S5E60: It’s Not the Problem, It’s How You Handle It: Traversing the Goat Path to Success with Indoor Ag-Con’s Brian Sullivan

Artwork for podcast Vertical Farming Podcast

Episode 60 • 1st July 2022 • Vertical Farming Podcast • Harry Duran

Episode Summary

CEO of Indoor Ag-Con, Brian Sullivan joins the show to share his years of experience in event management and what led him to acquire Indoor Ag-Con, the premier trade show & conference for indoor vertical farming & controlled environment agriculture. Today, Harry and Brian discuss the highs and lows of the events industry, the resilience Brian showed throughout the course of the pandemic, and the importance Brian places on problem-solving and fostering a familial-type culture among his team.

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Key Takeaways

07:14 – Harry welcomes CEO of Indoor Ag-Con, Brian Sullivan, to discuss their shared love of New York City, how Brian got into the events industry and his path to entrepreneurship

18:11 – Brian reflects on two major snags he’s experienced while putting on trade shows

21:44 – Acquiring Indoor Ag-Con and Brian’s vertical farming origin story

25:17 – What Brian looks for in an event before deciding to acquire it

33:34 – Gathering input on how to grow, change, and make it better

36:44 – Brian speaks to some of his favorite moments from event management

43:36 – Brian shares what he learned about resilience and leadership throughout Covid

48:29 – Where Brian learned his resilience and why fostering familial support is so important

52:33 – Harry thanks Brian for joining the show and Brian makes a specific ask of the audience

Tweetable Quotes

“I fell in love with the [events] industry. It really is Lights, Camera, Action. It’s buildup and it’s creating something again and again. There’s always a twist. There’s always excitement. And business is transacted there.” (12:49) (Brian)

“Connors Exhibition Group was the company I worked for. And the show I was brought onto was the National Hardware Show. It was actually the third-largest trade show in North America. I got a lot of experience but then I left honestly because it was very corporate. My wife was working in the same industry which is how we met. And we saw an opportunity to try to start a little company, and it worked.” (13:55) (Brian)

“For me, it’s fun. I can’t see myself ever doing anything else. It gets in your blood and it’s a lot of fun producing events.” (21:03) (Brian)

“If you’re building a farm, in my mind, where do you start? Do you start at building it or do you start on who your customer is going to be? Are you selling it to a restaurant? Are you going direct-to-consumer? Are you going to grocers?” (32:53) (Brian)

“There are two things I say to our teams at times. ‘If we run into a problem, it’s not the problem. It’s how you resolve it.’ And I also tell them, ‘The road to success is not a superhighway. It’s a goat path.’” (45:22) (Brian)

“I believe the best learning moments are when things go wrong.” (47:57) (Brian)