RecFest is the world’s largest independent event for resourcing, in-house recruitment and talent acquisition, promoted each year by The Recruitment Events Co. – an exciting Canterbury based firm that deliver absolute excellence into this market sector.
This is a truly unique experience, which usually takes place at various indoor venues across the UK, with engaging speakers, partner stands showcasing incredible brand activation, entertainment and of course a selection of delicious food.
RecFest has sold out each year, and each year their team have taken it larger. But being an event that compares to no other, with a space where people can have insight from some of the most knowledgeable professionals in the industry, all whilst having a beer and getting to know the people around them, it isn’t surprising that the demand for tickets increases with each year that passes. This event produces outstanding results with ground-breaking ROI’s for its stakeholder group and the partners that sponsor and present at the event.
This year’s RecFest took place at Mudchute Park and Farm in London with 100 plus speakers across 5 stages and two paddocks, with over 30 brand activation partner stands all sharing unparalleled insight with nearly 3000 attendees from all over the world.
Taking an indoor event outdoors for the first time is never as easy as it sounds, and this is always our first challenge. Crucial elements that are usually already in place at an indoor event, including water, power, Internet connection, toilets and access, as well as the uncontrollable weather, all had to be considered.
And as a professional outdoor events company, we were determined to prove to the RecFest team that this was not only 100% doable with our expertise, but that it was the way to move forward with the future of RecFest.
Another challenge is that delegates are used to the high-tech convenience of an established indoor space. We needed to make sure that this wasn’t compromised, starting only four days earlier with the grass and air for the five-stage synced staged event.
We want to do what we are best at – using our all-inclusive services to ensure that we organised as much as we possibly could, from the street food catering stalls to the sound, stage and lights setup, the licencing, build and break with our crew teams, allowing our client to focus on more of the engagement aspect, such as the speakers line up, partner stands and the first time using their wearable event technology – Connect!
In the end, despite rumours of thunderstorms on the event day, the rain stayed clear, which was the first positive sign RecFest was going to be a success. All the delegates were highly impressed with their wearable technology, enabling them to access valuable information on the day’s agenda, pair profiles with other attendees, find their way round with the interactive map, and more.
Integrating this technology in an outdoor environment for the first time only highlighted RecFest’s modern, technologically advanced cutting edge innovative approach. 11,000 delegate contact details were exchanged that day using this technology – we have never experienced engagement like this before.
A lot of people stayed for the after party, some probably going on to the London’s night scene shortly after. Delegates departed saying it was the best RecFest they had ever attended when our team ask them how their day had been. RecFest have also gained some unbeatable reviews on their website, with delegates already shouting about future events to come.
Despite the challenges we met along the way, which we always expect to some extent for the first year we produce an event of this size, especially considering that this was the first year it transitioned to a full outdoor corporate festival, we are delighted to say that we have already shaken hands with the RecFest team to rebook again next summer.
But this time, with the success of 2019 and the ever-growing demand for tickets has increased even further, we are going even bigger, taking the event across two days rather than one, as well as more tickets being sold, more speakers, more brand activation and we know it will result in even higher stakeholder ROI’s.
When we discovered The Corporate Festival Company, it was a coming together of two businesses that were perfectly aligned to deliver RefFest, which is our flagship event each year. It was a huge step for us to venture into the unknown of delivering RecFest in a true festival style, outdoors in the heart of London.
What initially was just a minefield to try and negotiate was eased with our partners at TCFC. We knew it was going to be a challenge, but together, with their expert knowledge of the production, we delivered what was without doubt the most successful RecFest to date. We were congratulated by some of the most influential names in the industry for the ground-breaking evolution of the event. Some of the feedback was ‘A truly inspiring experience’ and ‘The recruitment event of the century’.
The team worked tirelessly for months to support us and delivered an event so spectacular that our clients were asking for tickets for 2020 the week after 2019! It’s a fantastic working relationship we have with the team and we congratulate them for their efforts. Without the coming together of both businesses, it simply wouldn’t work!
We are of course already planning 2020 with the team and look forward to upping our game and delivering yet again comma the best RecFest to date with a perfectly planned working relationship.
We are absolutely thrilled to have been appointed to work alongside The Recruitment Events Co in 2020 to deliver RecFest. As a company, we are in awe of what they have already achieved, their drive and passion to continue to deliver excellence and their constant strive to make an even bigger success of everything that they deliver is exceptional. They really are an inspiration to work with. We fully believe in this event and are committed to delivering a staggering two-day RecFest 2020. These guys mean business!
Units 3-4, Trade City
Avro Way
Brooklands Industrial Estate
Weybridge
Surrey
KT13 0YF
Units 1 & 2, Greenway Farm
Winslow Road
Great Horwood
Buckinghamshire
MK17 0NY
Company Registration: 03209530
VAT Number: 700 521 494
