Speaker 1: Welcome back to Possible now, and this time we are
Speaker 1: live and in person from the Possible Studio right here
Speaker 1: at the Possible twenty twenty five show in Miami. Today,
Speaker 1: I have the distinct privilege of sitting down with a
Speaker 1: visionary leader who has had a profound impact on the
Speaker 1: global events industry, Mark Joshua, CEO of Hive Group, which
Speaker 1: is the owner and shareholder of Beyond Ordinary Events and Possible.
Speaker 1: Mark's journey is nothing short of extraordinary. From co founding
Speaker 1: It Group in nineteen ninety one to transforming it into
Speaker 1: the global force that Hive Group today, Mark has consistently
Speaker 1: been at the forefront of innovation in the life event space.
Speaker 1: Under his leadership, Hive has not only expanded globally, but
Speaker 1: strategically acquired groundbreaking platforms like Shop Talk, Grocery Shop, and
Speaker 1: most recently, Beyond Ordinary Events and Possible Itself, further cementing
Speaker 1: Hives's position at the forefront of the industry. With deep
Speaker 1: entrepreneurial roots, an eye for transformation, and a passion for
Speaker 1: creating meaningful human connections, Mark is leading the charge and
Speaker 1: redefining what world class event experience look and feel like.
Speaker 2: This is more than just a business chat.
Speaker 1: It's an unscripted look into the mind of a global
Speaker 1: leader driving innovation, scale and culture in one of the
Speaker 1: most exciting industries today. Please join me in welcoming Mark
Speaker 1: Joshua to the Possible Now studio here in Miami.
Speaker 2: Mark, welcome, Christian. A real pleasure to be here.
Speaker 1: It's hard to believe for me as well that this
Speaker 1: is just the third edition of Possible and it's our
Speaker 1: first together after the acquisition. So tell me about, or
Speaker 1: tell our audience about your first impressions after the first
Speaker 1: one and a half days or so.
Speaker 3: Well, listen the sheer excitement, the buzz when you walk in,
Speaker 3: so that the lobby and then walking around, the genuine
Speaker 3: excitement of people being here. You know, all I do
Speaker 3: is go to events. I've been doing this, like you said,
Speaker 3: like they're over thirty years. But here it's really quite special.
Speaker 3: It's the engagement and the excitement of people being here.
Speaker 4: It's palpable.
Speaker 3: I have to say it so well, congratulations to you
Speaker 3: and the team because it's rare.
Speaker 1: So I also talked about this this morning a bit
Speaker 1: that the idea was always not to do the usual stuff. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and you know, of course tons of other events. What
Speaker 1: is for you to make an event special? When do
Speaker 1: you go to events and feel this is something different
Speaker 1: than any other industry events independent from possible Let's say, well, look,
Speaker 1: of course.
Speaker 3: The format is what's made it quite special. You guys
Speaker 3: have chosen to do it in something different. It's not
Speaker 3: a traditional event whole or event convention space, which is
Speaker 3: not easy. Right, So it may make it seem easy
Speaker 3: that you can do it in a hotel and you
Speaker 3: got inside outside, but actually it's actually very hard to
Speaker 3: pull off. So one, the format is innovative, is different.
Speaker 3: But two, what you guys have done, which is absolutely critical,
Speaker 3: is maintain the ratio of who is it what I
Speaker 3: call the gold dust, who are the most important people
Speaker 3: here at an event, which is clearly the marketers and
Speaker 3: the brands and the marketers, And stay true and honest
Speaker 3: to the fact that that has to be the driving
Speaker 3: force of everything around This event is for that group.
Speaker 3: And that's that you will see in many events, either
Speaker 3: people don't realize or they forget that that's what's important
Speaker 3: and that possible hasn't done and it's very important to
Speaker 3: maintain that.
Speaker 1: Do you think this is also linked to the size
Speaker 1: of such an event. Could it be very successful with
Speaker 1: let's say just a few thousand people, or it doesn't
Speaker 1: has to be necessarily a couple of ten thousand people either.
Speaker 4: It's all relative.
Speaker 3: I mean, I do think you need to get to
Speaker 3: a certain scale in order to become the critical place
Speaker 3: for the voices of a particular industry to come and
Speaker 3: get together, like the critical voices, you know, for them
Speaker 3: to come to a few hundred people is maybe more intimate,
Speaker 3: but at the same time it's not that powerful. So
Speaker 3: you do need a certain scale. But quid pro quote,
Speaker 3: you don't need to be tens of thousands either, because
Speaker 3: then it takes away from the exclusivity of the event
Speaker 3: as well. So it's a fine balance, and I'm sure
Speaker 3: one that you will be able to navigate in the
Speaker 3: years to come and will help and support. But it's
Speaker 3: never losing the fact that the core ratio and the
Speaker 3: core of this event will always be for marketers and
Speaker 3: for brands, and as long as that never ever changes,
Speaker 3: this event can continue to grow and will be very successful.
Speaker 1: I would say in terms of possible, you know, we
Speaker 1: have I think an outstanding conference with several stages. We
Speaker 1: have well, let's call it exposition. It's more an activation space,
Speaker 1: right where a variety of different formats, and of course
Speaker 1: we have this growing hosted meeting program. I would say
Speaker 1: these are the three pillars in general. Do you see
Speaker 1: something else in general for the future or maybe from
Speaker 1: under other industries we should consider to be added.
Speaker 3: I think overall, frankly, early in your third year, right,
Speaker 3: still in its infancy. Yes, it's got to a certain
Speaker 3: scale and a very quick time, but you're still in
Speaker 3: the infancy. So I think you'll see and I'm sure
Speaker 3: you will, is develop the content even more. You'll add
Speaker 3: even more relevance to the content and more specificity, if
Speaker 3: I can say it, to the content, which I think
Speaker 3: is important. But at the same time, the meetings is
Speaker 3: absolutely critical because that's what drives the ROI, not only
Speaker 3: of the people trying to sell solutions, but very much
Speaker 3: for the marketers who are in control of their budgets
Speaker 3: in order to make software solution decisions like they are
Speaker 3: being inundated with.
Speaker 1: Choice because we connect marketers them with the other side.
Speaker 4: Absolutely critical.
Speaker 3: So the meetings will grow, there's no question, as well
Speaker 3: as the activations as well as the content.
Speaker 1: And we have big plans ahead of us. We're doing this,
Speaker 1: we already announced yesterday. Yes, so let's talk about the
Speaker 1: general environment. I mean, I don't want to spress it
Speaker 1: out too much because I still hear a lot of positivity,
Speaker 1: which is great. I was expecting a bit, you know,
Speaker 1: different kind of feedback. So far, I'm really surprised in
Speaker 1: a very positive way. But there is something going on
Speaker 1: out there. Of course, the economy provides some kind of uncertainty.
Speaker 2: People start talking about this, So what.
Speaker 1: Should we expect for the next couple of months and
Speaker 1: how do you see possible? But also our portfolio at
Speaker 1: High Group prepared for this.
Speaker 3: Well, look, the portfolio has been engineered and it's been
Speaker 3: a very specific strategy to focus on key and markets,
Speaker 3: but also the main event of its kind in that market.
Speaker 3: Why is that so important? Or it's an up and
Speaker 3: coming event like yours that has a wonderful opportunity to
Speaker 3: become the main event of its kind, which frankly is
Speaker 3: already I'd say, so, why is that so important? Is
Speaker 3: that that becomes the critical voice, that becomes the critical
Speaker 3: platform in which people meet and engage, learn network trade. Yes,
Speaker 3: but they also learn on how to navigate these certain situations.
Speaker 3: That everybody's going through. So yes, there's the economic way. Look,
Speaker 3: the reality is the world that we're living in today
Speaker 3: is moving so fast is that there are going to
Speaker 3: be constant. It's never going to end. So, yes, there's
Speaker 3: something today, there'll be something else tomorrow. But what is
Speaker 3: constant is where is the platform, Where is the meeting point,
Speaker 3: Where is the future of that particular industry sector going?
Speaker 3: That has to be at the type of events that
Speaker 3: we run, and that's what we do. So we also
Speaker 3: think about that in our content. We think about that
Speaker 3: in the way that we put the show the event together.
Speaker 3: So that is very relevant in all of our events.
Speaker 1: And I think it's also true that in times of uncertainty,
Speaker 1: partners tend to go back to the trusted platforms. They
Speaker 1: know what they can expect, right, And I think we
Speaker 1: are well prepared for this.
Speaker 3: One hundred percent, because where else are you going to
Speaker 3: get together, especially in such a disconnected world through hybrid working?
Speaker 1: Right?
Speaker 4: Right?
Speaker 3: So how are people going to connect only with other
Speaker 3: companies but within their own teams?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 4: Right, so they do it.
Speaker 3: We're seeing this more learn more often that we're seeing
Speaker 3: it at our events. Yeah, So one hundred percent.
Speaker 2: Let's talk about your leadership.
Speaker 1: So let's talk a bit about more yourself halve expanded
Speaker 1: it's global footprint across industries under your leadership, how do
Speaker 1: you identify markets or opportunities out there? Is there a
Speaker 1: playbook for you or I mean, we didn't know each
Speaker 1: other before we met first time some time ago, and
Speaker 1: then we started, you know, to think about possible in
Speaker 1: our common future.
Speaker 2: What is your strategy here?
Speaker 4: What's a very specific strategy?
Speaker 3: I mean to be clear, So we are and you
Speaker 3: know this, but I'll say this to your your audiences.
Speaker 3: We are not consolidators. Yeah, we have absolutely no interest
Speaker 3: in buying portfolios of shows just to get a geographic
Speaker 3: footprint or expect into a geography. I've absolutely no interest. Okay,
Speaker 3: and good luck to those that do it. I'm sure
Speaker 3: they'll do very well with it.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 3: I think that what we're interested in is absolutely is
Speaker 3: what is the end market? Is this an end market
Speaker 3: that is being massively disrupted through technology? Now you would
Speaker 3: say is everything's being disrupted through technology? So therefore, take
Speaker 3: traditional industry sectors be involved in what is the disruptive elopment?
Speaker 3: And that's why when you look at your event, is
Speaker 3: the disruptivelopment when you look at shop Talkers retail, but
Speaker 3: it's the disruptivelopment because it's that disrupt development that then
Speaker 3: becomes the leading voice within the ecosystem or where it's
Speaker 3: going in the future.
Speaker 4: So we look very much first at the end market.
Speaker 4: That is all important.
Speaker 3: Two is this the type of event that will benefit
Speaker 3: from our best practice?
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 3: Our ability to our skill set is not in what
Speaker 3: you've done, which is create something from nothing. That's not
Speaker 3: what we're good at. What we're good at is actually
Speaker 3: knowing how to evolve it and how to grow it
Speaker 3: sustainably and not so it's not a flash in the
Speaker 3: pan up and down.
Speaker 4: That's one.
Speaker 3: Two is how to then export it and get very
Speaker 3: close to the customers to bring them to other geographies
Speaker 3: where they want to go to, but do it without
Speaker 3: losing the inherent magic that this event was created on.
Speaker 3: And then apply our best practice to whether it comes
Speaker 3: sales marketing, but very much in terms of the connections,
Speaker 3: the meeting programs and the digitization. So we're very very,
Speaker 3: very very careful and selective on what we do. You'll
Speaker 3: never see us by big business big portfolios, but will
Speaker 3: be very very precise events within n sectors that we're
Speaker 3: interested in, so Possible, we bought Health to healthcare. One
Speaker 3: in every five dollars goes towards healthcare in America. This
Speaker 3: is a critical industry of the future. We bought health
Speaker 3: because it is the one that is all about healthcare
Speaker 3: innovation and technical disrupt to technology disruption, and that is
Speaker 3: now the leading voice in healthcare. So that's why we
Speaker 3: bought that one that makes sense, makes sense, I mean
Speaker 3: when it comes to the integration itself, it could be
Speaker 3: always you know, have a surprising outcome.
Speaker 2: I think we did pretty well.
Speaker 1: I think for us it was beside a lot of
Speaker 1: other stuff, it was very important to get you know
Speaker 1: a lot of strategic support from your team as well,
Speaker 1: but also allowing our teams, you know, to think beyond
Speaker 1: a year to year plan, right, more long term, Yeah,
Speaker 1: more following the vision, which of course expands over a
Speaker 1: couple of years. How High has learned also from Possible
Speaker 1: Is there something you would say after a couple of months, Yeah,
Speaker 1: that was definitely something in your week that was also
Speaker 1: maybe some inspirational new ideas or something we might think
Speaker 1: about also for.
Speaker 2: Other parts of our portfolio. Is there anything.
Speaker 3: Oh no, no, there's no question. I mean, first of all,
Speaker 3: just in the type of format of this event. Yeah,
Speaker 3: what you have managed to do, which is exceptionally difficult,
Speaker 3: is blend inside and outside. And I know and maybe
Speaker 3: to your audience it doesn't sound that hard. It is
Speaker 3: exceptionally difficult. The flow out of an event is actually
Speaker 3: probably one of the more important things that happens to
Speaker 3: an event. Well, first, the most important thing is get
Speaker 3: the right people in the room, which you did automatically.
Speaker 3: But then what's the right flow? Yeah, so no, we've
Speaker 3: learned a lot about that because we've launched a show
Speaker 3: called Shop Talk Blocks right, which is in Abu Dhabi,
Speaker 3: which is exactly the same thing. It's going to be
Speaker 3: inside and outside. So there's a lot of learnings that
Speaker 3: we're getting from you and vice versa. Hopefully we'll do
Speaker 3: from doing lucks that we can also share here.
Speaker 4: So now there's a lot.
Speaker 1: So considering you know that, you also let you know
Speaker 1: a lot of transformations in the past. What's one mindset
Speaker 1: or principle you always return to when navigating change for
Speaker 1: you personally? Do you have again kind of playbook you
Speaker 1: know for things like this, because it seems that transformational
Speaker 1: process comes back very regularly.
Speaker 3: Yeah, what's the playbook. The playbook is be very clear
Speaker 3: with what you want to do. Yeah, get everybody aligned
Speaker 3: alongside with you, and then commit.
Speaker 4: Like that.
Speaker 3: You you, you know and you, and then you have
Speaker 3: to be all in right. There's no such thing as
Speaker 3: transformation where you're only putting one foot forward and how
Speaker 3: on foot back and trying to protect the back. Agree,
Speaker 3: it doesn't work because by doing that you've automatically failed.
Speaker 3: I've done and by the way, this philosophy and mentality
Speaker 3: is through lots of trial and error, and I have learned.
Speaker 3: The one thing I've learned in life is that if
Speaker 3: you're doing something, you do it. And if you're not
Speaker 3: wholeheartedly committed and your team is not wholeheartedly committed, then
Speaker 3: don't do it, because there's nothing worse than doing something half.
Speaker 1: That's one good example where where you're on the same
Speaker 1: page one percent.
Speaker 2: Let's fast forward to possible twenty twenty six.
Speaker 1: I made announcement yesterday on stage about our expansion plans
Speaker 1: for next year. That's quite obvious what we would like
Speaker 1: to do in terms of growth for the growth, but
Speaker 1: what do you hope we are talking about on this
Speaker 1: podcast next year, sitting here twelve months time.
Speaker 2: What's yet to come?
Speaker 4: Oh, it's yet to come.
Speaker 2: Well.
Speaker 3: First of all, which we and you and I are
Speaker 3: very aligned about is nothing can ever change from the
Speaker 3: core being the brands and the marketers, right, So that's
Speaker 3: number one. So we'll be sitting here saying we're very
Speaker 3: proud and very pleased that we have maintained minimum thirty
Speaker 3: percent brands and marketer, which means the largest constituents at
Speaker 3: this event will always be marketers and brands.
Speaker 4: So that's one. Two.
Speaker 3: It will be more that the is the flow you know,
Speaker 3: we thought we I mentioned it earlier in this podcast.
Speaker 3: Is the flow is very important and your plans and
Speaker 3: your ideas of your team and hopefully what you know
Speaker 3: others that have learned from other shows can help and
Speaker 3: give advice on is the flow? How do you manage
Speaker 3: that growth inside outside using nextdoor meetings on the beach,
Speaker 3: getting that flow right to maximize people the ability to
Speaker 3: find each other and connects. That is an art which
Speaker 3: I'm sure we'll learn from and we'll get you.
Speaker 2: Know, of course, there's always a but.
Speaker 4: That I'll be very excited about it and to keep
Speaker 4: people on side.
Speaker 1: I think this could be a huge benefit not being
Speaker 1: in a huge location like you know, Vegas, for example,
Speaker 1: or in can et cetera. I mean, there are several
Speaker 1: events where you have we need to jump in a cab,
Speaker 1: you know, to go from one meeting to another, and
Speaker 1: this is one. Yes, it's a big place, but it's
Speaker 1: one central place. I think that's a huge benefit. So, Mark,
Speaker 1: what still excites you most about this work after all
Speaker 1: these years?
Speaker 2: I mean you and me, we are in this business.
Speaker 1: For a long time now, and for myself, it feels
Speaker 1: like you wake up every morning and the world looks
Speaker 1: a bit different, and you can also use it as
Speaker 1: an opportunity to think about your next steps.
Speaker 2: What about you? What still excites you most doing this?
Speaker 4: Listen.
Speaker 3: I went to my first event when I was eight
Speaker 3: years old. You know, I was dragged along by my father,
Speaker 3: you know, to all his different shows.
Speaker 4: And I love it.
Speaker 3: So I love events, and I love learning every event
Speaker 3: is slightly different. I love looking learning about new industry sectors.
Speaker 3: I love seeing when something works well somewhere, how can
Speaker 3: you see to replicate that into other events?
Speaker 4: Because it's rarely well, it nearly always.
Speaker 3: Works Yeah, the thing that stops it is usually people.
Speaker 3: So how do you convince people bring them on the
Speaker 3: journey of replicating what works very well one place and
Speaker 3: then rolling it out everywhere. I love that, I love it,
Speaker 3: and I love it. It'll be fascinating to see how
Speaker 3: the meetings work here. I'm sure they'll be very successful.
Speaker 3: And then how does that evolve? This is very exciting, awesome,
Speaker 3: what a nice closing statement.
Speaker 1: Mark, Thank you so much for a time and I'm
Speaker 1: really looking forward for the next couple of months.
Speaker 2: For sure and doing it together.
Speaker 4: And brav as you're on your team.
Speaker 1: Well done, Thank you all right, take care, Thanks for
Speaker 1: tuning in everyone. Once again, I'm your host, Christian Moham.
Speaker 1: If you have a question or suggestion to me, reach
Speaker 1: out send me them on LinkedIn. If you're curious to
Speaker 1: learn more about Possible, sign up for our newsletter, or
Speaker 1: if you want to join us at the Possible Show
Speaker 1: in Miami, visit possibleevent dot com. Possible Now is a
Speaker 1: co production of iHeartMedia and Possible. Our executive producers are
Speaker 1: Ryan Marx and Yasmin Melendez. Our supervising producer is Meredith Barnes.
Speaker 1: Special thanks to Colleen Lawrence mac from our programming team.
Speaker 1: Our theme music is composed by Anthony Quttacoli. For more
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