March 2025 marked a major milestone for 21CC Group as we celebrated 25 years in business. But while anniversaries are often a time to reflect, for our team, they’re also a moment to look firmly ahead.
As the business continues to grow across live events, technical production and creative services, investment in people has become one of the company’s biggest priorities. We sat down with Kathryn, our Head of People & Culture, to talk about growth, recruitment, company culture and what makes this such an exciting time to join the business.
With exciting growth across the group, major investment in technology, and an expanding portfolio of projects and clients, recruitment has become a major focus for the business in 2026.
21CC Group recently hit a major milestone of 25 years in business. Why is recruitment such a major focus right now?
Hitting 25 years is an amazing milestone for the business. With that maturity comes ambition for growth, and we’re growing fast. Over the past year or so, we’ve done a lot of work putting a Senior Leadership Team in place, and we’re now setting the goals for the next stage of the business. We need great people in order to meet those goals.
What kinds of opportunities are currently available across the group?
We’re looking for people at lots of different levels from junior production technicians who are just starting their career in the industry, right through to a Head of Technical Production to work alongside the Technical Director. We’re building capability across the business so that we can continue supporting the amazing projects and clients we have coming up. We’re also looking for brilliant Technical Project Managers and Production Managers too.
For anyone interested in opportunities with us, keeping an eye on our social media and website is the best plan, we post vacancies there regularly.
How has the events and production industry changed over the last 25 years, and how has that shaped the people you’re looking for today?
The intricacy of events, the technological advancements and the speed of the industry have all accelerated massively over the past 25 years. That means we need a team who are technically excellent, but also adaptable and able to work at pace and of course, driven to deliver amazing events for our clients.
What qualities stand out most in candidates applying to join the business?
We’re looking for great technical knowledge, of course, but we’re also looking for switched-on, enthusiastic individuals who genuinely love the industry and are excited about 21CC. That energy and attitude really matter.
How important is attitude and adaptability in a fast-paced live events environment?
It’s vital. We need people who are can-do, who can use their initiative and adapt quickly in a live event situation. Things often change at the last minute, so we need a team who can respond to that, solve problems and make sure the event is the best it can be while still keeping smiling throughout.
What can new starters expect from the culture at 21CC Group?
The team here are fantastic. Everyone is driven to deliver excellent events and support each other while doing it. It’s hard work, but it’s also fun. New joiners can expect to work alongside a brilliant team with lots of support around them.
Why is investing in people so important to the long-term success of the business?
It almost goes without saying that we need great people so that we can do what we do best. But investing in people is more than just hiring the skills we need. We’re developing career paths within the business to give people the opportunity to train, grow and build the career they want with us. We’re also continuing to enhance our benefits package to support our team’s health and wellbeing too.
What makes this an exciting time to join the company?
There’s been massive investment in new technology over the past 18 months, and when you combine that with the team we’ve been building and the projects we’ve got coming up this year and next, we’ve got a lot to offer.
We’ve recently enhanced our benefits too, including life insurance and private medical cover. We’re also really focused on career progression – we want to help our people reach their career goals and create opportunities for growth within the business.
What do employees gain from working across such a varied group of businesses and projects?
I love that we’re able to offer our team the opportunity to work across such a diverse portfolio of clients and events. It means people are constantly building new skills and gaining experience across all kinds of projects, which keeps things exciting and gives real variety to the role.
What advice would you give to someone considering a career in live events, production or creative services?
There’s no substitute for live, hands-on experience. If you’re new to the industry, getting work experience or an internship is a brilliant place to start because it lets you see the full picture of the events world.
We’re definitely not a 9 to 5, Monday-to-Friday industry and at some point, you probably will end up muddy and cold in a field at 2am de-rigging an event!
What’s one thing people are often surprised to learn about working at 21CC Group?
The sheer range and scope of the events we work on. It surprises me all the time – the scale and variety of the projects we deliver is fantastic, and it means there’s always something new happening.
What keeps people in the business long term?
This is probably a very HR answer, but honestly, it’s the people. We have a phenomenal team here and having great people around you to learn from and work alongside makes such a difference. We’re very values-led as a business and we want to bring everyone on the journey together.
What does a successful team member look like to you?
Someone who is technically excellent, loves to get stuck in, and brings enthusiasm and positivity to the team as well.
Why do you think people choose to build their careers here?
Because we genuinely care about our people, and we want to see everyone succeed. The management team are absolutely committed to making sure our team have the opportunities and support they need to grow their careers with us.
