Getting Young Professionals Into The Events Industry: The Annabelle Project Case Study

Webinar Description: 

The events industry doesn’t have a “talent shortage.” It has a relevance problem. Young professionals aren’t avoiding our industry because they lack interest, they’re avoiding it because we’ve failed to clearly articulate the value of a career in events, provide credible on-ramps, and deliver early wins that justify long-term commitment. Career fairs, internships, and inspirational panels haven’t fixed the problem. In many cases, they’ve made it worse. This session will provide a case study into the Annabelle Project which was designed as a direct response to that failure.  

In this 45- minute, no-theory, case-study-driven session, Warwick Davies breaks down how a focused mentorship and exposure model has successfully moved college-age talent, particularly students from HBCUs and Hispanic-Serving Institutions, from industry-curious to industry-committed. This session challenges conventional “pipeline” thinking and replaces it with a practical, repeatable system for attracting, qualifying, and retaining young professionals who actually stay. If your organization is serious about talent, not optics, this session will give you a different way to think, decide, and act. 

Learning Objectives: 

• Diagnose why most young professional initiatives fail, and identify the hidden assumptions that sabotage recruitment and retention efforts. 

• Deconstruct the Annabelle Project model to understand how mentorship, access, and accountability create real career momentum—not temporary enthusiasm. 

• Implement one immediately actionable shift that increases the perceived value of an events career to young professionals and strengthens long-term talent ROI. 

IAEE webinars are free to members and available to non-members for $49. This session is eligible to earn 0.75 clock hours towards CEM recertification. 

Presenter(s): Warwick Davies