Tim Skennion, Managing Director of North America
What is your background? How did you come to work at EI?
"Most recently, I worked as the Chief Revenue Officer at Argyle. I was responsible for building revenue programs around a suite of programs and conferences. Before Argyle, I served as the SVP of Pheedo. We were a technology platform that helped companies get greater ROI on original material such as video and other long-form content. Early in my career, I worked at InfoGroup in a similar role. I was part of the Sales and Account management team for their digital business. We helped companies develop marketing solutions for email and social data."
What made you excited to work at EI?
"I spent six years in the event conference space. I witnessed firsthand how event sponsorship investments and marketing teams are being increasingly scrutinized. When I connected the dots, I recognized that any resource that could help clients get a greater ROI on marketing and sponsorship investments would be very valuable. During my time at Argyle, I was a client with EI for a brief period. This gave me an opportunity to work as part of the team. I helped Accenture and HSBC purchase sponsorships from Argyle. "
How would you describe what EI does?
"EI provides bespoke market intelligence, media and event solutions for B2B companies seeking to more strategically invest their marketing budgets. Our Client Relations and Research teams work in tandem to help clients effectively access their target audiences and generate greater returns on their investments."
What is the B2B marketing sector like in the US?
"As of 5 or 6 years ago, marketing budgets have been facing greater scrutiny and oversight. There has been an increasing focus on spending money more strategically because it is becoming easier to track the tangible results of such investments. Companies can see, for example, how many legitimate leads a single sponsorship investment created. Brands are benefitting from resources that support smarter buying decisions. In the US specifically, the B2B market is enormous and the demand for marketing engagement vehicles continues to grow. "
What is the purpose of having a presence in the US?
"The US market for services like EI remains untapped. This move presents significant upside with limited investment required. EI is currently the market leader in the Market Intelligence category and no direct competitor currently exists in the US. We will benefit greatly from being the First Mover into this sector of the US economy. Furthermore, our UK Headquarters possesses existing infrastructure that is both scalable and exportable. This has accelerated our entry into the US."
How do you see this branch evolving going forward into the future?
"This branch will continue to emulate the infrastructure of its UK counterpart. We want to expand messaging to key accounts and mine existing relationships to uncover new US buying centers within those accounts."