Q & A with our Judges

Will Poole, Sales Manager, The Mermaid

• To what extent has the pandemic brought the industry together and fostered joint initiatives and the sharing of best practice?

This is something that has been becoming more apparent in recent years, particularly from a venue perspective. Gone are the days of a blinkered approach to running venues, most venue operators know who their main competitors are and who is in a similar role to them within said venues. There are regular meet ups, both formal and informal, to discuss best practices, what is nagging you, new technologies, etc. Venue operators are also not afraid to pick up the phone and discuss incoming new clients from existing venues to gain a better understanding of how the client operates and any pitfalls. Generally, venues are happy to provide feedback in this area as it is reciprocated when requested. I expect this to continue and links to be even stronger going forward

• How do you see the prospect for different types of live events over the next 12 months?

Whilst the feedback we are getting from clients is that they are desperate to host live events, particularly for internal comms meetings, there is still a hesitancy to do this as delegates are nervous to return to central London and organisers are concerned that the government can lock down parts or all of the country, which in turn would have serious consequences to live events. Because of this, I expect (and we have evidence of this from what is currently booking into the venue), that clients will take a hybrid approach to events in the short to medium term, giving delegates the option to attend in person or dial in, and at the same time keeping the relative capacity of the event small to negate the effect of potential lockdown conditions set by the government in the future. A clients and delegates become more confident of in person events, this will become the norm again, but I still expect live streaming to be popular for those delegates unable to attend and also from a environmental perspective to reduce delegate carbon footprints.

Anna Peters, Creative Director, Evolve Events

• How did you look after your staff / customers during the pandemic?

In a period of uncertainty clear communication is vital, so we focussed on finding ways to keep connecting. We reached out to our events community and increased our online visibility whilst creating new digital platforms to help our clients connect, learn and share experiences.

• Have you adapted your Venue as a result?

As we weren’t able to host live events at a physical venue we created a range of virtual venues for events; designed to bring teams together and deliver a unique experience for each individual attendee. Our virtual venues are fully immersive settings which bring together interactive features, feel, sound, performance and visuals …. all complimented by tasty food and treats delivered to the home.

The House of Wonderland specialises in Christmas parties, the House of Happiness is a place for wellbeing and escape whilst the House of Talent gave young entertainers a place to perform when their normal venues were closed.

• How has your role changed since March 2020?

My role as Creative Director has stayed the same but I’ve upskilled with a deep dive into digital, developing services in digital strategy and virtual/hybrid event production to diversify our offering.

I’ve helped our business stay visible online, creating thought leadership articles and engaging content as well as helping others working in events grow their audience through social media training.

To prepare the business for post-pandemic we’ve been supporting and reassuring our clients, streamlining our processes, amplifying our online visibility and created online event services.

• How do you see the prospect for different types of live events over the next 12 months?

The events industry has changed beyond recognition, with a fast-track adoption of virtual technology that has redefined how we communicate permanently and it’s a different event-world we find ourselves in, with the digital transformation of events providing new opportunities but also challenges as we go through a period of trial and error to ascertain what a successful event will look like.

The world around us has also changed and event professionals need to focus on how they connect and engage, not just in our own community but how we can bring people together.

In order to remain relevant as an industry, we have to understand what works for businesses and participants, and deliver experiences that engage audiences, regardless of whether they are virtual, hybrid or live events, in order to enable the human interaction that we’ve come to realise matters so much.

The trust is that the pandemic is only a catalyst for change in the industry. In fact, there has been a shift in how events deliver experiences for some time, with many welcoming the opportunity to create a truly bespoke experience that small events offer, whilst others are desperate to hear the roar of the crowd again. The provision of personalised experiences will become key, whilst more awareness of the impact on the world around us means that event solutions will need to be sustainable as conscious consumerism grows and the demand to create events with a reduced carbon footprint rises.

As we ease our way out of lockdown, there is of course an element on caution, but this is coupled with a pent-up demand to celebrate. There’s an overwhelming desire to come together and companies want to recognise the achievements of their teams. Events where it’s a personal choice to attend will happen first but the return to large scale events later in the year is looking strong.

• To what extent has the pandemic brought the industry together and fostered joint initiatives and the sharing of best practice?

The last year or so has seen an industry innovate, collaborate and support each other without any element of competition and the resilience shown by event profs and the determination to carry on working in the business that they have created and cherish has been incredible.

Many have commented that it was the support of the events community that enabled them to get through the worst time their businesses had experienced, and this has fuelled a desire to continue to unify the industry to better represent itself and demonstrate our expertise and value.

The events industry is made up of a broad church and historically this fragmentation has proved to be a barrier to clarifying and communicating the power of events. But campaigns such as OneIndustryOneVoice has helped the industry start to change the way it thinks about itself, moving from disparate sectors into one community.

• Are there any elements of the changes you’ve made that you won’t be changing back?

There’s been so much innovation within the industry, and it’s been fantastic to see the way so many people have adapted. I’d like to see this continue (but out of desire rather than necessity!). There’s been a lot of talk about sustainability, and I’d like to see us all working together to put more of this into practice. Seeing people in our sector willing to help, advise and support each other has been inspiring and we must continue to build on this and be more inclusive and diverse so as an industry we come back stronger

• What will you be looking for in a winning entry? What will make it stand out for you and differentiate it from the rest?

At the moment the pull must be really strong to get people to attend events so I’m going to be looking for entries that engage and make emotional connections. Events need to be more creative than ever before so something different, original and innovative will really stand out, along with those that can provide metrics to demonstrate the value their events deliver.

Bernard Aherne, Managing Director, Options Greathire

• How did you look after your staff / customers during the pandemic?

We took the decision early on to support all our clients through the pandemic. Whether it be through working with them to process prompt refunds for cancelled orders or flexible payment terms for outstanding payments. Once in lockdown we made a point of reaching out periodically to all clients for a chat and a catch up. Once we started opening up, we took the decision to support all clients with photoshoots and tastings; all at our cost so that our clients could carry out all the promotional activities they wanted in order that they could bounce back strongly. We also opened up our showroom and tasting rooms free of charge for clients and non-clients alike in order that those with premises unsuitable for meetings or limited by space could continue to meet in a covid secure manner.

Throughout the pandemic, our team got together regularly. Whether using the time for training sessions over zoom, virtual quiz nights, a charity walk or bake off, we came together regularly. It has been important to have regular contact with everyone, ensure that we communicate regularly and provide some structure to each of our employees’ weeks, especially during the lockdowns.

• How has your role changed since March 2020?

t hasn’t changed at all. Everything I am doing now, everything we’re doing as a business is exactly what we have always striven to do. That’s to say: look after our employees, create a safe working environment and listen. Likewise, from a customer standpoint, we have continued to respond quickly and in our usual professional manner to every request. Here at Options Greathire we’ve always prided ourselves on providing the very best standards of service and now more than ever, I believe this is shining through.

• To what extent has the pandemic brought the industry together and fostered joint initiatives and the sharing of best practice?

I am still not convinced that even those of us in the industry have a common understanding of what constitutes our sector. So much goes into an event from all the different suppliers, to the venue, to the caterer, entertainment and so on, not to mention the different types of events, whether business events, weddings or live music and theatre. What became clear to me during the pandemic is how we lack a unified front and how ineffective; for the most part the industry associations and various campaigns were in influencing policy or securing support for our sector. I believe there is still much work for our industry to do in terms of putting forward one voice that represents us all, one that carries influence.

Greg Lawson, Chief Executive Officer, Smart Group Ltd

• How has your role changed since March 2020?

Like many across the industry, roles within Smart Group have changed quite significantly, especially in those initial months. Almost overnight I went from leader of a thriving business with over 100 employees to a firefighter, trying to make sense of the disaster and anticipate the new business landscape and journey. Due to the speed of the pandemic and the continued changes to the furlough scheme and the like, this meant that days usually spent meeting with clients, meeting with my team and providing strategic guidance, soon became filled with spending painstaking hours deciphering the latest changes and working closely with a core team as to how this impacted our own staff and the communication required surrounding this. I have naturally also supported the team handling an extensive list of clients postponing and cancelling events. We have been fortunate to have a very ‘can-do’ team who have all been hands on across the business, as a result

I have supported by cooking in our kitchens, packing boxes for virtual events and been the delivery driver on more than one occasion! It is crucial to me that the team have got stuck in and supported each other irrespective of title to help rebuild the business. As we near the Autumn period, I am pleased that my role is moving back towards leading the business and guiding us through these very challenging months as we rebuild and get back to doing what we do best.

• How do you see the prospect for different types of live events over the next 12 months?

There is no doubt that the impacts of the pandemic will be long lasting, and this has resulted in some reconsidering their event requirements. This being said, we are confident that with the vaccine roll out, Christmas will most certainly be back this year! We of course need the government to give the go ahead for dancing, to ensure guests can truly let their hair down, but we are most certainly moving in the right direction and there is clearly confidence in this area with an increase in enquiries and confirmations.

For many companies, it has been so long that they have not been able to have their teams together and as a result AGM’s and conferences will be more important than ever before, especially for those businesses who have committed to an aspect of remote working. Their internal events will potentially be the only times that their team all get together moving forward, and so we are already seeing a real demand for this style of event. For some, virtual events have provided a fantastic alternative during this difficult time, but for the majority of our clients, they say that you simply cannot beat the buzz in the room, that chilled glass on arrival and spectacular food served – and I must say I agree with them!

Alastair Stewart, Managing Director, etc. Venues

• How did you look after your staff / customers during the pandemic?

Investing in both our staff and our clients during the pandemic has been our main priority at etc.venues.
Rather than close our sales offices, we kept them open with the “Dream Team” of 15 working from home, in order to ensure continuity of our client relationships. This experienced team has remained committed and available; helping and guiding clients through the challenges of the year with regular calls and engagement initiatives. They have become a trusted resource aiding customers with advice on the ever-changing government guidance and developing creative technical solutions for future events.

Our ’18 point plan’ was one of the first to outline the measures we had put in place to ensure clients wishing to use our venues were in safe hands. This covered in detail our cleaning protocols, adapted capacities and safety measures but most importantly it outlined our continued investment in team training.

Our senior team has also been a constant throughout the pandemic; supporting staff with regular, fun and an engaging series of open forums and comms. From introducing a regular newsletter to bi-weekly interactive quizzes and creating a challenge hound cycling and walking competition that took our team from London to New York and back again. On top of this, we have used our social media channels to highlight some of the great volunteering initiatives our team members have done for their communities.

It is a testament to these efforts that so many of our clients and staff are more engaged than before with our brand and keen to return to our venues.

• Have you adapted your Venue as a result of the pandemic?

etc.venues has had to adapt. We have been successful in providing our venue space for a number of different uses whilst our core business of providing space for events, meetings and conferences was suppressed. In August 2020, etc.venues, working in partnership with Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS), secured the first Nightingale Court at our Prospero House venue in London. Following several months of successful operations in February 2021 we were awarded a second major long term Government contract at our Maple House venue in Birmingham again selected by HMCTS as a Nightingale Court. This was quickly followed by the confirmation and conversion of our Marble Arch venue in London into a Vaccination centre.

• To what extent has the pandemic brought the industry together and fostered joint initiatives and the sharing of best practice?

Collaboration and unity throughout the meetings and events industry shone through as 1,419 event professionals, including 305 in-person at twelve venues, came together nationwide for UKickstart, a major industry event initiated by our Director of Marketing, Adam Simpson, and supported by twelve industry associations in September 2020.

There was great encouragement for the industry and a positive outlook from the keynote panel which featured Nigel Huddleston MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism and Heritage at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), Nick de Bois (Chair of the VisitEngland Advisory Board); Tracy Halliwell MBE (Director of Tourism, Conventions and Major Events at London and Partners) and Simon Hughes (Chairman of BVEP).

Questioned by Calum Di Lieto,Eeditor of C&IT, Nigel Huddleston said; “The events industry may have been undervalued in the past but that is not the case now; the industry has a real voice in government.” Later he also recognised the professionalism of the industry and the safety procedures that venues have implemented when he commented that “The pilot events have shown that you know exactly how many people are coming in and venues are equipped to deal with new safety measures. The industry has done a great job on developing the guidance for reopening.”
Rick Stainton provided a clear insight, at the event, into aims and development of the One Industry One Voice campaign behind which he has united many agencies and associations. A campaign to highlight the benefits of events and the event industry at the C-suite levels of clients and a wider recognition of economic contribution of events across the general populous.
Both these initiatives have shown the industries ability to come together and support in challenging times.

• Are there any elements of the changes you’ve made that you won’t be changing back?

Our best-in-class hybrid meeting solutions will be available well into the future. Over the past 12 months, we’ve researched and tested a broad range of hybrid meeting solutions to bring our customers three best-in-class options which are available to tap into as and when needed – including our video conferencing ‘Room in a Box’ solution, our ‘Hybrid Event Platform’ and, for serious wow factor, our ‘Green Screen Studios’. Our best-in-class solutions are supported by our award-winning teams who are fully trained to guide and consult; helping clients pick the most suitable option. Support is on hand from the initial consultation to ensuring everything runs smoothly during the meeting or event. None of these solutions would be possible without our tech-enhanced venues. Each venue has been designed from the ground-up to include sound-proofed walls and ceilings, superfast and secure connectivity with enough bandwidth to stream live broadcasts to thousands of attendees – with crystal clear sound and pin-sharp imagery. Investment in this essential infrastructure and new technologies is something etc.venues have always been at the forefront of and we will continue to do as we look to open new venues in the future.

• How do you see ‘the new normal’ for venues and events once we reopen and events start again?

At etc.venues, we have never had time for ‘normal’ or ‘average’ or ‘OK.’ We have always set the bar high for ourselves and kept it there, day in, day out. That’s why, over the past few months, we’ve used our time wisely; by upgrading our hybrid meeting tech, by redesigning some of our spaces, by getting even more creative in the kitchen and by retraining our people. So, when you next visit, you’ll be reassured to see that we’re not back to ‘normal’, we’re back to excellence.

We hope you have been inspired by reading our Judge’s Insights – don’t forget to enter your Venue/Space/Catering Company into the 2021 London Venue Awards.
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