Easyfairs named a “Best Managed Company” by Deloitte
An exclusive designation for privately owned companies that operate “at the highest levels of business performance”.
Brussels, 6 May 2019: Easyfairs, the Brussels-based event organiser and venue manager, has been named “Best Managed Companies” by Deloitte, earning it the right to exclusive use of the BMC designation. The award was presented at a gala ceremony following the Belgium’s Best Managed Companies Convention, which took place in Brussels on Friday, 3 May 2019. This new recognition follows shortly after the company was named “Entrepreneur of the year®” in 2018.
The Best Managed Companies (BMC) programme coaches and recognises privately controlled and managed companies that are operating at the highest levels of business performance. To qualify for the BMC label a company must submit a detailed application covering four areas: Strategy, Capability, Commitment and Financial. “It is a great honour to be recognised as Best Managed Companies, but this is more than a badge. It is also an ongoing process of learning and improving. In preparing and submitting a 13,000-word application we learned a lot about our company, its strength and depth of character, and the best practices that make Easyfairs stand out. We also identified actions we can and should take to move forward,” commented Easyfairs Founder and Group CEO, Eric Everard.
Over recent years Easyfairs has gone further than any other exhibitions company in setting out a very clear strategic vision of engaging the communities it serves and enabling them to “Visit the Future”.
“Each event must serve communities, give them a vision of their future, facilitate direct contacts between members of the same community and offer them a truly transformative experience,” said Anne Lafère, Chief Operations Officer, Easyfairs. “More broadly, we aim to be at the forefront of technology and marketing innovation to improve the Return on investment (ROI) and the Return on Time (ROT) of our visitors and exhibitors.”
Many of the strategic initiatives detailed in the application fall under Easyfairs’ “Good2Great” plan. Launched in December 2017, Good2Great is an enterprise-wide programme to optimise the Easyfairs portfolio of events and venues and the organisation’s operational efficiency. The next phase, “Beyond 2020”, has as its objective the development of a longer-term strategic vision that will involve conquering new markets and new geographies.
Both Eric Everard and Chief Operations Officer Anne Lafère underline that the basis for Easyfairs’ success is the attraction, development and retention of talent. Lafère said: “Our Easyfairs Academy, with its motto, ‘Boost your future’ promotes and nurtures a culture of lifelong learning, exposing all Easyfairs members, regardless of their geographical area and responsibilities, to all key competencies through responsive learning materials and the use of the latest technologies in e-learning. The BMC designation will further reinforce our employee brand. Easyfairs is a great place to work!”
Since its creation 20 years ago, Easyfairs has experienced an annual growth rate of 13% per annum, through the launch of new event brands, the development and geo-cloning of existing brands, and the acquisition of brands from other organisers. “Each year we reinvest 80% of our profits in future projects and activities,” commented Everard. Easyfairs currently organises 218 events in 17 countries and manages exhibition halls in Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden. It now has 750 employees. “The award of the Best Managed Companies designation is another great accolade for every single employee in the company. We have developed a unique corporate culture in which everybody is actively encouraged to ‘easify’ things: to simplify and improve the experience for our visitors, exhibitors, partners and employees and so that it is user-friendly, innovative and transformative,” concluded Everard.
About Easyfairs
Easyfairs enables communities to “visit the future” at must-attend events that anticipate their needs and present solutions in the ideal format.
The group currently organises 218 events in 17 countries (Algeria, Belgium, China, Denmark, Emirates, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States). Easyfairs also manages 10 events venues in Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden (Ghent, Antwerp, Namur, Mechelen-Brussels North, Hardenberg, Gorinchem, Venray, Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö).
The group employs more than 750 people and generated revenues exceeding €160 million for its financial year 2017-2018.
Easyfairs strives to be the most adaptable, agile and effective player in the events industry by employing committed individuals, deploying the best marketing and technology tools and developing strong brands. Visit the future with Easyfairs.
About Best Managed Company
In 2017, Deloitte Private launched Belgium Best Managed Companies in collaboration with Econopolis. The programme aims to provide guidance and recognition for Belgian privately owned and managed companies which achieve excellent results.
The globally proven framework is used to assess their leadership qualities and practices in the areas of strategy, talent, drive and financial performance. Companies wishing to participate in the programme must have a turnover exceeding 10 million euros. They must have been established for at least 5 years, with over 25 full-time employees and a majority stake (> 60%) owned by a Belgian resident, person or entity. The company’s HQ or a major decision centre must also be located in Belgium. The companies must also be fully compliant from a legal, tax and ethical perspective.
The ‘Best Managed Companies’ label is intended to become an international label denoting quality and excellence. The programme was developed 26 years ago in Canada and has already been rolled out in Chile, Ireland, Mexico and the Netherlands. It will soon also be launched in Australia, France, the US, the UK, Germany, Scandinavia, Scotland, China, Japan and other countries.
Contact Easyfairs:
Eric Everard
Group CEO
[email protected]
Anne Lafère
Group COO
[email protected]