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Jackie Boughton - The Barbican Way
25 Plays3 months ago
Tanita caught up with the Barbican's Head of Commercial, Jackie Boughton last month. It was a great opportunity to check out the iconic London arts centre whilst learning about Jackie's past, present and future.
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Transcript
Introduction and Jackie Bowton's Background
00:00:04
Speaker
Welcome back to Eventing Encounters podcast. I'm Sunita and today I'm riding solo, so please wish me luck. I am, however, joined by someone who really embodies the blend of strategy and storytelling in our industry. Jackie Bowton. Jackie is Director of Commercial at The Barbican, one of London's most iconic venues where she leads a commercial strategy, client engagement and positioning. The Barbican is more than just a venue, but a cultural hub.
00:00:25
Speaker
With a career spanning both client side and supplier side, Jackie brings a unique perspective on leadership, innovation and how to balance commercial goals with creativity and purpose. She's a strong advocate for sustainability, inclusivity and developing the next generation of talent in business events.
00:00:41
Speaker
I'm really excited to have you
From Opera to Hospitality: Jackie's Career Journey
00:00:42
Speaker
here, Jackie. Welcome to Femful Encounters. Thank you for inviting me. It's great to have you here and we've been waiting for this for about six months, so we're really happy to have you here, Jackie. So, to start with, can you take us back to the very start? How did a trained opera singer get into the events industry?
00:00:59
Speaker
That's a very good question. I have absolutely no idea. um Unlike a lot of youngsters nowadays who know what they're going to do from the minute they literally step out of school, I had no idea what I was going to do.
00:01:11
Speaker
um And I fell into the world of hospitality, as he's been acting, as so many people tend to do. um as you say, I trained to be an opera singer. I was in my day a soprano.
00:01:22
Speaker
and Sadly, I can't reach those notes anymore, but I do try very occasionally after a few glasses of bubbles. which I am well known for, by the way. And it has to be champagne, not prosickle.
00:01:34
Speaker
and um But I was led by a very brilliant advisor at my school who turned around and said, why don't you try...
00:01:45
Speaker
and go on to a hospitality hotel course, which is what I did, and ended up falling in love with the industry there and then. So I trained at a college which is no longer around, is now a university or whatever they're called nowadays.
00:02:04
Speaker
and ended up with, think they were called HM, I don't know what they're called nowadays, HMG, I don't know. HND, is it? HND, something like that.
Client Needs and Communication Strategies
00:02:17
Speaker
And and um did my training at a London hotel called the Selfridge Hotel.
00:02:23
Speaker
which at the time was was just behind the Selfridges Stoology. Makes sense, yeah. um It was an EMI hotel. for the Gosh, that is going back a long way away. And it was fascinating. And it was interesting because it was the first time I'd really worked on property.
00:02:38
Speaker
Yeah. um and the designers had got it completely wrong. And what they'd actually forgotten to do is when they built reception, they forgot to build but back office building. So it was great fun. It was absolutely great fun. And I really cut my teeth that summer. it was fabulous.
00:02:54
Speaker
Great. So you've worked both client and supplier side. What perspective has that given you that you're leaning on today? The main perspective, I guess, is understanding the client's needs. It's understanding what the client needs, but then also understanding their expectation and seeing it from both sides of the table.
00:03:16
Speaker
So not only do you get to see what they want, but you understand what you have to deliver to make them and their event work. So that's that's probably the main that's the main thing. And how do you find that you tie in what the client wants and what the venue can offer? How do you make that work? Sometimes there can be kind of barriers stop that from working so smoothly, can't they? got It's all about chatting to people. It's all about talking. It's working through clients' needs.
00:03:42
Speaker
yeah As a venue or a hotel, because as a venue, you're you you've got to what you've got. You're not going to make anything out of anything else. And if the client loves the venue, you're halfway there.
00:03:54
Speaker
If the client wants to make something happen, it's working with that client to try and make it happen.
Mentorship and the Role of Sales Teams
00:03:59
Speaker
And I think if I'm really honest, we we we sometimes have to be upfront about what we can't do yeah because what you should never do is over promise and under deliver you start doing that then that's the end of a relationship it's only building that relationship and making sure that the client is totally aware that what you're going to promise you can deliver and once they've got the confidence and they know that you can do it then you're you're on a winner and were there any pivotal moments or mentors that helped shape your leadership style
00:04:32
Speaker
Well, gosh, over the years, there have been a number of people who have shaped my style. um my i guess one of the first people to shape my style was my very first CEO, who was a director called Henry Edwards, who started a company called centre hotels. Yeah. Then he sold that company and formed another hotel called Comfort Hotels that was sold again and called and formed another company called Friendly Hotels.
00:05:02
Speaker
And he was a giant at the time. He was around at the same time as icons such as Max Rijoseph, who probably a lot of the younger generation don't know, but Max Rijoseph started off Granlet and the original Forte, Charles Forte. So I'm going back quite a few years ago.
00:05:18
Speaker
One of the things um that Henry Edwards told me was that it's all about the sales. It literally is the salesperson who keeps the building running because if the salesperson isn't there doing the job they need to do, the operations team don't have do what to to do. Yeah, exactly. I love that. And it it also goes back to the time when we had...
00:05:43
Speaker
Wars, I hate saying it, lots of wars well they in the in the world, the the Gulf Wars, the Falkland War likeket and things like that, recessions. And Henry Edwards always said to me, the important team to hang on to are the sales team.
00:05:57
Speaker
They're the ones that have to keep and maintain those relationships. So if you have to keep the operations team on the sidelines, if
Industry Insights: Patience and Stress Management
00:06:06
Speaker
something's happening, do. Yeah. do But in fact, if you should increase any team, it should a sales team. They've got the hard job.
00:06:13
Speaker
Exactly. i love that. And that's something that we should all really think about, Link. and So looking back, what's the biggest lesson that you've learned that you wish you'd known earlier in your career? Biggest lesson I've learned that I wish I'd knew earlier in my career?
00:06:29
Speaker
and think patience. That sounds a very strange thing. But when yeah yeah when when you're young and and you come into the industry, you You you are are impatient. You're impatient to learn. You're impatient to understand.
00:06:43
Speaker
and You're impatient to get that deal across the line. You're impatient to make sure that wall gets painted before the client comes, which is all really, really, really, really important.
00:06:54
Speaker
But I think what i have learned now that is it's sometimes best to be patient because patience actually, at the end of the day, gets you to where you want to get to, um but without the stress.
00:07:07
Speaker
Exactly. You can all do with a little less stress. And you know, our world is very stressful and our industry is very stressful. So sometimes just sitting back and looking at it a little bit more holistically in the round is is sometimes a bit better than shooting from the hip.
Barbican's Competitive Edge and Sustainability
00:07:24
Speaker
going definitely take that on board. Definitely. and So today's actually my first time at the Barbican and I've been shown around and it's been actually really eye-opening. It's such a unique space, blended heritage and contemporary culture.
00:07:37
Speaker
But how do you keep it relevant in such a, I suppose, competitive market? Because you're not just competing with London venues anymore. you You're competing nationally and internationally. think if I take that last point first, you're absolutely spot on. on the hour competitor set now ranges from the provinces of the UK through to the European capitals, yeah through to venues in the USA, down in Australia,
00:08:07
Speaker
and It really is so wide and varied, particularly when you're looking at the association market. um And it's yes, it's very important to maintain our relevancy.
00:08:20
Speaker
um But it's also important to maintain the fact that we're in unique venues. i don't know lot I think that the the key thing for us is that we're not just a box.
00:08:31
Speaker
We are a very unique venue in that we're an arts and culture centre. yeah And we have the privilege of being able to sell those spaces to people who want to literally come to a different environment.
00:08:47
Speaker
And from from quite a few years ago when if someone wanted a conference, they were're just quite happy to go to and exhibition centre. Nowadays, they want something a little bit more different. So, in fact, we've become more relevant as as time has gone on.
00:09:00
Speaker
um We're very fortunate in that um that we are part of the City of London. and that We're also very fortunate to have a marvellous team um in our leadership team um who are continually looking for ways of ah making the Barbican more up to date. We've just had an investment in the last year of £191 million from the City of London which Which will literally renew our property, yeah which will bring it up to the standards, which can only be better for all of us.
00:09:34
Speaker
Which is always helpful, isn't it? and So how do you describe the Barbican way to potential clients who might not know the full story? Well, I think it goes back to what I've just said. we As an arts and cultural centre, we are um a very unique venue um in terms of what we can offer. You can come here and you can have an event.
00:09:58
Speaker
If you want, you can then go and see Peter Pan as the Royal Shakespeare Company are putting on this this winter. A few weeks ago, if you'd had an event, you could have come and you could have seen Sean Hayes in Goodnight Oscar, which was an amazing, amazing play.
00:10:12
Speaker
Or you could go to the cinema after your event, or you could go and see um an artist in one of our galleries. have your reception in the most wonderful conservatory, they and the the largest in central London, the city of London, and the second largest after Kew Gardens.
00:10:30
Speaker
All these little hidden gems are something extra to the Barbican, really, really different. Which is great. and And what are some of the most innovative events you've seen at the Barbican recently?
00:10:43
Speaker
Wow, there are so many, I don't i didn't know where to start. Well, I guess one of the things we've done, particularly since Covid, is we've and extended the sorts of events that we do. So along with the conferences and the AGMs and the meetings the training courses.
00:11:00
Speaker
We do an awful lot of fashion shows. that We do photo shoots. We have filming. and And I can't tell you everything, but certainly ah videos such as the harry styles um a sat Harry Styles coming along. Which is pretty cool. Which is very, very cool. every day And we've done some pretty amazing fashion shows in our sculpture court, which we're overlooking the moment, for Roxander, for example.
00:11:27
Speaker
um And it's using these spaces in different ways yeah um to, number one, open that bar but open the Barbican name to more and more different kinds.
00:11:39
Speaker
It's just making use of it in a slightly different way. So, as I say, we're such an interesting building. Lots of people don't know we have these areas. In fact, we did one fashion show in one of our car parks.
00:11:52
Speaker
so Okay, here we go. it' like They can use them all the faith. Absolutely. It's an unusual venue. has lots of different things. And this summer in particular, we welcomed the World Design Congress, which was amazing. And that was brilliant because that ties in really nicely with all the work we're doing about Barbican renewal and the investment.
Leadership and Inclusivity Advice
00:12:14
Speaker
And we had designers from all over the world and architects from all over the world come speak and it was a very very very very successful congress that sounds amazing yeah and so how is sustainability uh relevant to that and what you do at the barbara sustainability is really really key and we're really focused on that and in fact um the world design congress who were with us recently chose the Barbicons simply because of our sustainability credentials um and the fact that their Congress was very linked, was linked very much to the sustainability issues of the day and how that um is is is ah impacting how architects, et cetera, move forward with what they do in the world. So it was it was very key. Perfect. And um from your perspective, what does strong leadership in business events you look like today?
00:13:09
Speaker
Gosh, that's that's really a good question. Do you know something? I don't think it's necessarily just business events. I think strong leadership, from my perspective, is about being inclusive.
00:13:21
Speaker
yeah It's being inclusive. It's is taking your team on a journey with them, but with with with you, with them. um I think the secret of a good leader is listening.
00:13:33
Speaker
Yeah, it really is listening. Because if you make decisions in isolation, if you don't, if you don't involve your team with any decisions, and you're not being inclusive, you've lost your team.
00:13:45
Speaker
And i I don't subscribe to the dicatorial dictatorial type of leadership where you just tell people what to do with it. You have to take your team with you on any journey that you go on. And I think in particularly nowadays, there's a lot of talent out there, an awful lot of talent. and we underestimate, I think, the value of that as leaders sometimes. yeah Talk to your teams, take them with you on the journey.
00:14:12
Speaker
up And what advice would you give to women aiming for senior commercial or strategic roles in the industry? My advice would be not to behave like a man. don't Okay, no, don't.
00:14:24
Speaker
I know that's, we are, we we're women. You know, we we don't need, were we' we're different. We don't need to have the same type of um ah viewpoints. We don't need to have that same approach as a man.
Future of Business Events and Human Connections
00:14:40
Speaker
be what Be what we are. we we're We're women in our industry. um And I think sometimes too often you get people, particularly at the top, females, who who think that they have to behave like a a male in their scenario. Don't try to become overpowering. Just be yourself. Just be the female that you are, and but just be the strong leader that you are.
00:15:04
Speaker
Okay, I think you've summed it up very well there. And the role of business events has shifted post-pandemic. What do you think clients expect the most now?
00:15:16
Speaker
I think the thing is with clients and our days is every everyone's event is important. Everyone's event's important. and There is certainly a high degree or a high level of attention to each event that they expect and you and they should have.
00:15:33
Speaker
um bespoke out of the box they want they want creativity you you no longer want a salesperson that's just going say here's your room just come and do it they want to know if there's other exciting things that can be done in the same way as which you have massively yeah i guess offering them different ideas um not don't say no i have a thing don't say no say yes but
00:16:00
Speaker
Yes, but that's definitely going to be what I think going forward. What excites you most about the business events world going forward? do you think the future looks like?
00:16:12
Speaker
I think the future really, really exciting. you can You can tell just from the way that business has bounced back after COVID that um our business is all about face-to-face relationships.
00:16:26
Speaker
yeah It's very much about people. It's very much about personality. um People love a networking event. and I was very fortunate to be at the M&IT Awards on Friday.
00:16:38
Speaker
um And it was a room of almost a thousand people um and you couldn't stop people talking. It literally was an event where people come together, they chat, they talk, they share opinions, they share ideas.
00:16:52
Speaker
um And it's it's really ah about people being in the same room. And for as long as people have problems, they want to talk about them to solve the problems.
00:17:03
Speaker
For as long as people have messages, they want to talk to people about their messaging.
Closing and Social Media Engagement
00:17:07
Speaker
um there's a great future for events because it's it is it all about it's all about people and i think for as long as there are people there'll always be meetings thanks very much reki thanks for your time today been fabulous and as ever step to date with all things eventful encounters follow us on instagram facebook and linkedin you catch eventful encounters on amazon apple and spotify thank you