ONE of Northern Ireland’s most-successful digital agencies The Tomorrow Lab is set for significant growth in 2019 on the back it having experienced unprecedented client acquisition and exponential growth in external markets in recent months.
And the company, which currently has 20 people on its books, says is has "ambitious recruitment plans" to take on an additional 10 staff.
February marked three years since managing director and entrepreneur Adrian Allen made the decision to merge his web design agency 3SIXTY Create with The Tomorrow Lab.
He left school at 16 with no qualifications, yet carved out a successful name in the local property market before the crash in 2008 left him bankrupt.
But within a year he identified a market trend and started 3SIXTY Create from a repossessed house in East Belfast, despite having no technical experience in the area of web development.
Within two years the business grew to almost £300,000 in turnover and a staff of six, but the 2016 merger was the catalyst to create a sizeable business with sales of £750,000 and more than 300 clients.
The Tomorrow Lab has experienced on average year-on-year growth of 30 per cent in turnover, the majority from Britain and Ireland,and its current clients include major brands in a variety of sectors including Expedia, Danone, C&C Group, Electric Ireland and Beannchor Group.
Mr Allen said: “The Tomorrow Lab is focused on solving clients’ problems, and we deliver commercial results for them.
“Developing our business in the south is an immediate priority for us based on the success we’ve had there to date, though recruiting for our specialisms is a challenge, and we are changing how we recruit and develop our team members. Still, we have planned for five to ten new hires this year.”
The company recently recruited Nicola Thompson, a learning and development specialist with over 20 years’ experience, to manage recruitment and the onboarding processes, employee talent development, and internal and external initiatives.
Menawhile one of the company’s most successful initiatives is its digital event series #TTLPresents, which aims to support the local industry to network and learn from peers and industry leaders. The full-day event will return on May 16 and will focus on ‘driving digital results’.
Senior account manager and #TTLPresents organiser Jess Orr said: “The event has grown from 20 attendees in 2015 to an average of upwards of 100 last year, which showcases how it is perceived by the industry.”
