For more than ten years, Event Buyers Live has been connecting event professionals. As excitement builds ahead of #EBL25, respected #Eventprofs share their experiences of the hosted buyer event. This week, it is Adam Fellows’ turn to reveal what he learned, discovered, and who he met.

What inspired you to get into events, and how long have you been working in the industry?

I’ve always had an interest in events, and I remember being fascinated by funfairs as a kid. Not just the rides, but the whole concept of the local playing fields turning into this explosion of noise, lights, and people for a few days and then returning to grass straight after as if it never happened.

I never went to university. Instead, I did a decade in hospitality management and attended festivals as a punter. Although I didn’t dislike hospitality, I knew it wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. So, I volunteered on a few events, tried every role available, did an event management course and spoke to every single person I could.

A decade later, I’ve gone from a volunteer, to freelance, to delivering projects and managing ever growing teams full-time at NW Live. Our portfolio of clients and projects gets bigger every year, from long-standing relationships with London Marathon Events, Brighton Pride and Festival Republic, to growing relationships with Queensbury Promotions, Louder Entertainment, and JOY.

Those connections I made at the beginning have shaped my event career. Specifically, I can pinpoint a lot to The Great Escape in Brighton, the first festival I volunteered and then worked on. To this day, I maintain working on it and have undertaken numerous roles as my knowledge and experience grows.

Please share any success stories or memories linked to your EBL experience.

The beauty of EBL is success can’t just be measured on how many new suppliers you gain, or what new clients and project you end up winning. Every conversation and meeting helps expand networks and the shared vision to learn within the industry.

Saying that, we have gained new suppliers through EBL and been invited to tender for projects. The event also helps us maintain and strength our relationship with long-term clients and suppliers.

Can you pinpoint one relationship, meeting, or conversation that made a lasting impression, or opened new opportunities for you? What’s been your biggest takeaway?

The biggest takeaway for me was one of the sessions in 2022. It wasn’t about suppliers, clients, or even the event industry really. It was about mental health, and it opened my eyes to issues and scenarios I’d ignored. To me this is what sets EBL apart from other event industry B2B events, as it puts a huge focus on and effort into conversations about the team of people that deliver our industry.

What would be your dream event to own, launch or work on?

Music festivals have been a huge part of my event career, but sport is playing an increasing role in the NW Live portfolio. Although I was never hugely into sport in my childhood, you can’t beat the atmosphere of a live sport event. I have a keen interest in surfing and my favourite place to be is the beach. To deliver one of the stops on the WSL (World Surfing League) would be incredible, or delivering Boardmasters – music, beaches, and surfing in my favourite part of the country, what’s not to love?

Also, one of the Red Bull events – with such a large portfolio, they get increasingly ridiculous by testing the ability of human-kind. The spreadsheets, paperwork, and safety part of my mind would be in overdrive, but I’d be there absolutely loving it.

What one piece of advice would you give to someone attending EBL for the first time?

Speak to everyone. It can be hard to do, but you never know who that person may be, what the conversation will include, or where it will lead to.

What do you do to recover after a busy season or event?

I disappear somewhere (often Latin America) for a few weeks over Christmas and New Year – usually involving beaches, mountains and food. It provides me with something to look forward to and gets me away from the bleak mid-winter of England. I tend to go on my own, which allows me to get my headspace sorted and relaxed before everything kicks off again in January.

In one word, how would you describe EBL?

Exceptional!

Have you attended Event Buyers Live before? If you would like a moment in the spotlight and are happy to share what you took from #EBL, get in touch. Email marketing@standoutmagazine.co.uk