I work in the early stage of projects — when the opportunity is clear but the path isn’t. For 15+ years I’ve built, operated and connected people across business, sport, technology, community, hospitality and international projects.
Five things, in roughly the order they tend to happen. Open any one for more.
From early concepts and products to businesses, programmes and systems — giving shape to what needs to happen next and creating the foundations for execution.
Working across businesses, specialists, institutions, communities and international networks to establish relationships, create opportunities and move projects forward.
Teams, recruitment, systems, suppliers, budgets, events, customers, partnerships and the decisions that sit between strategy and execution.
Technical and commercial, specialist and generalist, organisation and community, local and international — making sure everyone leaves the room with the same understanding of what happens next.
Years of hospitality, events, sport and community work built a strong instinct for people, environments and relationships — and for what makes an experience work.
I’m particularly useful when something is still taking shape, when different people need to work together, or when an organisation needs someone who can bridge the gap between an idea and execution.
This is the stage most people find uncomfortable and I find natural. Working out what the thing actually is, who needs to be involved, what has to happen first, and then getting it moving rather than planning it indefinitely.
I can step into an existing team, work alongside specialists, or take responsibility for getting it off the ground.
Most stalled projects aren’t stalled on expertise. They’re stalled because the people involved are describing different things and don’t know it yet.
I speak enough of each language to keep everyone building the same thing — and to catch it early when two people think they’ve agreed and haven’t.
Groundwork around entering a new territory — understanding the context, identifying the right people, preparing for engagement, building relationships and establishing an initial project or pilot.
My strongest international experience runs across Ireland and Korea, alongside wider European and Asian networks.
Plenty of people will help you design something. Fewer will stay and operate it. I currently do this as a business owner, alongside earlier experience across small businesses and start-up environments.
From international delegations and commercial productions to hospitality events and multi-venue festivals — people, teams, suppliers, sponsors, venues, production and stakeholders.
Every project is different, so the shape is too. These are the ones that come up most often — and there’s room for something larger if that’s what the work needs.
Something exists as an intention and needs to become a real thing with a name, a team and a date.
A focused piece of thinking or a second opinion, without an ongoing commitment on either side.
A defined piece of work with a clear endpoint — market-entry groundwork, an event, an operational build, a partnership.
Hands-on help running the day-to-day: systems, people, suppliers, customers and the decisions in between.
Work that has to move between countries, cultures and institutions. Strongest across Ireland and Korea.
Building something repeatable from scratch — participants, partners, funding, delivery and the structure underneath.
Finding, building and holding the relationships that a project depends on, commercial or institutional.
Specialist calls where the useful thing is lived operating experience rather than theory.
Scope, duration and rates are worked out case by case. Most engagements end up a hybrid of the above.
A selection of things I built, operated and helped move forward. My career has crossed different industries and environments, but the work tends to share a common characteristic: people needed to be connected, or something needed to be built, organised or moved forward.
A foreign-owned hospitality business in Seoul, built and still running.
Building, operating, hospitality, team management, recruitment, training, customer experience, events, resilience through difficult periods for the district, and AI-enabled operational systems.
Building products at the intersection of high performance, technology and healthcare.
Product development, technical and commercial translation, sport, healthcare, international sales, trade shows and partnerships across Ireland and Europe.
Connecting communities, organisations and institutions across borders.
Institutional relationships, community programmes, embassy work, international visitors, business relationships and sporting organisations.
Building programmes, teams and communities around sport.
Programme development, volunteer teams, coaching, community engagement, fundraising and federation relationships.
Festivals, live events, international trade shows and the operations behind them.
Production, event operations, stage and technical coordination, stakeholders, sponsors and authorities. Just under a decade of work across events and production in Korea, alongside earlier international conference and trade-show experience.
Practical AI tools and systems built for real small-business problems.
Recruitment workflows, staff training, interactive operational manuals, simulated POS training, SOP systems and internal business tools — implemented through a real operating environment rather than as a technology exercise.
A growing archive of projects, photographs, videos, events, people and moments from across my career — from sport and technology to community, international programmes, hospitality and production.
Some are major projects. Some are smaller pieces of work. Together, they show how I work, who I’ve worked with and the environments I’ve operated in.
What started as a plan to spend two months in Korea became a life.
Seoul became home. Along the way came a family, a business, a community, and a career that has taken me into places I never would have planned from the beginning.
I’ve worked in sport, education and hospitality, built products, developed businesses, managed events and production, built community programmes, worked with international organisations, and helped connect people and institutions across Ireland and Korea.
The common thread has never really been an industry. It’s been people, ideas and momentum.
I’ve often found myself in the space between different groups — technical and commercial, organisations and communities, Ireland and Korea, an idea and the people needed to make it happen.
I started my career in Ireland around sport and performance technology, working with equipment, software and emerging products used by athletes, coaches and healthcare professionals.
That experience took me into product development, sales, customer relationships, events, international trade shows, technical projects and small-business operations.
I learned early that you don’t need to be the deepest expert in every discipline to make a complex project move forward. You need to understand enough of each part to connect the people who are.
I also leveraged my experience in high-level sport to take on mentorship roles across a number of programmes in Ireland and the UK.
Moving to Korea changed the direction of my career.
I’ve since worked across community, sport, international programmes, events, hospitality and business — often in situations where there wasn’t an obvious playbook.
I co-own and operate The Craic House in Seoul, a business that has survived the challenges of building a foreign-owned hospitality operation through difficult periods for the local district.
I’ve also worked with Korean and international organisations, community groups, sporting bodies, embassies and businesses on programmes, events, relationships and projects.
I’m increasingly interested in the space between international business, practical technology, AI, community and sustainability.
I’m particularly interested in how small organisations can use technology and AI to work better — not as an abstract technology exercise, but by building practical tools and systems around real problems.
And I’m interested in projects where commercial success and positive impact can sit alongside each other.
I’m still figuring out exactly where all of these experiences will lead.
Build something. Connect people. Make it work. Leave it better than I found it.
I’ve worked with a wide range of people and organisations over the years. These are a few words from people who have seen the work from the inside.
“His knowledge of the local market and industry trends helped us make informed decisions.”
“Kevin was great to work with, going far beyond what we had asked for.”
“Kevin consistently follows through to ensure excellent results.”
“Kevin is definitely the captain I would want on my side.”
“We would highly recommend Kevin to anyone seeking a true partner.”
“Kevin’s arrival into our club has been a game changer for us.”
“Promotes partnership, sport, cultural awareness and community inclusiveness.”
Prefer email? kevin@kevinconlan.net · LinkedIn