We caught up with our European Marketing manager Wouter Schreurs to find out what his role is in helping HeadBox expand into mainland Europe.

What are you listening to?

Bobby Tarantino II, an album by Logic

What are you reading?

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson

What’s your favourite city?

Amsterdam

 

Can you give us some background on your career so far and how you came to be at HeadBox?

Flashback to my studies back in Belgium. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Accountancy, but after a few months of doing an internship at an accountancy firm, I realised that, even though I have an interest in numbers, I didn’t like the tracking of numbers without really having much of an influence on them.
I then decided to pursue a Master’s degree in International Business Management in an international setting. It was always my intention to leave Belgium behind and work abroad. I was successful in applying for a fast-growing e-commerce business in the North of England, where I was responsible for launching and growing their brand in the Dutch and Belgian market.
After a few successful years in the rainy north, I started to hear London calling and so here I am.

What is your role and what does a typical day at HeadBox involve for you?

As the European Marketing Manager, I sit within the HeadBox marketing team. My role right now is simple…getting everything prepared for HeadBox’s launch into mainland Europe with the first stop being De Randstad in The Netherlands.
My main focus at this moment in time is around market research. I’ve spent a lot of time looking into competitors and what they are doing, as well as looking into the types of venues in The Netherlands and the size of the audience there. This market research will then form part of a wider launch plan which I will be managing.
One major task that I have been working on is beginning to translate the website into Dutch. This means a lot of work with the Product and Tech team as well as working with the European Host Acquisition team to ensure the venues they are onboarding have descriptions in both Dutch and English.

What do you love most about your job?

The fast pace of the office environment is really invigorating and leads to a really vibrant buzzing atmosphere in the office. The industry in which we are working is constantly changing, so you have to make sure you are keeping a finger on the pulse of everything that is new in event technology.
The role itself is extremely varied and comes with a wide range of different tasks and responsibilities which I think is very important in ensuring you don’t fall into the same old routine. There’s also plenty of opportunities to learn new skills at HeadBox. With so many different teams working together you get the chance to work with different people and learn different skills which is great.

What are the biggest challenges in your role?

Right now, having a successful launch in the Dutch market! There’s lots of work to be done to ensure everything is in place to launch successfully, but right now it’s all about being organised and making sure everyone is aligned on what needs to happen. This is easier said than done!

What tools do you find helpful for your job?

• Notion to keep track of to-do lists and meeting notes
• Spreadsheets with supermetric plugins for data measurement
• Google Data Studio to provide a sexy data overview

What would be your advice for people thinking about joining a start-up?

Make a thorough assessment of the viability and culture of the start-up. As with any job searching, make sure that you see a future for the company and that you fit in with the culture.

Lastly, how would you describe life at HeadBox?

Everyone within the team shares the 4 company values (empathy, integrity, curiosity and excellence) and it really shows. There’s a great atmosphere in the office, everyone is working hard to achieve their ambitious goals and there is a real sense of ownership within each team.
To find out more about HeadBox’s European expansion, read our interview with International BDE Lucy Ruff, where she discusses her role in helping venues in The Netherlands showcase their Spaces to corporate bookers. Read more, here.