Point of View: Ash Rowe
Ash Rowe
Senior Event Manager at Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-rowe-3436689b/
As part of our commitment to championing the industry, we are talking to people about their careers and what IEM means to them.
Ash Rowe is a winner of The Marketing Show Tomorrow’s Talent. Within his current role, Ash has worked across a large range of engineering focused events on exciting topics such as 5G and the Internet of Things. He has also been directly involved in some of the IET awards focused events, which have given him the opportunity to work alongside celebrities and inspiring finalists. Prior to this, he worked for IHG in the hospitality sector and was lucky enough to work with organisations such as the Labour Party, Philips, Pepsi and many others to help them create dynamic and vibrant live events. Alongside his professional work, Ash is also a mental health ambassador and gives regular talks to schools to further the awareness of challenges that are specifically faced by young people.
Q What does the IEM mean to you?
A The IEM to me is a place to meet people and further myself as a person and a professional. It can be challenging to open yourself up to new skill sets within the events industry as the range of operation that the industry must manage tends to mean that organisations are focussed on what they do well with little scope to expand further. The IEM will allow open and honest discussions with like minded professionals outside of my organisation and provide not only an effective and non-judgemental place to learn but also and opportunity to impart some of the knowledge that I have developed over the years.
Q Why did you decide it was important to get involved?
A As an individual the IEM is something that I have been searching for in my career for a long time and I was lucky enough to find it whilst it was in development. Given my knowledge of institutions and the personal knowledge of my own ideal trajectory I felt that it was important that I gave my voice to the incredible people that have worked tirelessly to make the IEM a reality. The main reason that I want to be involved is to give back to the industry that has given me so much over the years and inspire the next generation of event managers that are due to enter the industry.
Q Where do you hope to see the IEM in 20 years?
A My dream for the IEM is that it becomes the worlds largest network of event management professionals and leads the way in shaping the landscape of the events industry whilst ensuring that we have an excellent pipeline of talent coming through.
Q What is your favourite event related memory?
A My favourite memory of working in events must be when I worked an engineering event at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. This single event changed my long term outlook on how an event is managed and what it should look like – and this will stay with me for many years to come!
