i2i Events Group appoints new Chief Operating Officer

i2i Events Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Richard Baker as Chief Operating Officer, with responsibility for the entire UK exhibitions portfolio.

Baker will be responsible for the management of all UK exhibitions and will focus on developing and extending the portfolio through broader strategic initiatives and the leveraging of new opportunities, including launches and acquisitions in the UK.

Mark Shashoua, i2i Events Group CEO, comments, “I am delighted to announce the appointment of Richard as COO. He has a strong history within the company and vast experience across all our business types. He brings with him a diverse set of leadership skills, extensive operations experience and a successful track record. I am confident that he will make a significant contribution to the continued development of our UK based exhibitions business and the overall strategic objectives of the Group.â€'

Baker was previously Group Operational Director at i2i Events Group having joined the company in 1994. He started his career as sales manager across print and exhibitions and led the successful launch of the company's first trade show in South Africa in 1995. He then worked in Dubai, transforming a small magazine business into a 150-strong organisation and launched MEED Conferences, MEED Projects and MEED Insight. Most recently, he was instrumental in running the Large Scale Events portfolio encompassing World Retail Congress, World Architecture Festival and the Patient Safety Congress and in introducing new CRM technologies across i2i.
Richard Baker comments, “I look forward to taking on this new role at i2i and to working on great events such as Spring Fair, Bett, RWM, Pure and BVE. With the exhibition teams we aim to work even more closely with our customers going forward, to further develop each brand and to consistently deliver excellent events.â€'

The first event in the i2i Events Group calendar for 2013, Bett, opens at ExCel London on 30th January and is expected to be over 25% bigger than last year.