Digby Vollrath - Feast It - James Bond & the events industry

Jimmy's Jobs of the Future

Boxlight Creative Studio

Technology, Business, Careers

5 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 10 June 2021

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

One of the most valuable assets to an entrepreneurial ecosystem is veteran entrepreneurs lending a hand to first-timers.I first met Digby as part of the ICE (International Conclave of Entrepreneurs) community on a James Bond themed weekend- whilst swapping tips and tricks to navigate the business world isn’t quite 007 material, it’s because of these communities that the UK startup scene is flourishing.Digby’s first jobs were working behind bars at weddings and writing his own music blog. Enticed to the former by the large tips from slightly too-merry guests, the latter allowed him to go to festivals for free.It was these experiences in the live events space that eventually lead to him founding Feast It in 2017, an ecommerce company aiming to revolutionise hospitality with the simple goal of building an operating system that could power events globally.Feast It matches people wanting to host events with boutique events businesses, who in Digby’s eyes are the backbone of the industry. This match-making gives organisers a superior experience and allows artisans to have a digital revenue stream without any complicated infrastructure.The last 12 months have been interesting to say the least for the events industry, with Feast It themselves experiencing a 99% drop in sales in 2020. However, the resilience of the sector and the human desire for experience means Digby is optimistic about what the future holds for the event economy.In this episode, Digby talks about empowering artisanal businesses, why young people are valuing experiences over possessions and the importance of business communities like ICE when business times get tough.Even Coldplay gets a mention!Jimmy's Jobs of the Future is hiring, read more on our next chapter here and you can sign up to our newsletter here. A reminder you can follow us onInstagram: @JimmysjobsTwitter: @JimmysjobsAnd most importantly on LinkedIn Subscribe so you don't miss any new episodes, releasing every Wednesday.You can sign up to Jimmy's Substack here for weekly content on the future of work, technology, and politicsFor more information on partnering with us please visit our partnerships page here.Also make sure you subscribe to The Shift, you can find it here on Spotify or on Apple Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	When I was in Downing Street, one of the key aspects that I was looking at when it came
0:07.8	to entrepreneurialism was how could we improve the UK's entrepreneurial cycles?
0:13.1	We are on arguably about the third entrepreneurial cycle in the UK, compared to Silicon Valley
0:19.5	who is on its sixth or seventh and New York that's probably on its fourth or fifth.
0:24.4	There is a challenge for how much governments can do to improve these cycles and make them
0:28.8	happen quicker. But one of the key things that always stood out of why the cycles end
0:33.7	of becoming quicker and more efficient is because those that have been on the journey are
0:39.2	able to lend their support to others that are just starting out on it. And that is one
0:44.1	of the most valuable assets that you can create in an entrepreneurial ecosystem.
0:49.6	It is incredibly tough being a founder of a company that is growing fast. Whilst we often
0:55.2	lionize the excitement of it and the bravery that these people go on, it is incredibly daunting.
1:02.0	And so as part of this ecosystem as a Downing Street advisor, I was part of the Ice
1:07.7	Entrepreneurial Community, which is where I first met our guest today, Digby, who founded
1:13.6	the company, Vista. We met on a James Bond themed weekend away with lots of other entrepreneurs
1:20.6	who act as a support network for one another going through it, being able to swap tips and
1:26.4	tricks about various different processes, whether it be hiring, marketing, product market
1:32.5	bit. And it's been a huge support to entrepreneurs as they have gone through some of their toughest
1:38.5	challenges over the last 18 months. It was founded by some entrepreneurs from the first
1:44.8	or second entrepreneurial wave. And it is one of the key reasons why the UK continues
1:50.2	to grow more entrepreneurial cycles at a quicker rate is because of communities like ice.
1:56.9	And so it gives me great pleasure to welcome Digby onto the show today.
2:03.2	Digby, we're asking everyone in the second series to tell us about your journey into the world
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Boxlight Creative Studio, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Boxlight Creative Studio and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.