Simon studied languages and literature before the theatre got hold of him. He moved quickly from the West End into the events industry during its most extravagant years, and has spent the time since combining technical precision with creative intelligence across a career that resists easy categorisation.
He has managed events for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, organised concerts in African stadia, toured senior executives across Europe and Africa, and spent several years as Head of Planning & Production at the Barbican Centre. Projects have ranged from executive business meetings to large theme park installations — from Expo in Japan to the Liwa Festival in the desert, from Dubai to Downing Street, Hogwarts to Delhi.
More recently Simon has project-managed large international exhibitions, a government conference in Africa, and a Technology Showcase during the London Olympics. In 2021 he was event director for WWM21, a virtual symposium organised across five studios with a team of 150 contributors — an attempt to develop experience and opportunity for freelancers navigating the shift to online events.
Writing
Alongside production work, Simon writes. Scripts, treatments, running orders, briefs for build contractors — anything that requires a clear message delivered precisely. Thirty years of understanding what an audience needs to hear is useful when you're the one deciding what to say.
Writing work →