Tony Bennett

International Sales Manager

Tony joined ISE in 2020. His role involves working with all ISE’s customers from the UK, US and Canada, and Nordic countries, ensuring their partnership with ISE exceeds their expectations.

What is your favourite memory from a previous ISE show?

As an ISE newbie, 2020 was my first show – and thanks to Storm Ciara it took me over 18 hours to get there from England via three very long train journeys! There are too many great memories to single out one:

It was the first time I met my wonderful ISE colleagues in person (and amazingly it was also the last time to date thanks to the pandemic).
I was in awe of the scale of the show, some of the stands blew me away. The new technology on display made me feel like I had travelled into the future!
Meeting so many customers at rebooking, hearing how important ISE was to the success of their business, and seeing how competitive things got when they were trying to secure a good position for ISE 2021 – it opened my eyes to how vital a part of our industry ISE is.
CresFest was brilliant. We were working very long days, so it was great to let our hair down and the entertainment there was awesome.

Tony at CresFest, ISE 2020 — Tony (right) and friend at CresFest, ISE 2020

Where would we usually find you outside of work?

For the last year or so you would find me sat in my home office/living room/gym/man cave… When not in lockdown I enjoy walking with my wife, young daughter, and my dog (Alfie) in the beautiful countryside near where I live. I am also an avid (and very good) poker player, so you will often find me at a poker game somewhere with my mates.

What are you reading right now?

I read an awful lot, though when I say ‘read’ I actually mean ‘listen’ as audio books are my thing. I normally have a fiction and non-fiction book on the go at any one time: currently they are Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Atomic Habits by James Clear (for the second time – if you haven’t heard of it I strongly advise checking it out).

What are you currently watching?

I don’t watch much TV outside of sports and documentaries. However, the most recent series I watched was The Boys, which was very entertaining. I would recommend it to anyone who isn’t easily offended!

Do you have any pets?

I do indeed, I have a great little dog called Alfie. He’s a shih-poo, and we’ve had him since he was eight weeks old. Since I have been working from home the vast majority of my clients have now heard him, as he loves to bark whenever I am on an important meeting.

If you could only have three apps on your smartphone, which three would you pick?

WhatsApp to keep in touch with my family and friends, Audible to keep me entertained, and Sky Sports News so I can keep up with the football news. (I am originally from London so of course I support Manchester United!)

What’s the best piece of advice you have ever been given?

Don’t ever use the word ‘can’t’. This is a mantra we stick to with our young daughter – anything is possible if you are willing to work for it.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself that most people don’t know.

I am a massive fan of drum and bass, and still love going raving at 37 years old! Obviously the pandemic has stopped me from going to any raves recently, but as soon as live music is allowed to happen I’ll be straight back to it.

The last rave I went to was SW4 on Clapham Common in London back in August 2019, which happened to be on the hottest day of the year so was intense! For those that know the scene, I am into jump up, and SASASAS and Problem Central are my favourite crews.