MICHAEL IBE

• I currently lead all commercial operations, including marketing services, membership growth, and event sponsorship revenue.
• Tasked with building a high-performing team from the ground up within six months to rescue a £2M event significantly behind target — successfully stabilised and repositioned the project.
• Transformed the organisation’s sales culture, driving accountability, performance, and results.
• Implemented KPI frameworks and performance monitoring systems to improve forecasting and delivery.
• Broke down silos by embedding cross-departmental integration and collaboration.
• Introduced innovative sales strategies that significantly enhanced team productivity and conversion rates.
• Built and strengthened strategic client relationships, generating sustained repeat business.
• Developed and executed market expansion strategies to elevate brand visibility and commercial reach.
• Conducted competitive analysis and deployed targeted counter-strategies to protect and grow market share.
• Designed and delivered a strategic engagement plan ensuring participation from key industry bellwethers to strengthen event credibility and market impact.
• Fostered a culture of continuous improvement within the commercial team.
• Identified growth opportunities, resulting in expanded company footprint.
• Formulated pricing strategies to maximise profit margins.
• Championed customer service improvements, raising satisfaction levels.
• Led the negotiation of key contracts with major suppliers.
• Conducted research, producing detailed business plans for improved commercial opportunities and expansion.

As Managing Director at EDS Brands I

Shape the vision of EDS Brands: Advise on the selection and development of cutting-edge event topics and formats, ensuring industry accuracy and relevance to the technology landscape.
Help curate expert faculty: Identify and collaborate with leading technology professionals, researchers, and thought leaders to deliver dynamic and engaging presentations.
Develop content and learning strategies: Lead the team on how to craft compelling narratives and interactive experiences that maximize knowledge transfer and inspire action among attendees.
Manage and collaborate with cross-functional teams: Partner with our event designers, marketing specialists, and technology experts to bring your vision to life.
Stay at the forefront of technological advancements: Continuously research and identify emerging trends and innovations to inform future events.
Oversee the commercial and revenue channels for all brands under the EDS Brands umbrella with full P&L responsibility.
Provide strategic direction on future product launches, revenue opportunities and the overall growth ambitions of EDS Brands Ltd

My wife was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and told she had months to live. I decided to leave the work place in order to become her full time carer. Against all odds she survived longer than the doctors had anticipated; but sadly passed away in 2022.

• Responsible for a sales floor consisting of 4 team leaders and 25 sales reps
• Effectively managing through managers (striking the balance between “support and suffocation”)
• Designing induction and training processes, procedures and practices to maximise revenue growth
• Creating a culture of “creative control” whereby all team members (irrespective of seniority or tenure) felt empowered and confident in their ability to make suggestions capable of altering the direction of the entire division
• Providing the MD with accurate revenue forecasts on a weekly basis
• Using sales / management audits to identify skill gaps and track the development of both reps and team leaders
• Formulating the landscape for each event to provide guidance and clarity as to where the money should come from on each campaign
• Forward planning (one year in advance) to ensure each event is resourced effectively enough to grow by 20%-25% each year
• Recruitment for the entire division
• Working closely with production, marketing, delegate sales and operations to ensure event success
• Working closely with all reps to ensure synergy between individual goals and wider business corporate goals
• Ensuring optimal use of the CRM system by all reps and team leaders.

• IQPC terminated the employment of an underperforming team leader
• I was asked to manage the remaining team
• As such, my head count grew overnight to a team of 11 sponsorship executives
• In addition, the number of products within my portfolio also grew

Responsibilities:

• Recruitment, training, staff motivation, performance reviewing, process implementation, KPI management and over all revenue maximisation for my team
• Identifying, training, developing, and supporting a selling sub team leader
• Providing accurate revenue forecasts to the MD
• Using sales audit results to track the development of both reps and sub team leader
• Customer landscape mapping
• Resource scheduling and planning

Achievements:

• Successfully launched 4 events (2 into the US)
• Managed to turn 2 underperforming reps into consistent billers
• Both wrote over £400,000 revenue
• Successfully designed and implemented an alternative call process to get new starters and poor performers scoring quickly

• Managing a team of 4 sponsorship executives, my duties included: recruitment, training, staff motivation, performance reviewing, process implementation, KPI management and over all revenue maximisation for my team
• Developing a “can do” attitude within the team, through which every member felt they were part of a winning team where standards are high, and the results are impressive

Achievements:

• Most consistent and highest performing Exchange team in 2012
• 3 of the 4 reps in my team ranked #2, #3 and #4 in terms of revenue generated across the entire floor
• Achieved an average of £120,856 per month against a monthly target of £120,000 in 2012

• Targets: £360,000 /year Performance: £287,074 in 7 months

Responsibilities

• Reporting to the Sales Director, my job was to consultatively sell sponsorship packages to existing and potential partners by diagnosing client's needs and matching them with relevant events
• Thoroughly researching each prospect prior to establishing contact to build in-depth pre-call understanding
• Travelling nationally and internationally to meet existing and potential clients, giving power point presentations to demonstrate the value of the IQPC proposition
• Maximising the on-site experience for each client and rebooking them for the following year
• Maintaining regular contact with each client to strengthen the relationship

Achievements

• Brought in £71,677 worth of business in my second month
• Created a highly effective way to generate A-grade leads (the “back referral” process, which is still used by IQPC till this day)
• Brought in £90,334 on a launch event
• That event held the title of “best performing launch” for almost 12 months
• Promoted to Team Leader within 7 months of re-joining the company

• I was head hunted by Hanson Wade
• Hanson Wade (at the time) was a start-up company consisting of only 3 members of staff: The owner (who was also the head of production), the Marketing Director and the Sponsorship Director
• As the Delegate Sales Director I became the fourth member and reported directly to the owner of the company
• I was responsible for getting the delegate sales department up and running and was tasked with recruiting and training a sales team from scratch
• Other duties included
• Establishing criteria for sales management training
• Designing and implementing the sales audit programme
• Ensuring a consultative approach to selling (SPIN) was used throughout the sales floor
• Designing and implementing a proactive career development plan for sales executives
• Understanding the existing and probable profit and loss position of the company and making revenue boosting/cost cutting decisions based on the company's profitability

• Tasked with directly managing a team of 5 reps as well as 2 delegate sales team leaders, I had overall responsibility for the revenue generated by 16 people (including myself and the other 2 managers)
• Responsible for: recruitment, training, staff motivation, performance reviewing, process implementation, KPI management and over all revenue maximisation for my team
• Responsible for: Monitoring, measuring and improving the development of the 2 delegate sales managers that reported to me, through weekly reviews, strategy meetings, role plays, observation of my practices and accompanying me to cross departmental meetings

Achievements:

• Created a power point induction plan for new starters (which is still used till today)
• Created and implemented the “motivate not manipulate” programme
• Implemented a system of “delegate based” topic generation
• Implemented a system to test the validity of the topic ideas put forward by each delegate sales rep

• Managing a team of 5 sales executives and reporting to the Delegate Sales Director I was responsible for: recruitment, training, staff motivation, performance reviewing, process implementation, KPI management and over all revenue maximisation for my team
• I had an individual revenue target and therefore sold as well as managed
• It was my responsibility to formulate the delegate landscape for each event and ensure all events were sufficiently resourced
• Achievements
• In order to drive the best from my team I developed and implemented my own set of KPIs which demanded more from each rep and set us apart from the other teams
• In 2006 all 5 members of my team were ranked in the top 6 on a floor consisting of over 40 sales reps
• Won the prize for the highest scoring team 10 out of 12 months during 2006
• Finished as highest performing team in 2006
• Won every revenue-based sales competition in 2006

• Generating new business and increasing revenue from existing clients by contacting senior level executives and discussing the benefits of attending our events
• Working on an international portfolio, I learned to adapt to the cultural (and sometimes physical) challenges inherent in each region
• Target: £16,000 worth of paid business per month (roughly 10 delegates)