You are the community.
There hasn't been an event, investor call or CEO I've talked to this year who doesn't know Pavilion. It's a testament to the quality of connection, content and consistent grind you all bring to your team. You've built the authority in GTM in the Benelux, the seal of excellence for outstanding commercial leadership.
Thank you! - for being part of this journey, being vulnerable with your experiences and for paying it forward to others.
The start into 2024 looked quite differently though. After a year without a local chapter, Koen, Brendon and I got more disappointed emails than we ever wished for. We love the feedback. But this has been tough.
The recurring theme? Local community, local connections, local topics.
We hear you - and we felt exactly the same.
So what did we learn?
1️⃣ Prioritising face to face: More than 20 events this year and our continued focus on face to face interactions is the thing we are most proud of. We bounced somewhere between excellent dining, Bitterballen and Korean BBQ - each experience bringing us closer together and feeding into the impact you seek from the community. We had our first events in Belgium (Karien & Jona) and kickstarted the Associate community (Violeta & Ken) to foster the growth of outstanding leaders of tomorrow.
2️⃣ New perspectives: We saw members leave Pavilion, but the healthy core remained. New members felt welcomed with open arms. They were offered a place of belonging and instant trust. With them, they brought new experiences, their peers, which enables us to widen the topics we discuss and capture more of what is Go-to-Market.
3️⃣ On the bench: While it is not as visible in the market, this year has been tough on Dutch companies. Many Executives were out of a job, AEs actively outbounding for a role and countless coffees with people looking for a change. Pavilion is here for you. At least a handful of people in the Benelux found a new job or gig over the community and we are here to support with intros to recruiters and interesting companies alike.
During all that time, we didn't make one outbound call. We deliver value with the experiences we craft, the community you create and the authenticity which drives us.
Closing 2024, the community grew over 60%, hosts +250 leaders, beat the Pavilion growth bands for 7 consecutive months (best globally) and has given so much energy to back to us.
What does 2025 hold for us?
Half of Executives drive Sales functions. The rest is equally split between Marketing, CS, RevOps and CEOs. We consider ourselves GTM leaders and want to reflect that in two important diversity topics. Higher share of non-Sales functions and higher share of female leaders.
Even though the industry out there doesn't look that way today, it is a world we want to shape. We are better together, more successful in diverse teams and more reflected when seeing different perspectives.
Let's create that world together.
Merry Christmas 🎄
