James Goad, Owen James Events

James Goad founded Owen James Events 18 years ago after six years’ experience in the events industry, running giant gatherings on cruise ships. Today Owen James runs highly curated community events for the financial services industry, bringing around 100 senior leaders together at each gathering under Chatham House rules to connect, learn, network and strategise.

James talks to us about the importance of building communities, facilitating interaction between delegates, and reaffirms the power of face to face events in a post-pandemic landscape. He gives advice on ‘being a swan’, and treating events as not just being a single point in time. And he tells us about his greatest successes - an event that transformed an industry - and some of the disasters, including how a wedding disrupted a recent event at which Tom was a speaker - though the power of the great event organiser is always to keep these disasters hidden from the delegates.

James also told us about one of his favourite speakers, the ‘antagonistic’ Matthew Goodwin, because of his power to disrupt, shock and get people thinking.

Listen below, subscribe on your favourite podcast platform, or watch the episode now on our YouTube channel.