All posts by : ATW-Admin

In the events industry, connections, collaborations and our little black book of contacts is everything – and now, more than ever. 

With the latest news of some of the hospitality sector re-opening on 6th July, all be it with restrictions in place, the event industry can start slowly emerging again and special occasions can be planned which is, of course, music to my ears.   

However, I am definitely feeling, like so many other event professionals, a sense of caution, nervousness and trepidation of not wanting to go all-out straight away but instead re-join slowly and surely. During my career, I have always valued connections over and above anything else as having friends, confidents and allies in my sector has undoubtedly grown my business, my confidence and my abilities. Throughout lockdown, I have cherished these friendships and professional relationships more than ever. 

As we are now experiencing the pandemic aftermath (hopefully) and life may get back to some semblance of normality, the importance of connections is definitely not lost on me. The groups that I am part of that kick-start my week, that help me with dilemmas, enrich me with knowledge and broaden my horizons are a permanent fixture in my diary, lockdown or no lockdown, and my cherished little black book of freelance event managers has never been more precious.  

Throughout my career, I have been lucky to meet some phenomenal event professionals and I have a list of go-to people that I know are 100% reliable and brilliant. The Norwegian event I was charged with would not have been the success it was without bringing in a fantastic team that over-and-above delivered on brief. And knowing fellow event organisers that I can collaborate with, who share my values and work ethic is priceless (yes, Hannah Hall from Sunflower Corporation – I’m looking at you!). 

So, for me – contacts and relationships are everything and for us business owners, taking the time to create and nurture these can pay off in dividends when you really need it. Events are fundamentally about people – making people feel a certain way through experience and magic and the more of us working together to deliver that can be no bad thing.   

If you’re a business owner, I urge you to dedicate some allotted time per week to growing your network. We all think we don’t have time to go for that coffee or have that Zoom chat, but for things of value, like relationships, we need to make time. It’s a cliché but we really are better together and all of us can learn, grow and offer value.  

For me, I am always looking to learn, grow and improve and I am constantly impressed, wowed and inspired by the people in my network, and that’s not necessarily just events people, but connections from all walks of life and experience. From a time when I used to dread ‘networking’ and the awkwardness that came with it, I now cherish it.  

The event world is slowly re-emerging after lockdown with a desire for smaller, more intimate gatherings to re-connect and spend quality time with those special people. But are intimate events here to stay? I think so.   

I hosted my first ‘live’ event in a while last week – a fishing day for 4 people, and I’ll let you into a little secret, I was a bit nervous! This was my first event after lockdown and my first event with these new measures. I wrote lists about lists and triple checked everything! 

I surprised myself at feeling nervous. I’ve hosted events for hundreds of people in hugely pressurised environments for many years but somehow, the more intimate ones in these new circumstances felt different.  

There was a lot to learn, think about and prepare for, and my team and I ensured we were fully prepared, so our clients had the most fantastic day. 

I am hugely pleased to say that the event went brilliantly. All the social distancing measures were checked (and double checked!) and implemented fully. We put together individual PPE packs, individual drinks boxes with beautiful gin and tonics from a local gin distiller, a delicious individually packed picnic lunch for each guest delivered by a local caterer and the views on the River Nadder in Wiltshire were just stunning (as was the fishing!). My client and their guests had a wonderful day I’m happy to say, so much so that they are wanting to rebook for next year. 

This great event has got me thinking about the rise of the intimate events in light of us not being able to host large gatherings currently. I watched this small group of guys really bond, share their thoughts and have a fantastic experience together all aided by some wonderful personal touches, even if I do say so myself! In large events, even though there is magic, there is nothing as special as a smaller, shared experience.  

I am already having some great conversations with private and corporate clients about downscaling events and how we can make them bespoke, intimate and magical. Summer is here and there are some utterly beautiful locations that we are already planning to enjoy in the sunshine.  

With the socially distancing rules predicted to go down from 2 metres to 1 metre soon, this allows for some wonderful possibilities and to re-enter the real world for a lot of us in a more intimate environment. It’s been an extremely challenging time so spending time with just a few of your nearest and dearest, or those special clients can be a lot more appealing. 

For us, we’re fully embracing and loving the more intimate events and thoroughly enjoy planning the intricate details to make them personal and bespoke to our clients – could we help you?  

The COVID-19 pandemic has driven things to a halt and none more so than in the events industry which ground to a standstill overnight. It’s been tough, there’s no doubt, and I’m sure it will continue to be, but I firmly believe that in order to not only survive, but thrive, we have to tackle the challenges, adapt and ensure we offer the best events possible.

One thing is for sure, when all this is over and life gets back to some semblance of normality, one thing that people will want is to be together, to re-connect with their tribe and to have experiences. I have been watching closely social media, messaging and reporting on peoples’ mood and what I have noticed is that the physical and tangible ‘stuff’ that people used to cherish is not so prevalent now and has been replaced by experience, emotion and memories.

Of course, this desire is heightened due to the situation we’re in, but I do think there will be a sea change in what people class as important. This is where my role comes in. As a seasoned events planner, my job has always been to create memorable and bespoke events with that added sprinkle of fairy dust and that is never more important than now. I am spending this time that I’m not working planning, creating, thinking and putting together ideas that will bring people back together in the most special way with emotion, love and companionship as soon as we can.

I feel there will be a huge demand for gatherings, shared experiences and collective joy and the feeling of togetherness. It is my job is to provide the perfect setting to do just that. Being lucky enough to run events both in London and the Cotswolds, I am spoilt for choice and I am working with and supporting these venues that are struggling by ensuring they are first on my radar to book with as soon as possible.

So, I guess my message is to look forward. I encourage you to think of the time when you have a glass of the good stuff in hand surrounded by your friends in a beautiful location, or when you can take your team out for a memorable day to thank them for all their hard work getting through this, or how you can finally celebrate your birthday that was spent online. There’s no harm to dream and plan now so when it happens it will be perfect, and I would love to help you do that.

Do please get in touch to have a chat and we will do our best to put your dream into reality. Events bring people together and it has never been more important than now.

On 3^rd April 2017, we hosted our first LCE event – a conference to promote Bangladesh as an investment destination held at the stunning Langham, London for a leading European hedge fund manager client.

The Langham put on a great show and as you would expect from one of the top 5 star hotels in London guests experienced excellent levels of service and top quality food throughout the day.

It was to be a business packed day for the 130 guests attending, who had the opportunity to hear a variety of presentations from leading politicians and Directors of successful businesses in Bangladesh, and market strategists amongst others, providing their views on the social and political context of the country, its economic potential, the growing local market and the thriving pharmaceutical sector, to name a few of the hot topics.

Following the conference guests relaxed with a glass of bubbles while listening to the melancholy sounds of Nathan’s Jazz Trio before taking their seats for a sumptuous dinner.

This event was a huge success, and a great one to kick-start Lucy Claire Events. For my client it was also the first of its kind. A big thank you to everyone who worked on the event as it was a fantastic team effort.