About Matt

Who is Matt?

“The Future depends on what we do in the present”, Mahatma Gandhi

Matt has spent over 15 years developing marketing and communications businesses. They include an innovative events company, cutting edge video marketing products and a marketing communications agency.

Some of them worked, others didn't! But those 15 years saw a relentless march of technology, and deep societal changes in its wake.

Matt has always spotted trends and found practical ways to apply them to client challenges. But today that is no longer enough. Companies can no longer rely just on technical innovation. They must work harder to reach customers, attract employees and place bets on future strategies. A futurist is no longer a soothsayer looking into the misty distance but an essential contributor to tomorrow’s business success.

THE CO-CREATED BUSINESS

His approach is in itself the result of a trend which may now be familiar. Businesses are increasingly a collaboration with customers and the supply chain. In Germany and Japan, the companies built on family dynasties are dissolving. In the UK and US, companies which were once monoliths with ten year product cycles are racing to meet the demands of a public with plenty of choice.

Ventures are crowdfunded (think Kickstarter, or the success of microloans in developing nations). Marketers seek advice from their customers, either overtly (design your own jeans, mobile phone package or holiday) or covertly (all that browsing data you give away every day…) We are constantly finding new ways to collaborate and organise society and business.

And he's certain that discovering the future is also a collaborative process. That is even more valid if we want to apply the distilled and impassive thinking of most research to real businesses: to your business. Unlike so many consultancies, He won't present you with a 1000-page strategy document which will be left on the shelf while your business is left behind. We will create a roadmap together, based on the knowledge of my team and your colleagues. All this is supported by rich media, live events (remember he did those?), external speakers and dynamic tools, in a generous spirit of curiosity. This approach is more useful, and much more fun.

It is, at least, fun for most. Some trends can be uncomfortable. As I write this, London is silent as the city’s taxis protest at the rise of trendsetter and global bad boy, Uber. Trends disrupt the status quo and the comfort of “This is how we’ve always done it”. They challenge our world views, and – since many of us spend more time at work than anywhere else – our very identities. It’s another good reason for thinking through the future to be a collaborative effort: part of my work is to help you confront your preconceptions and envision a different world in a constructive and positive way.

Other Services

ModComms

Marketing and Communication Services. Covering multiple media types and specialising in Innovative approaches to client challenges

The PitchPack

Video enabled marketing products. Including brochures, books and folders. PitchPack exists to help clients stand out from the crowd.

EventExtra

Outcome driven conference organisation. Differentiated by smart interplay of online communication to create a ‘before, during and after’ lifecycle.

An A-Team of Associates

Matt and his team support our clients by highlighting the trends that are changing society. These trends are more numerous and rapidly evolving than any one person could hope to fully understand; so he has collected a team of experts to help. Some are subject specialists, others great communicators who will help reinforce ideas and innovation in your organisation.

In particular, Matt is honoured to be partnered with Future Navigator, Europe’s leading source of trend insight and also a great contributor of smart learning and engagement approaches. These partners ensure that he has access to the latest critical thinking and its application in contexts across the globe.

Testimonials

Matt has helped us look differently at the way we do marketing. We continue to move away from a traditional 'broadcast' approach towards something more engaging for our customers. One
Scott Addington Director, EMEA Field Marketing
http://www.epicor.com
What strikes you most about working with Matt is his professionalism. He's always well prepared and researched before arriving onsite for any project we commissioned him on. Not only this,
Jeff Banks Director, Marketing
http://www.firstdata.com/
You were really helpful in thinking differently about a major initiative we were planning – to help us address the future head-on. Like all the best advisers, you ask not
Stephen Welch Designer
http://www.dialog-semiconductor.com

Why Work With Matt?

Experience
You want to see tangible change? It doesn't start with a keynote speech. It starts the ideas being generated then executed by your organisation. EventExtra pioneered 'Speedshops' help you reach total consensus across management teams on courses of action and implementation.  
Networks
Drawing on a tried and tested network of workshop facilitators, subject matter experts, technical and creative expertise, no project is too large.
Services
Whether it's a keynote speech, internal workshop, bespoke media production, coaching or full scale event, Matt and his team can handle it.
Commitment
We won't leave you hanging after the engagement is complete. We're only as good as our last project.

 

At Work

Always Inclusive

Matt at work with clients.

In an increasingly crowdsourced world, the days of being 'an expert' are dwindling. Only by working together do we find sustainable, workable answers to the challenges we are all facing.

How We Work

My team is constantly assessing trends and disruptive technologies.

Through a highly interactive, group process of disclosure and refinement, we will distil our insight to be strategically relevant for your organisation.

We categorise trends:

There are ‘hard trends’ over which you have no choice; ‘soft trends’ which you can influence and ‘vision trends’ in which you should invest time and resource. Matt has a range of interactive tools including a handy app to help marshal our thinking.

You get time:

For your team to familiarise themselves with key trends, to ask questions and contextualise them into relevant scenarios. These are the first steps in developing proactive and potentially game-changing strategies!

Practical trends:

What skills should you invest in? Which practices should stop? What are the sacred cows of the business which must be questioned? We will help you through this process, equipping you with the insight to effectively manage your future; whether that is the whole business, a department, a team or just you as an individual.