5 Minutes With....Emma Little, CEO & Founder of ExecSpace

When Emma Little founded venue finding agency ExecSpace in 2008 it was a start-up in an industry she knew little about. Today it is one of the leading UK operators in the field. With a past that includes selling door-to-door, her vision remains the same as it was on day one: creating one of the most significant businesses to come out of Scotland.

Recent past: I founded ExecSpace in 2008 and over the past decade, it has grown to become one of the UK’s leading venue finding agencies. Our success is for the most part down to the fact that we put our clients at the centre of everything we do and go above and beyond to make sure that they are always really happy. Our recent focus, in addition to this has been on winning more contracted clients which can be a combination of formalising existing relationship-based accounts or going after new wins. With contracted wins we can add so much more value to the relationship, whether it’s management information, technology or by implementing a meetings management programme.

We recently saved one particular client 21% on their annual meetings and events spend, which is something that I am personally really proud of. I’m also conscious that technology is becoming more prominent in our industry so we have addressed this by launching ExecSpace VR (virtual tours which hotels and venues can use to increase lead generation and win more business) and we’re also working on a technology platform to compliment our existing business. Charity wise, I sit on the board of Project Scotland and I’m a be-friender for Barnardos, either once a week or fortnightly – depending on my workload.

Before that: It has taken a lot of hard work to get ExecSpace to where it’s at today. It’s incredibly difficult building a start-up, especially in an industry you know nothing about! Add to this a particularly challenging economic climate (we started in the recession) it will come as no surprise that the early years were very much about fire fighting, growing pains and taking risks. The odds were most definitely stacked against us and it took us a good seven or eight years, but we’ve got a really solid foundation now from which we can build upon. Prior to running ExecSpace, I worked in sales and account management starting my career selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door at 18, working for QA (a Microsoft training partner) and latterly working for Vodafone managing the RBS account.

Industry: Unfortunately, when I came up with the concept of venue finding I genuinely thought I’d invented the idea! So I was surprised, after doing some market research, to discover it was actually a massively crowded market place. I think it’s a fairly simple business but it’s about doing it well and keeping the client at the very heart of your focus. That said, when it comes to the contracted clients, the focus shifts slightly and it’s about working in a strategic partnership with them, to deliver significant value and business benefit, whether via a meetings management programme or a tailored technology solution.

Vision: Our vision has remained the same since day one: to build one of the most significant global businesses ever to come out of Scotland. This has evolved a little recently, to recognise the growing importance of technology to the industry and we have been developing various aspects of our business to reflect this. We’ve always put our clients’ needs and wants first and we aim to do exactly the same with technology. We also want to involve our clients in our evolution of technology as a business and ensure that everything we develop is built on a clients needs and not on our assumptions. Best moment: Without a doubt… winning the Scottish Public Sector contract. This was singularly the best thing that has ever happened to ExecSpace. I’ve had so many highs and lows running this business but I get a huge amount of pride and a warm feeling watching my guys progress and develop in ExecSpace. I push hard but it’s my job to help them fulfil their potential and no one ever remembers the boss that let them just be mediocre. I love seeing my guys happy, driven, focused and proud of themselves.

Is Scotland the perfect stage: Absolutely. It’s nuts the amount of Scots that have to leave in order to pursue professional ambitions. In a truly global economy, as individuals we should be able to be based wherever makes us happiest and ultimately most productive. Scotland is a brilliant country that for years has created global successes – from the invention of the telephone to Skyscanner! It’s a great country to be based in, as long as we have the UK and global growth ambitions that are necessary to scale. I think we’re good at supporting startups in Scotland but we could be better at supporting scale-ups, as after all this is when real economic benefit to the country is realised.