Day one of the Rec Expo was off to a flying start with delegates queuing for the doors to open at 09.30am on a cold, wet Tuesday morning.

People came for the seminars, trade stands and networking opportunities. The ‘People vs Platform’ seminar on the importance of recruitment as a people business was really resonant and the importance of in-person events reflected by the attendance and buzz.

As usual, a lot of attention was on the front office solutions. Technology that supports the recruitment consultant’s day-to-day life. It was a bun-fight of some very aggressive marketing, particularly amongst the cloud-based CRM providers all locking horns . . . Things were quieter and more refined around our stand as we talked through the equal importance of cash collection, paying contractors and analysing business performance.

With so many agencies founded by sales people / ex-recruitment consultants it is not surprising that the emphasis tends to unfairly go on the front office technology. However, all the great consultants, social media plugs and job boards are no good if cashflow is poor and the business lacks information on where to steer.