ABTT Theatre Show puts focus on career development
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Running once again over two days, the ABTT Theatre Show gave the industry an opportunity to meet face-to-face in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. With an increase of 15% of exhibitors on the show floor, this year’s event featured over 150 brands.
The ABTT reports an 82% growth in overall visits among which was a 53% increase in students attending. The new ABTT Skills Workshops were particularly popular, tutoring over 150 attendees over the two days in a broad variety of topics. Responses from those who attended have been ‘overwhelmingly positive’.
This year, ABTT focused on younger people, with an emphasis on career development, training and job opportunities. As such, attendees had the chance to visit the ABTT ‘Careers and Professional Development Hub’, hosted by industry specialists making themselves available to assist aspiring future industry professionals with their career development.
Clare Milner, a freelance theatre technician and stage manager returned to the ABTT Theatre Show this year following a visit to the Hub in 2022 to say thank you to the two professionals that helped her, commenting:
“I attended the ABTT Professional Development Hub in 2022 having completed the ABTT Bronze Award and I asked for a one-to-one meeting to seek some guidance on how to take a freelance career forward. We reviewed and improved my CV together and I was then fortunate enough that a company had faith in me and employed me to do a tour with them and I have been in consistent work since.”
ABTT trustee, Ben Stephen, who coordinated the mentoring said: “With many companies and colleagues telling us they are finding it hard to recruit technicians who are available for work and also hearing from our membership and show visitors that they are finding it hard to get a role in the industry, the ABTT felt it was important to try and bring those people together.”
Alongside the ABTT’s initiative to promote the importance of ongoing skills and training, there was a sense of determination to build the industry back better with a focus on recruitment and retention which continued in the diverse range of seminars and talks available.
This year saw exhibitors both displaying products and seeking visitor engagement with over 25 stands giving profile to their recruitment campaigns. Feedback suggested this was successful in both promoting their brand and also in gaining new staff and freelancers for the future.
Reflecting on the successful return of the show, ABTT Events Manager, Elysia Moore, comments: “It has been fantastic working on the 43rd edition of this staple event. Seeing ideas such as the ABTT Workshops and the Careers and Professional Development Hub come to fruition with such positive response is overwhelming. The increase in attendees and exhibitors is excellent and I am delighted that the ABTT Theatre Show remains such a popular event.”
