Phil Eames - iome

Entrepreneur Phil Eames has a passion for innovative media businesses and a flair for leading them to success. Since the early 1990s, Eames has been instrumental in developing both traditional and digital media businesses across Europe and the US, as well as directing publicly-quoted technology innovators.

Having grown media agency Incepta Online into Europe’s leading advertising and marketing technology business, positioned Twentysix London as one of Europe’s foremost digital media agencies and held directorships at Fujitsu and Morse Plc, Eames’ track record in making companies stand out from the crowd is second to none.

Eames is a driven and focused individual who confesses to being motivated by developing highly profitable businesses that are the companies to watch in their industries. He began his current role as CEO of start-up iome at the end of 2008 and set about developing a clear growth strategy designed to see the business become a major contender in the events-based social networking and digital lifestyle services arenas.

“What really excites me is developing killer technologies that are unique in the digital media space and will be used by many millions of people,” says Eames. “I joined iome because it has an extremely experienced team and the focus on product development is second to none, meaning the business is poised to evolve and become a major player.”

iome is focused on event-based social networking that is location-based and available via web and mobile. It works with brands, network providers, advertisers and government organisations so they can engage with consumers by providing personalised data to individuals based on a number of factors, including location.

Eames believes it is essential for all start-up businesses to make recruitment the number one priority. “The key challenge for any business is ensuring you have people on board that are enthusiastic, motivated and committed to the cause.  They must have passion and believe in the direction the business is heading. For example, at iome innovation is key, therefore I have made some strategic appointments within the technical team to ensure we have the right people driving the product development. For any business looking to innovate, having the right people on board who are also passionate about what they do is vital,” he explains.

iome’s services link activities, events, locations, routes and places so consumers can discover, plan and share activities, all based on their location and personal preferences. Confirms Eames: “It can be classed as intelligent social networking. Demand for accessing relevant content and information on-the-go is rapidly increasing but not many businesses know how to deliver such services and content. iome meets this demand: we already have a proven technology and business model that monetises the digital opportunity.

“Our knowledge, experience and technical capabilities support businesses that wish to interact digitally with a specific audience to build closer relationships, whilst also creating new revenue streams. I am working with the team on a number of exciting new projects to help major brands develop a digital strategy, including a major retail property company; I look forward to being able to release more details regarding these projects very soon,” he continues.

iome was the driving force behind a market-first in February this year; BT MyPlace. The service, launched in conjunction with BT, was the first of its kind to provide London residents, commuters, business visitors and tourists access to the things they like, closest to where they are, via web or mobile. 

Take-up of the service has been pleasing, according to Eames: “The service has been extremely well received with thousands of registered users and visitors. During the previous four weeks, 560,000 visits and over 619,000 individual page impressions have been recorded demonstrating the wide appeal of the service.”

So what next? Like previous business ventures, Eames has clear objectives in mind with the future development of iome. “There has long been hype around personalised location-based services, but nothing has actually been available – until now. With our technology and expertise, it is possible to provide users, brands and advertisers with a unique, intelligent social-networking based service that has a far reaching appeal and that’s what I find exciting.

“Ultimately, I am here to make the business stand out from the crowd. I have set ambitious targets and developed a clear plan that will see the business increase its market presence and profits. Importantly, I have a motivated team behind me and together we aim to lead the location-aware, digital lifestyle services space. It’s an extremely exciting time for both me and iome, so watch this space!” concludes Eames.