INTERVIEW: SHENIN HAMID

SHENIN HAMID, FOUNDER AND CEO, INSPIRE GROUP

INSPIRE GROUP’S SHENIN HAMID REFLECTS ON THE EFFECTS OF THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC AND EXPLAINS HOW HER COMPANY IS ADAPTING.

After launching her company while the world was still recovering from the last global recession, Shenin Hamid is no stranger to triumph in the face of adversity. Now, as the global events industry faces its greatest ever challenge, Inspire Group’s Founder and CEO is confident that we’re going to see a raft of small business emerge from the rubble left behind by the COVID-19 crisis.

“So many amazing women I knew that had corporate jobs and got laid off have started their own businesses – it’s extremely inspiring,” she told TPMEA. “I’m almost certain this difficult time will result in hundreds of small businesses springing up by passionate people that were affected directly or indirectly by the pandemic.”

In fact, while the current situation is undoubtedly unprecedented, Hamid sees certain parallels that remind her of when she was just starting out. “My story was actually quite similar in some ways,” she revealed. “While in university in 2011, when the market was just recovering from the worldwide recession and businesses were still struggling, I decided to freelance in events to create a small mode of income to help me pay for my education. I learned quickly, worked hard and built a solid foundation and great contacts in the market that resulted in me starting an agency.”

With no capital, no investment and no prior work experience at an organisation other than her own, it was a steep learning curve. “You could say I totally winged it!” Hamid exclaimed. “I learned everything from my mistakes, which often costs you a lot more. However, they are my mistakes and no university in the world could prepare me for what I have learned through them.”

While the pandemic has forced many companies to adapt to a so-called ‘new normal’, according to Hamid, innovation has always been at the core of her business. “In 2016, we started to really focus on technology – a combination of hardware and software – and we were absolutely amazed by how impactful it was to our events and activations,” she recalled. “It added so much value by increasing engagement with our campaigns instantly and extremely effectively.”

Hamid believes that Inspire’s technology-led approach has helped the company innovate and adapt quickly to the changes brought about by COVID-19. “We are working with our existing technologies to create no-touch solutions, by activating sensor control, voice and facial recognitions that allow people to interact without touch, all while keeping a 1.5m social distance,” she revealed.

Some of the services Inspire offers include hologram displays, virtual reality portals, sensor-based vending machines, large 3D outdoor displays, augmented reality climbing walls, multitouch screens, LED POSM solutions in-store for FMCG products, interactive stands and displays. “We have adapted all of these solutions with added safety measures, including hologram display hand sanitiser, which projects a hologram message to the user while sanitising, digital sanitising kiosks, sanitising tunnels and more,” the Founder and CEO confirmed.

Looking forward, Hamid is confident in the events industry’s ability to bounce back. “Events is a very creative industry that is run by terrific people who have the ability to create beautiful things,” she stated. “I believe strongly that it’s the people who make an industry what it is; people in events are constantly innovating, and innovation is key to bring this industry back. Events are not going anywhere – we have already started to see them come back, slowly but surely.” Photo: Inspire Group www.inspiregroupme.com