Introduction & Background

00:00–02:14

• Heather Holst-Knudsen introduces Anne Lafère, CEO of Easyfairs since September 2022.
• Anne joined the company in 1998 and has worked across functions including marketing, operations, venue management, and technology.
• She led the creation of Easyfairs Academy and the company’s digital/data strategy.
  
  

Early Career Reflections

02:14–03:17

• Anne initially disliked trade shows but quickly grew passionate about the events industry.
• Heather shares a similar sentiment of growing appreciation through deeper industry involvement.
  
  

Business Model Evolution & Co-CEO Structure

03:43–06:49

• Transition from family ownership to private equity (COBEPA and Inflection).
• Founder Eric Everard reinvested; ownership is now equally split among three stakeholders plus management.
• Anne and Matt Benyon serve as co-CEOs with complementary focuses: Anne oversees talent, tech, marketing, and ESG; Matt leads sales and M&A.

Digital Transformation & 365 Engagement Strategy

07:44–11:07

• Easyfairs explored digital formats during COVID but reaffirmed the importance of face-to-face events.
• The company now engages audiences year-round through digital touchpoints.
• Built a centralized data lake and in-house data team for real-time insights and personalization, comparing their model to Spotify/Netflix.
  
  

Data Democratization & Internal Enablement

11:07–14:50

• Heather emphasizes democratizing data across the organization.
• Anne shares how their Easy Insight platform empowers all employees with curated dashboards.
• Three use cases:
  • Product recommendations via NFC-based interactions.
  • No-show prediction using 15 years of registration data.
  • Easy Summary: LLM-powered tool summarizing short surveys into actionable feedback.
    
    

Centralized Tech & Proprietary Tools

19:44–21:46

• Core tech infrastructure is centralized to enable scaling.
• ERP and CRM are purchased (e.g. Salesforce), but core exhibitor platform (My Easyfairs) is developed in-house for a seamless experience.
  
  

M&A Strategy & Integration

22:15–25:37

• Tactical vs. strategic acquisitions: example of Southern Manufacturing as a tactical fit.
• All acquisitions are migrated to Easyfairs’ tech stack.
• The internal academy shares and integrates best practices across the group.
  
  

Talent Management Powered by Data

25:49–28:41

• HR is treated as a data science. Anne uses a seven-dimension framework to scan team performance and attrition risk.
• Dashboards provide team-level insights and leadership evaluations through manager scans and eNPS.
  
  

Sales & Retention Insights

28:41–30:48

• Heather discusses early prediction of sales attrition.
• Anne agrees: high-performing yet underpaid employees also show up as risks in their system.
  
  

Retention Metrics & Learning Culture

30:48–33:00

• Easyfairs has a 13% turnover rate and an eNPS of 40.
• Anne attributes her growth to continuous learning and progressive challenges given by the founder.
  
  

Market Conditions & Resilience

33:27–35:50

• Current economic climate is unpredictable.
• Easyfairs’ value-focused, affordable model is well-positioned as a sales tool, not just a marketing expense.
  
  

Leadership Advice for Managing Change

36:47–38:56

• Anne’s advice: never lose sight of your mission. For Easyfairs, it is "Visit the future."
• Use AI and tech as enablers, not end goals. Focus on embedding pilot successes into core operations.
  
  

Final Thoughts: Books & Travel

41:22–42:48

• Most unusual travel: Pompeii.

Favorite books: Currently reading La chose humaine; also moved by The Diary of Anne Frank.