My Event World - Darren Brechin

Darren Brechin, event director of Brand Licensing Europe (BLE), has been at the helm of the European licensing industry event for the past two years. He talked to Event about sleeping cows at events, working with new teams and and why he needs to work on his golfing skills.

by Samantha Edwards / February 09, 2015

Darren Brechin, Brand Licensing Europe's event director

I got into the event industry because like most event veterans it wasn’t intentional, I was lucky to be offered a job by IIR Middle East back in 2000 as an exhibition marketing manager and I haven’t looked backed since. I couldn’t see myself doing anything else now.

I have worked here since I joined Advanstar, which is now UBM Advanstar, in December 2012.

I was attracted to this particular role because I had heard good things about Advanstar as an organisation and the opportunity to run their London office and manage a trade show as cool and unique as Brand Licensing Europe was just something I couldn’t turn down.

Not many people know that I am a bit OCD when it comes to tidiness.

The best event I've been involved with was... there have been so many; launching PALME India for IIR was a real eye opener with respects to logistics and venue issues, not to mention health and safety - the only event I have ever seen being delayed from opening as a cow decided to have a sleep in the entrance gates to the exhibition centre.

That said the best event would have to be Brand Licensing Europe 2014. I had basically a completely new team going into the 2014 event and to see the success of the event and the customer feedback after the show really was special.

If I could do it all over again I would become a professional golfer, the only problem is I’m not very good.

The one thing I can't stand is people not being accountable for their actions, oh and marzipan.

Outside of work I spend my time playing golf badly, watching sport on TV and occasionally trying my hand at cooking.

If money were no object I would buy myself a rather large yacht and spend my time sailing around the world.

If I could switch places with anyone else in the industry it would be Michael Eavis. How cool would it be to organise Glastonbury.

If I ruled the event industry I would remove the monopoly of in-house venue catering.

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