Most business owners spend their days with their heads down, focusing on operations, sales, and immediate concerns. It’s natural – these things keep the lights on. But what if this narrow focus is exactly what’s holding them back from bigger opportunities? This mindset shift – from looking down to looking out – has helped Victor Tran build over six interconnected businesses that strengthen each other while serving a broader purpose. By taking what he calls a “satellite view” of business opportunities, he’s found ways to create more value, weather economic storms, and build something bigger than the sum of its parts.
Looking Down vs. Looking Out
“Most business owners are stuck looking down at their operations,” Victor says, describing how easy it is to get caught in day-to-day details. His take? We need to change our vantage point. Victor uses a simple but powerful analogy: “If you see it from top of your building looking down your business, you can only see so much. If you look at it as a bird flying across your business, you can only see so much. What happens if you see it from a satellite? That’s when you have the world around your business.”
This satellite view helped Victor spot gaps in the events industry that others missed. While competitors focused on single services, he saw opportunities to create something more comprehensive. 
Building Connected Businesses
Rather than just running events, Victor built an ecosystem of five businesses that work together: an events management company at the core, supported by event technology through Future Events Lab, video production and photography services, marketing and communications, and a travel agency.
“The reason why we’re focused on all five is because of the end user,” he explains. Each business fills a specific need, but together they create something more valuable than the sum of their parts. Take his event technology platform, it lets attendees connect before events even start, it has an interactive map, captures leads, manages schedules, and have in session Q&A and polling. For his video and photography services, he has an app that can deliver professional video and photo content straight to attendees’ phones for immediate social media posting.
This integrated approach proved its worth during COVID-19. While many event companies struggled with a single revenue stream, Victor’s diverse business interests gave him options. But more importantly, the crisis prompted a fundamental rethink. “We sat down and actually thought about what business are we actually in,” he recalls. “Are we an events company, or are we here to service the community?” This shift in perspective changed everything. “It’s not the events that we’re creating here. It’s the way we build better communities within our events. The event is actually just a vehicle. Then you have a different product.”
Leveraging Analytics for Insights
Traditional business metrics focus on direct customers, but Victor measures impact differently. “Currently I have five businesses servicing hundreds of clients, but we’ve connected over a million people,” he notes. This focus on broader impact shapes how his businesses develop. For example, his event technology doesn’t just make organizing easier – it transforms how people interact. “What type of conversations and the quality of conversations would that create if someone’s already done their introduction? How much time would you save and how effective will the level of conversation be in the room?”
The satellite view also reveals opportunities for expansion. “Product can be local and we’re talking about local to the local community suburb, maybe it can be statewide helping people in the state. It can be nationwide helping people in the country or it can be global,” Victor explains. His event technology platform demonstrates this potential. Built in Australia, it’s now used internationally, proving that local solutions can have global appeal when you think big enough.
Looking Forward
Modern business tools provide unprecedented insight into customer behaviour. Victor’s platform captures everything from sponsor logo clicks to downloadable conversation notes from lead captures. “Event organisers can spend money printing out a program booklet. But there’s no analytics that measures attendees’ interactions.” An app however can provide this data helps prove ROI for sponsors while giving event organizers real insights into what works. It’s another example of how seeing the bigger picture – in this case, the value of data – creates better outcomes.
To learn more about Victor Tran and Future Events Lab, check out his website or visit his LinkedIn profile.
