EFM Recruiting Describes the Challenges of COVID-19 — and Why an Event Specific Recruiter is Needed More Than Ever
EFM Recruiting
7 min read
Downingtown, PA, April 20, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EFM Recruiting was launched in 2016, leveraging years of recruitment experience and an innovative search process that connected the best trade show and experiential event professionals in the country with the companies that needed them most.
Whether EFM Recruiting is placing Global Event Directors, Event Producers, Executive Creative Directors, 3D Designers, Strategists, or Account Managers, Erin Monahan and her team consistently place the most desired candidates at the industries leading agencies and brands, allowing them to build, design, and produce the world’s best events, meetings, trade show booths, experiential activations and more.
By all measures, EFM Recruiting was enjoying unparalleled success – and growing each year. Then in March 2020, as Founder and President Erin Monahan explains, everything changed. “When the pandemic hit, the whole industry changed in a matter of weeks,” Monahan says, “Everything was shut down.”
The nationwide shutdowns were particularly hard on the event industry – events across the world were being postponed indefinitely or canceled altogether and with those cancellations came a harsh reality for event professionals. The COVID-19 pandemic heavily affected global events, pointing to the need for a deep reflection on the future of the industry. Event organizers had to quickly adopt new delivery models, either choosing to go virtual entirely or opted to embrace hybrid solutions. On top of uncertainty, the crisis also triggered profound, and potentially long-lasting, changes in production and consumption patterns. “In some situations I had offers out to candidates that needed to be pulled, and some candidates I had just hired with certain clients were laid off a week later,” Monahan says, “It was pretty devastating.”
With the entire event industry shut down and no end in sight, EFM Recruiting had to get creative. Fortunately, Monahan was able to turn what could have been a major setback into new opportunities for herself and for others.
“Many of my clients started selling digital or virtual services, and some even started selling physical Covid safety infrastructures, like acrylic barriers and personal protection equipment. I did place candidates in virtual and digital roles, however I had many candidates calling me for help, and I didn’t have enough open roles I could place people in. It wasn’t until June of 2021 that things started to pick up again, however, between the Delta and Omicron variants, the events industry has still continued to take a hit. It’s been a lot slower to return to any kind of normal that anyone has anticipated or hoped. Although concerts and outdoor events are in full swing.”
The Impact on Events
People want events. After so much time spent in isolation and many working remotely, the need and want for in-person events is stronger than ever. Monahan shares 4 insights into trends she sees and how this pandemic has changed her industry.
1. UNITY: “I am grateful that this pandemic has shined a light on the unity amongst our industry. We’ve been realigned to a common purpose. Everyone I spoke to over the last two years, it was like we experienced this collective trauma together and we seemed to bond. I’ve seen the industry of event professionals come together when it was needed most. This focus on unity, and how we can help others in our industry, is something that I hope will last long after this passes. We are all part of the same tribe and there is more to be gained from collectively working together than by getting through this alone.”
2. BURNOUT: “The Great Resignation has affected the event industry. One thing I keep hearing over and over is how candidates do not want to work 80 hours a week anymore. Across a wide variety of industries, workers have been leaving their jobs en masse in what has become dubbed The Great Resignation. It isn’t just about the money anymore. Workers everywhere have higher expectations in their roles and are looking for companies that place an importance on personal wellness, mental health, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. As in many other industries, finding and retaining talent will impact events in 2022. Understaffing is one of the top challenges facing event professionals and staffing shortages in the industry have left many people in events feeling burnt out, with some ready to transition into a new industry altogether. I had many conversations with candidates who told me they were burnt out and stretched too thin, they were not receiving the personal or professional support needed from their superiors or organizations. If you want to retain your top talent, companies need to give prospective employees great reasons to work with you, and even better reasons to stay.”
3. RISE OF REMOTE WORK: “I’m not saying anything new here but - the rise of remote work is here. The trend now is definitely to work remotely, or at the very least, to work hybrid. Before this, a lot of these jobs were not being offered remotely. I’m seeing candidates easily recruited elsewhere if their current company is not offering them the opportunity to work remotely, if it’s possible to do their job remote.”
4. EXODUS OF SKILLED TALENT: “While some planned on returning to events as soon as they're able, and did - others have left for good. As a result of the pandemic, many long-tenured professionals left the industry in search of new opportunities, and the full extent of the exodus remains to be seen. “I estimate at least 20 percent of the talent went into other industries because they had to during the pandemic, they couldn’t wait around for events to come back. And some also took an early retirement. So it’s been difficult to find a lot of specialized skilled talent now,” Monahan says, “There is a shortage of talent for certain positions. Especially candidates in the trades like Project Managers that know fabrication. Skilled Trade Show Account Managers, CAD Detailers.”
What’s next?
For EFM Recruiting, the new challenge will be finding the best candidates to create these exciting new events. “There are always people that want to work in events because they are exciting,” Monahan says, “I think there is definitely room for fresh new talent, but the biggest challenges are always how to train new talent, the new challenges of onboarding remote staff and also now how to manage work life balance in events.”
About EFM Recruiting
EFM Recruiting was founded in 2016 by Erin Monahan. They are dedicated to connecting creative talent with companies across the country for experiential events, trade shows, and other live experiences. Through EFM Recruiting, Erin partners with employers, both large and small, to recruit and place high-performing event and marketing professionals. Assisting in both temporary (contract) and permanent (direct hire) placements, and having worked in talent acquisition for over a decade, she seamlessly guides the entire recruitment lifecycle, from requirement gathering through onboarding.
After graduating with an MBA in Human Resources Management, Erin started her recruiting career with the William Morris Agency, sourcing and placing candidates for their prestigious ‘Agent Trainee Program’. After learning the ropes, she wanted to hook bigger fish, so she transitioned to Talent Buyer at Nederlander Concerts where she recruited national acts for award-winning venues. Following Nederlander, she joined Sparks as a Corporate Recruiter. As a part of their internal expansion, she spearheaded the recruitment of national exhibit, event, and design professionals. “From Sparks, she knew that I had found my niche! I fell in love with the marketing and event industry and felt at home recruiting for creative teams. After working at Crawford Group, where I placed marketing and event consultants for Silicon Valley tech companies, I decided I could better service clients by branching out on my own,” Erin shared. “Thus, EFM Recruiting was born.”
