CEO Insights Magazine

The way the corporate realm communicates with customers has undergone sea changes over the years, especially since the pandemic. Today, the market expects overwhelming experiences, and hence, brands must adopt an omnichannel communication approach that goes beyond events.

In addition to the rise of virtual and hybrid events, the demand for 360-degree personalized digital experiences is exponentially growing. Mohamed Zahid Yon, the CEO & Director of VEP Global group of companies, an omnichannel creative digital agency, is a torchbearer of this 360- degree approach.

Virtual Event Platform companies (known VEP), under the leadership of Zahid, has successfully emerged as a standout in the Malaysian event landscape by going beyond event management to provide everything from Virtual, Creative, Digital, Technology, Video, and Music solutions to even branding partnerships under one roof.

Zahid, a Mass Communications, Film & TV graduate from Curtin University, brings more than two decades of experience in the creative and event industry. With event experience since 2002, VEP is currently busy expanding its footprints to Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, Japan, Barcelona, Dubai, and Bangkok, with an agile in-house team adding significant value to its operations. We are pleased to have Zahid with us for an exclusive interview to share his journey and vision.

 What lessons helped you emerge as a leader in the events industry, and what motivates you today?

I believe in perseverance, a key quality that I truly value. I encourage my team to never let obstacles stand in our way. Keep working hard, stay focused, and push forward, step by step, until you reach your goals.

Perseverance is crucial for anyone serious about achieving something meaningful, because no matter how long it takes or how tough it gets, it’s  about continuing to persevere and to be resilient in the challenges we face.

What really matters to reach your goal is having determination and resilience over skills, education, and connections. Most importantly, once you've achieved a goal or a dream, move on to the next one. Keep growing, keep evolving and have the hunger for progress and keep moving forward.

Can you give a challenging instance that you overcame by finding a timely solution?

Our biggest challenge as an event company was the pandemic—three years without events and a team of 44 to sustain. With our core business paused, we shifted focus to our other services like social media, websites, design, and video, but it wasn't enough. 

What we did next was something we felt was a bold step during the pandemic. We hired programmers, built a virtual studio, and ventured into metaverse experiences all while we were stuck at home due to the COVID movement restrictions. None of us had prior experience, so we divided the team. Some learned studio production while others sourced and onboarded skilled developers.

This combination of virtual production, metaverse tech, and creative services helped us adapt and survive. The key takeaway here is to always stay agile. Success comes  from being versatile, learning fast, and surrounding yourself with the right people to navigate uncertainty and change.  

What are the best industry practices you impart in your team to help maintain the company's position in the market?

 It is important to always look for the X Factor, the element that makes a project truly stand out, something unique, exciting, or a distinctive appeal that sets it apart. This unique appeal of the project is the reason you feel energized, which makes you want to jump out of bed and dive into the project.

It could be anything, from cutting-edge technology and innovative production tools to mechanical elements like hydraulics or futuristic features like live streaming holograms, interactive wearables, immersive VR or projection mapping.

I always aim to push creative and technical boundaries — not just to impress our audience but to inspire and motivate ourselves. When you find that spark that excites you, you are already halfway to success.

When you genuinely feel passionate about what you are working on, that energy becomes contagious to your team, clients, and audience. In VEP, we believe that with every project, we want to embrace innovation and leverage on technology to enhance the attendees’ experience by giving them a personalized, engaging, and memorable experiences.

What are your future aspirations?

We have achieved a significant milestone by entering our 24th year in the event industry. Over the past two years, we made a conscious decision to reignite that passion by setting a new goal for our team to establish regional footprints.

We want to deliver our great work beyond Malaysia and take our team abroad to execute projects, face new challenges, and gain fresh perspectives. This initiative has brought incredible value.

We have worked in cities like Jakarta, Bali, Bandung, Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Tokyo, Barcelona, Dubai, and Bangkok. These experiences have not only motivated and inspired our team, but have also elevated the quality and ambition of our work.

At the same time, our clients see us as a trusted partner who can support them regionally. Ultimately, it is a win-win for everyone: the team grows, the clients benefit, and the work speaks for itself.

 With your strong professional experience, what is your advice to upcoming leaders in the events industry?

First and foremost is to be kind to your teammates. Often, leadership is associated only with power, skill, or authority. But I believe being kind and genuinely compassionate for your team, combined with hard work, is the real starting point for effective leadership.

As a leader, your foundation should be taking care of others with the hope that they, in turn, take care of you. Kindness is not a trait, it can be practiced. Secondly, your team is likelier to follow your hard work towards shared goals, for the collective good, not just individual success.

Lastly, never stay still, keep evolving. Over my 20-year journey, I have explored different paths, from entertainment and concerts to corporate events, then into technology with metaverses, holograms live streaming, and immersive VR studios.

 Mohamed Zahid Yon, CEO & Director, VEP Global

With over two decades of experience in the creative and events industry, Mohamed leads VEP Global as its CEO. He holds a B.A. in Mass Communications, Film & TV from the prestigious Curtin University.