Spring & Autumn Fair owner promotes Nicola Meadows and announces new community development team
Spring & Autumn Fair owner Hyve Group has announced two changes to its personnel – a new community development team plus the promotion of Nicola Meadows to be its new divisional managing director for the retail, manufacturing and engineering division.
The new team will be headed up by community development director Laura Rae, and will be focused on developing relationships with buyers to improve their buying experience at the sister trade fairs held at Birmingham’s NEC in February and September.
Nicola joined Hyve in August last year as portfolio director for Spring & Autumn Fair, soon adding Glee and fashion events Pure London and Scoop to her remit as well as taking on leadership responsibility for the entire retail portfolio.
Mark Shashoua, ceo Hyve Group, said: “During her time with us so far, Nicola has shown herself to be a strong and calm leader for her team and she is currently overseeing the rollout of Connect on the Spring and Autumn Fair portfolio.
“It’s her connection with Hyve’s ‘why’ that really makes her the ideal candidate for this role. I am very much looking forward to working with her to maximise the portfolio’s potential and create even more game-changing impact for our retail, manufacturing and engineering customer communities.”
Nicola added: “I feel honoured to be guiding such established events through an exciting time for the industry, working alongside incredibly talented and passionate teams.
“We are transforming the future of events with the launch of Connect @ Spring & Autumn Fair, and our aim is to generate higher returns on investment for our exhibitors and an unrivalled return on time and experience for visitors across the entire division.
“It is our role to provide the best platforms to showcase great products and innovation as well as nurture the brands and retailers of the future to ensure continued business success.”
The newly formed dedicated community development team has been announced to coincide with the rollout of the new meetings programme Connect @ Autumn Fair which Hyve believes offers “an enhanced opportunity for buyers to find the right products and brands for their customers” at the event, which takes place from 3 to 6 September.
Laura commented: “We’re thrilled to be part of the vibrant and dynamic retail sector, and to have the opportunity to enhance the visitor experience at the upcoming Autumn and Spring Fairs. Our team is committed to innovation and development, with a goal of making it easier than ever for visitors to meet their buying needs and strengthen their relationship with the show.”
She is a project management professional with more than a decade of experience in the events industry. She has held responsibility within diverse organisations such as Clarion Events and the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew.
Magda Musial and Amanda Kendall join as community development managers, Magda has worked in global events for the last 10 years in both marketing and operations roles, where she has held responsibility for managing the experiences of many different stakeholders and customers.
Amanda brings over a decade of experience, having worked in community management in industries such as healthcare, technology, supply chain, logistics, as well as holding sales, operations and community management roles within the events industry.
