137 The curious world of Matt Desmier: assets, people and networks

Matt Desmier describes himself as a "branding chap", "competent conference and event speaker", "connector of dots" and "consummate networker". 

Many moons ago Matt trained as a designer, spending five years at one of the world’s best specialist art schools where he learned how to be curious.

It was this curiosity that has informed every aspect of Matt's professional career ever since. He's been an innovation advisor, a design management consultant and a branding strategist. He's run incubation centres, European-funded programmes and workshops, led big teams, small teams and no teams; he's staged big events, small conferences and parties.

But at the heart of everything, Matt's a marketer who sees the world a little differently.

He and his team have worked with a range of impressive organisations, including the UK’s largest crowdfunding platform, the UK’s most respected insurance company and a global leader in mapping technology, helping them discover their voice, grow their audience and develop products and services fit for the 21st century.

As founder of the Silicon Beach conference event in Bournemouth in the UK, Matt has had a big hand in establishing the seaside town's reputation as a buzzing hub for all things digital and creative. 

Silicon Beach is a two-day flagship conference featuring some of the world's most influential speakers contributing to a themeless event with no published agenda. It is this originality that has helped the event attract a global audience.

In today's noisy information-overloaded world, we're constantly told we need to stand for something, we need to hone our message and be focused in getting our story out in the world in a consistent way.

On the surface, that makes a whole lotta sense. But does it really?

Matt Desmier runs counter to that argument. You simply can't box him in to any one thing. This is both his strength and key differentiator in the marketplace.

So how then does he cut through with a cohesive message and maintain his personal brand? How does Matt build his business?

The answer is a multi-faceted one.

Matt explains that sometimes, it's what you don't do that is more important for your personal brand than what you do do.

Having principles are also critical. We've surpassed the need for having a purpose, and moved on to the importance of principles, he says.

But ultimately, it all comes down to assets, people and networks.

This is an enjoyable wide-ranging interview that will get you thinking about the way we approach our professional lives.

CONNECT WITH MATT:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattdesmier/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattdesmier

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mdesmier