Russell Bacon
When did you start with Informa?
September 1998.
What was your first role?
My first role was to sell IT Training courses for IIR Training which was based at Market Towers in Vauxhall.
What attracted you to join us?
The fact that I had just left university and the job was paying £14k! Seriously though it was a great opportunity to join a massive company working in a profitable industry, as IT was at the stage.
What is your role now?
I am a senior Manager within the IIR Telecoms Sponsorship team. The team I manage are responsible for £4m of sponsorship revenue across 40+ events. I also work with the key accounts on our largest show which is the TETRA World Congress.
What was the pathway to getting where you are now?
I moved from selling IT Training to the IIR Telecoms Sponsorship team in early 2000. Really the next 6 or 7 years was about gaining experience working on every kind of conference from those with 2 or 3 stands right up to 100+ stands and £1,000,000 of sponsorship, working in one of the most successful divisions within IIR there was a lot of very experienced people to learn from. Over the past 3 years IIR Telecoms has developed more structure and with that always comes more opportunity to progress. I made it very clear to my manager what my short and long term career goals were and Informa has been very supportive in helping me achieve those. I was selected to attend the Management Development Programme in 2008 which was probably the best course I have been on, it has been of great help to me in the management roles I have taken on since.
What is the best thing about working here?
One of the best things about working in this building in particular is the sense that you are at an Informa centre of excellence. All divisions here operate to a very high standard and working in IIR Telecoms I am always pushed to new levels.
I have always enjoyed the fact that although Informa is a huge company essentially you work in a small division which is almost like its own company. It gives the security and satisfaction of working for the largest conference company in the world whilst working in the entrepreneurial atmosphere you would associate with a startup.
Finally I have always worked with great people here where everyone works together towards a common goal.
How would you sum up the Informa working experience? Or why do you think others would like working in your division?
The Informa working experience is one where you are at a company which is constantly looking to improve itself and its products. This in turn leads you to always improve what you do and how you work.
Can you sum up the people you work with?
I work with great people, everybody is very easy to get along with and all work to the Informa standard. The nature of the events industry is that an event will not succeed unless everyone from each department work well together. IIR Telecoms is a great example of this with everyone going the extra mile to make sure we reach our goals!