David Preston Email & Phone Number

London, United Kingdom

We are events people. Our expertise is deep. Our passion is deeper. And our sense of humour makes working through the inevitable hiccups easier. We deliver MORE: 1. More than Event Intelligence & Registration Services 2. More than training, we develop future leaders for our industry 3. More than good ideas, we incubate and invest in new event concepts and industry innovation• More than Event Intelligence & Registration Services – We are certified Cvent Platform and GES Visit registration system builders – with new/other platforms added all the time. We’ll take your event attendees from online pre-event reg to onsite badging, lead retrieval and session access control. Our family of event professionals set-up and run your registration so you can focus elsewhere. We are more than technicians, we help your exhibitors – and you – turn attendee data into valuable audience intelligence.And, whilst making sure the technology is running smoothly, you’ll also find us on the event floor, helping exhibitors, sponsors, speakers, and delegates make the most of their time and investment.• More than Training – Realise delivers the leading Event Apprenticeship Programme as well as Event Professional Development – We helped write the Event Assistant standard and it is the only apprenticeship programme we deliver. We’ve successfully graduated more than 70 apprentices – 78% passing with the top grades of Merit or Distinction. We speak at conferences, forums, universities, and for corporate in-house event teams. And, we are mentors in the Elevate.me programme as well as coaches across all parts of the industry.• More than Good Ideas – We incubate and invest in New Event Concepts and Industry Innovation. We are constantly exploring and developing new event ideas. We then do more by finding the right people to move those ideas forward – whether handing off, partnering, or investing in innovations to further our beloved industry.Let’s talk … hello@realise.me.uk

Wherever I Need To Be

London, England Metropolitan Area

A dedicated Events Diversity Alliance Committee has been formed consisting of senior business leaders in the industry who want to stay informed about the work Diversity Ally is spearheading. All members complete anti-racism and allyship training annually and have committed to championing diversity and inclusion with their peers using the pledges.

Wherever I Need To Be

Business strategy, marketing and specialist event marketing strategist and part time consultant at the University of Greenwich in the university's Innovation programme, working with clients on business strategy, marketing planning, segmentation, product positioning, website design and optimisation and general business advice.Also working with start-up businesses on business strategy, raising finance, business development.

Delighted to join the Board to help further the education of the event community

London, United Kingdom

Responsible for the day-to-day operations of the business from HR, development, sales and marketing, operaton and P&L. Developing a growth strategy and working with the CEO and the board on an international expansion plan, with a focus on the Middle East and the USA. – opened an office in Dubai.Engage Works is a world-leading interactive technology group. Through the network of closely linked companies, we create connected experiences for some of the biggest brands in the world.• We combine innovative thinking with robust, scalable methods, to deliver interactive experiences that transform our clients' businesses by empowering their audience.• Engage is an interactive technology company. We design, build and support collaborative experiences which connect leading brands to audiences in ever more effective ways.• Flux is an innovation lounge, and a space for ideas. By getting hands on with cuttingedge interactive work, brands and agencies can explore the potential of emerging technology.

United Kingdom

Responsible for B2B and B2C marketing across Europe. Kaspersky Lab is one of the fastest growing IT security companies worldwide. It is firmly positioned as one of the world’s top four leading vendors of endpoint security software. Kaspersky Lab continues to further improve its market position, demonstrating significant growth in all regions. It is my job to make this happen in Europe.• Develop organizational capability, • Collaboratively working with the agency to drive the development and execution of new global campaigns throughout Europe across all media including media planning/buying • Drive the implementation of marketing automation system (Marketo) to enable CRM based marketing systems and programmes, • Create annualised sales promotions programme to drive incremental sales, • Activate the global sponsorship of Ferrari, design and implement Partner recognition/reward program • Plan and implement annual partner conference event • Overhaul of the online web presence to drive more online demand and sales. • Manage a team of 35 people across 7 countries• Member of the European Management Board, member of the Global Marketing Council, implemented the European Marketing Board to drive best practice and theories across all media• Drive business growth across Europe – 10% in 2013, 11% in 2014• Manage marketing budget of $15m

London, United Kingdom

Business development - real BD, so more than just sales, including creating investment plan/presentation for growth capital, identifying acquisitions targets, managing key client relationships and bringing structure and process to the sales process.

London, United Kingdom

A US based company that delivers integrated technology solutions, marketing services and online media properties that encourage and enable participation in activities and events where I headed the European operation.• Developed organisational structure and hired leadership team• Secured big customer wins and grew revenues, namely Cisco ($500k - $750k), HP ($450k - $800k), VMWare ($400k - $450k)• Built turnover from $500k rev to $7m in less than 3 years• Shifted firm from cost centre to profit centre, with net profit 10% after 3 years• Established solution sales model• Motivated team of 40 people and achieved employee buy-in • Implemented new employee benefits packages to aid recruitment and retention

United Kingdom And Usa

Event and conference registration service company, based in Fleet and NY, part of the Grass Roots Group• Expanded product portfolio through establishment of best in class partnerships• Built team from 42-55 staff and set up New York office of 10 people• Consistently grew key clients and expanded revenues in each case; SWIFT (SIBOS £750k- £1m), Gartner (£600k-£750k), SAP (£650k- £800)• Led invested of £200k in new technology infrastructure• Raised margins by 5% over 2 years• Led organisation through bankruptcy of original parent company MICE Group and sold to Grass Roots Ltd

Greater New York City Area

Key responsibilities: Plan and execute the implementation of first worldwide event marketing agency for a major blue chip corporation. Achievements•Implemented an Industry first - one agency around the world•Created unique business relationship with the new agency – pricing, agreed profit levels, event booth rental scheme ($10m spend annually)•Managed $20m corporate marketing budget•Saved $20m from the larger company event marketing budget of $300m•Re-trained 450 staff around the globe, from event logistics to event marketing•Implemented single processes and tool across the corporation that answered the 2 questions – How many events and how much are we spending? – Answer - 200 events and $300m•Designed and implemented a lead management process and tool across 1000 tradeshow events to evaluate the ROI•Developed 2 new event formats that were implemented around the world to drive incremental new business1. Combined the openness of a business show with the tailored environment of a conference and utilizing sponsorship packages from our business partners, we reduced the overall cost to IBM to 10% whilst maximizing the relevance of the content to the clients and prospects.2. One of the worlds first virtual online event that combine an investments already made in a physical event with the benefits that online technology that increased the reach of the content to an additional 200 people 3000 miles away – ground breaking use of mobile computing, the internet and broadcasting to provide a fully interactive experience.