TESTIMONIAL: A caring Awards MC with a sense of fun – May 2025
John -- you are a consummate professional. What you bring to the event is just perfect in an era where everything is online, brash and mashed into ten second bursts. I think the audience appreciate the difference you personally make to an event as a caring broadcaster with a sense of fun, and a real appreciation of the world of business -- because you run a business yourself!
Julia Johnson, Seahaven Business Awards Event Producer
TESTIMONIAL: Three months on … evidence that ‘storytelling’ works – November 2024
The team have certainly been working on the storytelling since you ran your workshop three months ago, John. It's like "oh my God, we tried that thing he told us to do, and it worked!"
Stephen Patterson, Sales Director, Biamp Systems
TESTIMONIAL: A safe pair of hands as MC for a 16-speaker event that needed precise timing – November 2023
"Beautifully kept to time by your good self, John!" Adam Heard, Export Champion Event Manager, Department of Business & Trade
"Thanks for your top work, John, ensuring everyone was in the right place at the right time for our 16-talk event!" Juliet Lawton, Projects Manager, Department of Business & Trade
Department of Business & Trade
TESTIMONIAL from an HR Company Boss – September 2023
Thank you, John, for the fabulous training yesterday on "storytelling" by finding case-studies and recording brief video messages from them. Later that day I called one up, they sent me a video message, and I posted it. You inspired the action!
Elizabeth Harrison, Managing Director, MPeople Recruitment
TESTIMONIAL – from the CEO of a financial service organisation helping the underserved – August 2023
All the thanks go to you John - I have never been comfortable in front of the camera but you made me forget it was even there. It was a pleasure working with you to record those video messages to explain my business beliefs to both our external audiences, and my 700 staff.
Teddy Nyahasha, CEO, One Family
CASESTUDY: Keeping a complex, fast-moving conference to time for the UK government – February 2023
A UK government department needed a host for a regional event aimed at helping businesses to grasp the opportunities of the digital world when exporting abroad.
With such a complex subject, they required someone who would cut through the jargon, keep the focus, and where possible, make it fun.
And with nine ‘slots’ involving 13 speakers over five hours — one of them joining remotely — the time pressures were significant and the logistics fast moving. Two panel discussions with three guests each also needed handling with aplomb and tact, to ensure nobody over-spoke and questions from the audience were heard.
I love challenges like this. My background as a live news broadcaster meant that I understood the importance of starting and ending items to the minute, while my training as a journalist meant my introductions focussed on the big picture, giving clear context to the speaker ahead.
My ability to handle technical difficulties and ‘fill’ at a moment’s notice was to come in handy — when the live link to Melbourne proved elusive, and on-the-spot alternatives were required.
Immediately after the event, the lead Event Manager wrote on Linked In: “Thanks to our event host, John Young, for doing a great job of keeping us focused, on schedule and engaging our audience throughout.”