Joe Blackman: The British Events Entrepreneur Building Connections Across Business in the US.

British entrepreneur Joe Blackman MBE has spent more than two decades building businesses, producing international events and developing relationships across the worlds of entrepreneurship, hospitality, entertainment and international trade. You can visit his website at joe-blackman.com.

Now based in the USA, Blackman's career has taken him from starting an events company in a bedroom in Wales to working with business leaders, entertainers, professional sportspeople and members of royal families around the world.

Yet when asked what connects the different stages of his career, Blackman does not immediately talk about events or business. He talks about people.

"For me, the common thread has always been people," Blackman says. "The right relationship can change a project, a business or sometimes the direction of your life entirely."

That philosophy has become a recurring theme in the career of the British events entrepreneur.

From British Events Entrepreneur to International Business

Blackman began his events career when he was around 19, following early international experience in Qatar working around the Olympic Committee. He subsequently established the business that became Collection 26, building it from a small operation in Wales into an international events company.

There was no established family business behind him.

"I had to learn by doing," he says. "One week I was trying to work out a website, the next I was learning about accounts, suppliers, clients or staffing. There wasn't really a manual."

One of his biggest early challenges was persuading clients to take such a young entrepreneur seriously.

"I was very aware of my age," Blackman recalls. "Sometimes I'd call myself the Project Manager because it sounded slightly less alarming than telling people the owner was 19."

The experience eventually changed his understanding of credibility. "In the end, people care far more about whether you can deliver than how old you are. Reliability becomes its own form of credibility."

Collection 26 expanded into London and developed a reputation for bespoke private events and international projects. Over the years, Joe Blackman worked with entrepreneurs, global business leaders, Premier League footballers, musicians and entertainers, as well as members of royal families, particularly in the Middle East.

The work ranged from private celebrations and weddings to international corporate events and highly customised experiences. For Blackman, however, the defining characteristic of the events business was trust.

"When you work on very personal events, you see how much trust sits behind the glamorous bit," he says. "You are being invited into people's homes, families and private lives. That responsibility matters."

"The creative idea may get attention, but trust is usually what sustains the relationship."

Building a Career Between Britain and the USA

After exiting Collection 26, he broadened his professional interests while continuing to work selectively on international events.

Having moved to the United States, he became increasingly involved in international business, citizen diplomacy and efforts to strengthen economic and cultural relationships between Britain and America.

He has served on the global board and executive committee of Sister Cities International and on the board of the British American Business Council, while also participating in initiatives supporting UK–USA business relationships.

He sees little separation between this work and his background in events.

"I've always been interested in what happens when you put the right people together," he says. "Sometimes that creates a memorable event; sometimes it creates a business relationship or an international opportunity. The principle is remarkably similar."

That international outlook has been shaped by travel to more than 70 countries.

He argues that entrepreneurs working internationally need more than a good product. They need an understanding of how people communicate, build relationships and conduct business differently around the world.

"The mistake is assuming every market is basically the same," he says. "Mumbai, Riyadh, New York and Austin all have their own rhythm. If you don't understand that, you miss half of what is going on."

Why Human Relationships Still Matter in Business

Blackman believes that lesson is becoming increasingly relevant as artificial intelligence and digital technology reshape the way businesses operate.

"AI will make a lot of business functions faster and more efficient," he says. "But that makes judgement, creativity, emotional intelligence and the ability to understand people even more valuable."

His view is that technology may improve processes, but it does not remove the need for trust or human relationships.

"Good relationships have a very long shelf life," Blackman says. "Someone you worked with years ago can reappear in a completely different context, introduce you to someone else, or become part of another idea entirely."

It is a philosophy that has survived changes in both geography and industry.

Blackman was appointed an MBE in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to business and charity, recognition that he says was particularly meaningful because it extended beyond commercial achievement.

His definition of entrepreneurship has also widened. Joe talks a little about entrepreneurship and events here.

"I still think of entrepreneurship as creating things," he says. "That might be a company, an experience, a partnership or simply an opportunity that didn't exist before."

Blackman is now developing another venture combining elements of international events, hospitality, creative experiences, business development and the relationships accumulated during his career.

The precise details remain under wraps.

What has not changed is the ambition.

"I'm still very ambitious," Blackman says. "I'm just more selective now about what I want that ambition to be spent on."

"For me, the next chapter is about building things with the right people, in the right places, where there is a genuine chance to create something meaningful."