Stephanie Selesnick examines how the US’s second largest exhibition contractor re-cast its approach to finding talent
GES is the second largest general contractor in the United States, with offices in the UK. Like many other companies, they laid off a large part of their workforce during the pandemic.
When it was time to rebuild, Julie Holland, people and culture officer for the company, said: “We looked at what we needed, who we wanted to rehire, and the opportunities to bring in new people.” This was done with an emphasis on changing the previous make-up, diversifying the organisation.
The Leadership Team looked at the foundation of the company and refreshed the mission and people of GES. They surveyed employee focus groups on their thoughts, where to find new hires, then acted on the feedback received. Lastly, they let the focus group participants know what the results were. Part of the success in a diversified workforce has been employee referrals. In 2022, 35% of new hires were referrals.
Jeff Quade (pictured left), president of GES, notes the company serves “tons of industries – and very diverse ones. They range from medical to fraternal, to religious, and industrial. Our industry allows the peaceful assembly of people which doesn’t get celebrated enough.” Employees are allowed to work in sectors they are passionate about and opt out of others they’d rather not work. (Think political, medical, or religious grounds).
Marianne Szczech (pictured right), executive VP, products and client services, said the onboarding process for new hires changed post Covid. The Exhibitor Success team is the entry point for most coming into the company. She said: “It’s the best way to learn about our vast business and how the company works.”
The Exhibitor Success team is customer facing, answering questions from exhibitors about furniture, electrical, and the most confusing aspect of exhibiting in US trade shows – drayage (material handling – getting products/booths/ equipment from the loading dock to the stand and back out again). After two years with the Success team, the no-longer-new-hires may move departments. As we all know, working an expo floor is not a 9-5 job, and not everyone is cut out for the work involved on site.
Diversified pipeline
Where does GES recruit new employees? Utilising a diversified pipeline makes a difference. This includes outreach to vocational schools for graphics, carpentry, electricians, etc. They also partner with labour unions such as the Teamsters who visit local high schools sharing information about the various types of careers one can have in the exhibition business.
College recruiting is also done via an internship programme. It’s been wildly successful, boasting a 70% retention rate at GES and 90% of the former interns staying in the expo industry.
Highlighting the career and development paths for new hires is also a priority, with a six-month Women’s Resource Group, which includes mentors, and networking. Szczech said: “It’s important to find out what the mentees want out of the programme and help them achieve those goals. Many in management didn’t expect was how fulfilling it is to mentor others.”
My take – our industry needs this kind of outreach and mentorship to grow, so ask yourself, maybe, how your organisation has gone after underserved communities to find new hires.
This article is taken from EW Issue 3, to get the digital magazine bi-monthly to your inbox, subscribe here: https://www.exhibitionworld.co.uk/subscribe
