For Jack Saward, founder of Saward Marketing & Events, 2025 has been transformative. Not only has the team managed world-class events, but there's been a shift in how clients are working with them.
And as we head into 2026, there’s no better time to talk about the quality and potential of northern businesses.
The highlights speak for themselves. One of Jack’s personal favourites was serving as part of the core Event Management Team at Tall Ships in Aberdeen, supporting the event’s Ship Servicing workstream of one of the UK’s premier maritime events.
Jack said: “I absolutely love working in these kinds of live environments. It’s not just about the big builds and tall ships. For me, it’s a joy working with people with operational know-how, great communication skills, and helping the right people get what they need when they need it, so the show can go on without a hitch.”
The team has been across the country and overseas, but one standout – purely for its scale – was Bauma, the world’s leading trade fair for construction machinery. In April, the team headed to Munich to look after six global clients and ensure they made an impact.
Beyond the events themselves, one of the biggest shifts in 2025 has been in how businesses are engaging with Saward Marketing and Events. “We’re now getting recognised and a number of our clients are putting us on retainers,” Jack explains.
“It’s a model that makes complete sense. Why hire a full-time events manager when they might only be on a project for a few months of the year? Events may not be part of their long-term planning – it’s something they do, but don’t necessarily want to employ someone full-time for. The retainer model is definitely being recognised as a worthwhile investment.”
Navigating uncertainty
But what about political changes and economic uncertainty? Has this put people off investing in events? Not at all, they’re just thinking smarter, thanks to the likes of Jack and his team.
“We’re finding that clients are doing the basics first. They want to be at a show so we support them with selecting the right events, agreeing on the basic build fundamentals, then later think about the ‘dressing’ – do they need the barista station? How much AV do they actually need? This is where we come in to advise and navigate the costs and avoid any surprises,” Jack says.
The AI question
As AI continues to reshape industries, Jack has a clear take on what it can and can’t do for businesses, particularly in events.
“It’s important to use AI, but the experience can’t be experienced through AI,” he says. “To generate the content you want, you’ve got to have lived and breathed it. You need human interaction to understand how something made someone feel. It’s about getting this balance – using technology smartly while never losing sight of the human element.”
Northern potential
The North East’s thriving business scene is creating demand for larger event spaces to host major trade shows and conferences.
“Everyone we speak to at events who asks if we’re from Newcastle and the north says the same thing: ‘We wish there was a larger event space up this way. These big trade shows would be fantastic up here’,” Jack explains.
But Jack’s response isn’t to wait for infrastructure to catch up. It’s about getting your business seen.
“There’s so much untapped potential. We want to showcase businesses within the North and take them out of the region,” he says. “Take them to the Midlands, to London, take them to Europe, take them to North America. No matter how big or small that company is, we can help with that.”
Looking ahead
As 2026 approaches, Jack’s focus is clear: helping businesses at every stage of their events journey. Are you still just attending events? Thinking about exhibiting but worried about which ones to choose and what they’ll actually cost? Should you actually say no to certain events as they won’t benefit your company?
“We still need to shout about the businesses that exist in the North East,” Jack says. “If we can play a small part in that, great.”
2026 will build on this year’s momentum – growing the retainer business, taking clients to major international events, and showcasing northern excellence on global stages.
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