60 seconds with… Chloe Richardson

Ahead of our panel discussion webinar on 28 October 2020 – “Top tips to become a master in personal branding” – we sat down with Chloe Richardson, who will be moderating the panel, to find out more about her and her experiences in the events industry.

Chloe is an exhibition sales specialist, owner of Acier Events and Head of Sales at the health tech festival GIANT Health.

Question 1: How did you get into the events industry?

I was 19 when I ran my first B2C event, at Freshers’ Week, when I was President at the University of Southampton! I caught the bug immediately, and despite studying French and Portuguese, knew that events would be my future…

Question 2: What is your favourite thing about events?

My favourite thing has to be the people you can meet and network with; without people, an event would be nothing.

Question 3: What’s on your desk right now?

Currently, three pairs of sunglasses, an array of pastel coloured highlighters and a half-eaten kilo bag of pick ’n’ mix…

Question 4: What’s been your biggest frustration in the last few months?

Being stood up on Zoom! Is there anything worse than waiting around staring at yourself for 43 minutes?!

Question 5: What has been your crowning moment so far?

In 2017, I decided to run my own exhibition, from scratch, totally solo, so I could not only see if I could do it (because who doesn’t love a challenge!), but to also see the hurdles that my clients have to face when running their own event.

From venue and operations to marketing and content, I managed to pull it all together and have a successful, revenue-making event! I then retired from event management immediately and came back to the lovely world of business development.

Question 6: Why is it important to have a personal brand?

In business, especially as social media becomes such a huge lead generation tool, without a personal brand it’s hard to not only target and connect with your audience effectively but remain relevant within their buying decisions.

A personal brand makes you credible.

Question 7: How would you describe your personal brand?

Fun, efficient, and communicative!

Question 8: How did you start to create your brand?

I started creating my brand by creating content that people could relate to…

Question 9: Part of your brand is your multilingualism. Which of the languages you speak is your favourite and what is your favourite word in the language?

French. Hands down. The word: Lapider. To stone someone to death. Learnt it when I was eleven and still can’t believe there is a French verb dedicated to this very specific action…

Question 10: What is the number one thing you should never do when creating your brand?

You should never expect to get it right the first time; or be inflexible in the long run. Your brand develops with you as a person, and your audience as consumer trends change and you adapt with your target market…

Question 11: Whose personal brands are your favourites online at the moment?

Am I allowed to say Natasha Layal (one of the panellists joining Chloe in our upcoming webinar)? (She might buy me a drink if I throw this in!).

Otherwise, I think Michelle Obama has a great brand. I also love some brands of TikTok “influencers”… but I think I’m too old to go on record saying that!

Question 12: If someone is considering creating a personal brand, what are the benefits of creating one?

Creating a personal brand gives you credibility, makes you memorable, strengthens your offering…

Question 13: What is the best piece of advice you’d give to someone starting to establish their personal brand?

Be unique

Question 14: How do you think the move to virtual will affect personal branding?

It will make your personal brand easier to access and, hopefully, open more doors to those that didn’t have the resources to target certain customers pre-pandemic.

Question 15: When you’re not working, what do you enjoy doing?

Eating ice cream, talking about the Tudors, listening to Kelly Clarkson, feeding giraffes and pretending to be on the Spin bike whilst actually being on LinkedIn.

Question 16: What is your favourite quote at the moment?

Quote of 2020: “Invest in your shoes and your bed because if you’re not in one, you’re in the other”.

You can join Chloe and our three fantastic panellists, including Natasha Layal, on 28 October for a panel discussion on personal branding on IBTM Connect. They’ll be exploring actionable tips you can implement immediately, how to leverage social media, how personal branding can create future opportunities, and more!