted in accusations of inappropriate use of visitor data collected over the venue’s Wi-fi to promote a venue-owned competitive show. What, if anything, is preventing the NEC from doing something similar and helping Pendigo to retarget visitors with data collected by the venue’s Wi-fi?
It’s an important question. I’ve been thoroughly impressed with the rigour, processes and protocols at the NEC to ensure that data is collected, stored and protected according to legislation such as GDPR. I’m confident that it could never be misused.
As I’ve mentioned, we are treated as a separate entity so we would neither expect nor be offered access to unrelated visitor data.
Yes, we have the backing and investment of NEC Group, but we are treated like every other organiser. I can give 100% assurance that anything to do with data and privacy is taken extremely seriously by the NEC. We would never be given any form of visitor data held by the venue to market our owned shows.
Will Pendigo become a member of the AEO?
I’m sure we will at some point. It’s still very early days for Pendigo and I’ve only had time to focus on BoatLife and the European Fitness League shows. However, it would make sense to join the AEO so I’m sure that will happen.
Finally, do you feel you should have talked about Pendigo earlier to curb the rumour mill, answer concerns and reassure NEC customers?
It was never kept a secret from the industry. The NEC was having open conversations with organisers about our plans and we were focused on acquiring the shows we’d targeted and putting plans in place to take them to the next level. We always felt we would tell the broader industry once we had something exciting to share about our show plans. I’m glad we’ve had this opportunity to speak and I hope it puts any concerns organisers may have had to rest. If there are any questions people may still have, they are more than welcome to get in touch with me directly.
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