Posts in category: News

In the wonderful world of events, we are not very often in the here and now as we are planning future events, which is definitely the case for me as I’m busily organising summer conferences, retreats as well as Christmas parties.

Yes, you read that right. I have a good few Christmas party emails in my inbox that I am working on. This early planning seems to be indicative of the year ahead.

Last year, many people said events were back, but for me it feels very much like 2024 is the year when they are fully back, especially in the corporate world. Budgets are getting approved and signed off early doors and action is happening whereas there still was some hesitancy this time last year.

As you can appreciate, this is music to my ears, but it also a reminder to be cautious and manage my mental and physical health. The main thing that 2023 taught me is that I need to get the balance right as I occasionally took on too much, which then effected my overall health as a result.

I am in a very good position that, on the whole, I don’t have to go out tendering for work – the work comes to me through previous clients and recommendations. This is fabulous and something I am truly grateful for, and together, with all the years of work and networking this has paid off.  But I have learnt to say no, manage expectations and know what my limits are.

I was recently on a forum with other event professionals and mentioned that I organised and planned 35 events last year – a combination of venue finding only projects and event management – and the reaction was shock that it was so many! For me, it felt fine and normal, but this year I am going to limit myself to 30 as I know I can fully commit and give each event my best work and, make sure I am healthy.

I have also decided to give myself more pats on the back this year, which I never used to do. Before Covid I always used to gravitate towards the negative and concentrate on the things I didn’t do! Over the last few years, I haven’t been doing this and am so much happier and confident in myself! Yes that’s right – you heard it here!

As for trends for next year, interaction is so important. No one is doing bog-standard power point presentations anymore (thankfully!), and events now have a feature to make them memorable and interesting. This can be an activity, a play on branding or a giveaway for example.

There will be a big focus on AI too in terms of supporting event management. A lot of the large events already use apps to aid the user experience so this is something I will be learning about and reaching out to my network for support and education.

I think with the advancement of tech in events, it is all about getting the balance right and making sure events still remain personal but use the tech to ease experience and make them slick.

So, for now I am very happy planning a number of events, and love the variety on my books (conferences, awards, retreats, international events, Christmas parties and more!) I am not at my 30 capacity yet, mind, so if you need a helping hand, do get in touch!

There are some clear trends emerging for 2024 that all event professionals will be thinking hard about. I will be consistently speaking to friends and colleagues in the industry to ensure I am abreast of all expectations and demands from people who attend events to make sure I am putting on the best events I possibly can. The events world is ever evolving, which is why it is so exciting, and there are always emerging trends and demands coming about. Below, I’m going to talk about my top trends for next year and their impact on our industry:

Sustainability, accessibility, inclusion and diversity are non-negotiable

These four pillars are the crux of any event! For me, I will only work with suppliers, venues, entertainment and staff who uphold the same values in this space as me. There is simply no excuse not to be relevant in these areas and to make sure your offer is as sustainable, accessible, inclusive and diverse as possible.

Personal attendee experience

There is a growing trend for individuals to have a more bespoke experience at events, which I believe comes down to a personal touch. This could be something as simple as a hand-written note waiting for you in your hotel room (something I have experienced and is quite lovely!) to a dedicated agenda in line with your needs and interests. Making someone feel valued as an individual compared to a blanket approach can work wonders for engagement and overall experience so it’s always something to be considered.

The importance of mental wellbeing

For 2024, there is a huge focus on promoting emotional wellbeing for all attendees and making sure their needs are understood and met. This may include spaces at events for neurodiverse attendees or having sessions covering mindfulness and providing wellbeing and wellness activities, such as yoga and wild swimming. I have seen a significant rise in retreats, which is hugely appealing to a lot of people as it allows teams to relax and recharge as well as work in often stunning locations.

Local is key!

A very important thing for me is supporting and promoting local businesses and I am proud to have always done that in my business. This ethos is also shared with a lot of people hosting events. In both the private and corporate worlds, there is a great want to use local suppliers and support businesses in their area. This is a fantastic thing to see as it allows these often-small businesses to be seen and elevated and allows the event host to be able to talk about their desire to support their local area.

The rise of ROX

If you haven’t heard this term, it means Return on Experience. When clients hire me to organise and plan their event, they are looking for a return on their investment as well as a return on the experience! they are also looking for this. They want their guests to have a memorable experience, to make connections and to feel positive during and after the event. It is all about emotions and feeling and if you can curate that magic, you have cracked it!

If you need a helping hand planning an event for next year, do get in touch as I would love to have a chat about your plans and discuss ideas with you

Quite a few of my clients have never used an event professional before and are dipping their toe into the events world, so it is my job to make the experience as clear and enjoyable as possible.

Over the years, I have honed how I work with clients and I am astute to their personality types quite early. I have people who give me a top line brief and just want me to go and get on with it, and then others who want to be involved in every single detail along the way – and both are totally fine, as long as I prepare for that.

When a new client approaches to work with me, the first thing I will do is arrange a call or a Zoom, or if local to me a catch up over a coffee, to check we are aligned. Being trusted to run someone’s event is a very personal thing and, as much as I want to check I can work with them, they need to make sure they want to work with me, as often we’ll be in each other’s pockets for the weeks and months leading up to the event.

As in life, sometimes the energy is off and that’s fine. It’s nothing personal from each side, but I always trust my instincts and if I feel it’s not the right partnership, I will politely decline. This hardly happens at all I have to say!

Once we have the kick-off meet, we both get to ask questions and get a feel for the event. It is here I ask about the objectives of the event, why it is happening, what outcomes they want, and what are their priorities. Of course, this ranges considerably for corporate and private events, but the big things that don’t change are feelings and how people want their attendees to feel during the event.

Often, the client can be a little overwhelmed as there are so many moving parts and it is my job to calmly go through each element, address any watchouts or things that can’t be achieved, so we get a realistic plan on both sides. Once we are both happy with the brief and timescales, I get to work!

This is when I start dipping into my list of venues, suppliers and contacts. Part of my role is to be on top of venues, know of new openings and refurbishments. Clients love taking people to a new venue, so I always make sure I am as up to date as I can and spend a lot of time visiting venues to potentially work with. Often, during the kick-off session, I have several venues and suppliers in mind, and I start doing a mind map of the event and who could be involved.

This is great as I can call on tried and trusted suppliers, and venues, that I know will deliver to a premium standard in line with my values. I start making the calls and enquiries and provisionally booking in the important things first: venue, suppliers and any headline act.

Once the venue and suppliers are booked, I can then dive into the detail, which I love. This is where the little touches happen and the things that guests remember and comment on. Of course, all is budget-dependant, but there are definitely a few tricks of the trade I can bring to the party!

An important thing is to keep talking to the client every step of the way, so they feel they have got full visibility on what is going on. This makes them feel at ease, involves them in all decision making and together, we see the event come to life.

The last few years have been a bit of a rollercoaster to say the least with 2021 a real struggle in the events industry due to the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, so last year was spent catching up and delivering events at full pelt to make up for lost time and revenue!

This, however, does have an impact, and so I know I don’t want 2023 to leave me feeling as frazzled. Hopefully I have now got myself back on an even keel from the pandemic. So, when the invite to my friend’s wedding in Australia arrived for early January this year, I took it as a sign of starting the year in the best possible way. And I was not wrong.

Me of old would have thought it too risky or I would be un-committed to take a few weeks out at the beginning of a new year, but this year, I knew my business was in a good shape, plans were well underway for events and for me to go into the year in the best possible way, I needed to take this amazing opportunity. And, luckily, I could combine it with some work as there were some venues I wanted to visit for research purposes. Win/win.

I can’t express how valuable that time was for me. To have the sun on my face and be with my precious friend during her most magical time was wonderful and I am so glad I didn’t miss it. Being in Adelaide and visiting the surrounding countryside, vineyards and beaches afforded me time to regroup, think and get really excited about the year ahead. I have to say, I have come back full of vigour and I am raring to go.

The wedding was stunning – a beautiful Bridgerton themed event – and being by my friend’s side was priceless.

And my mental health and business are all the better for it.

This is a big learning for me to make sure I start each year well. I would utterly love to start every year in Australia (you never know!), but I know I now need to ease in as much as possible. Especially as the years are busy. I need to start the year as I mean to go on and setting intentions is paramount for success, I feel.

2023 has already kicked off with a fabulous clients’ networking event in the beautiful Conservatory at The Barbican, which was wonderful. I have also received numerous venue finding and event enquiries already, so 2023 is looking bright and positive!

Do you set intentions? How does it work for you?

2023 kicked off in superb style for me as I was lucky enough to be named as one of the 100 female entrepreneurs in f:Entrepreneur’s #ialso100 2023 campaign!

This campaign celebrates female business owners from all over the UK and recognises and celebrates the plate spinning and many elements that female business owners juggle on a daily basis. I really love this, as I feel the one-portfolio career has somewhat diminished over the years, and a lot of women are wearing a few hats in their professional and personal life, and that needs to be applauded.

Even though ‘on the tin’ as it were, I manage events. When you dig deeper, there are so many facets to that including venue finding, budget management, commercial negotiation and staff handling. These are all skills I have acquired over the years and brought together under the Lucy Claire Events arm in order to offer a professional and diligent events service.

Alongside that, as those who follow me know, I am heavily invested in working my dogs and training them and spend a lot of time in this community. For me, this is something I have always loved and a perfect day for me is spent on beautiful heather moorland somewhere in the north of England or Scotland with my dogs. This is the best antidote to the busy events world I am in most of the time and has saved my sanity on more than one occasion!

Having balance, I have learnt, is key, and it is interesting speaking to fellow female business owners at the same stage in their journey as me, who also acknowledge that this is of growing importance. You can still be incredibly successful and manage your mental and physical health at the same time. And you should. It is so imperative to have balance and forget the gung-ho attitude that a lot of us had in our youth in terms of working constantly.

I am genuinely so excited to meet my fellow 99 f:Entrepreneurs that made the #ialso100 2023 list! Having read about them, I am in awe of their stories and achievements and I am so excited we will be lucky enough to go for afternoon tea at the House of Lords on International Women’s Day to raise a glass to this incredible achievement.

It is not lost on me that women start their own businesses for many reasons, and so many of those reasons are not positive: the lack of childcare support, the lack of flexibility given by employers to women returning to work after having children, accessibility needs not being met, lack of support for mental and physical health needs. I could go on. These are all the catalysts for women to start their own business and to be in charge of their own time and needs.

To do this takes enormous guts and I feel there is no one more powerful than a woman on a mission to succeed. So, I salute all of the incredible female business owners out there and I am so very proud to be among you.

Are you a glamper? The rise in popularity of glamping has been incredible, and it is definitely not limited to those wanting a bit of luxury at a festival anymore. Glamping is a viable option to add space, capacity and a fantastic dimension to an event.

A recent corporate retreat I organised at Wasing Park proved how invaluable glamping is. It not only offered guests a great experience and luxury but as an events planner, crucially, allowed for more bedroom space!! This can be a real game changer for venues to offer higher capacity events.

Glamping is a treat and offers people the excitement of camping and the fun that goes with that, but includes those luxuries that are super appreciated in a field: a bed, mirror, duvet, table! Gone are the days of crouching in a tent with a shoddy compact trying to put your mascara on!

The glamping industry is booming (the global glamping market size was valued at USD 2.35 billion in 2021!) and alongside the home-from-home luxuries, glamping companies are seeing the potential as an incredible add on to existing venues – especially ones with grounds! Gone are the days where capacity is just how many bedrooms a place has, there is now the opportunity for glamping companies to swoop in and accommodate a lot more people, meaning venues are able to attract larger audiences, and therefore larger ticket prices. A win / win.

Glamping is definitely feeling more the norm with many people opting for it over traditional camping, especially in the over 30s where there is more disposable income. People are wanting that added comfort in the great outdoors and who can blame them.

Getting your gang together for a glamping holiday can be incredible and with companies now offering add-ons such as classes and lessons (eg yoga, axe throwing, foraging etc), it can be a fabulous experience for all. In the corporate world, leaders are seeing the benefits of glamping for retreats and away days, much like at Wasing Park, where they could sauna and swim in the lake and head back to their glamping site!

It would have arguably been a step too far to suggest a corporate away day in a traditional camping field with the shared loo and shower, but with glamping taking the edge off, people are definitely exploring it more.

Do let me know your experiences – are you a glamper? Or just glamping curious?

A very welcome trend in the events industry is hearing from both private and corporate clients who want to host their events in charitable venues. By this, I mean venues that give back in some way, have a charitable and sustainable arm and offer a circular investment.

Many venues are taking note of this and revisiting their policies on charity and sustainability which is brilliant to see, resulting in many offering events spaces at a reduced rate, or even free space, for select events with a charitable angle. Alternatively, many are partnering or affiliating themselves with certain charities or causes in order to give back and support through money made on their events.

It is refreshing to see that the days when pure commercial goals were paramount in event spaces are distant and, thanks to the rise of awareness about causes and sustainability factors, event spaces are offering more of an organic and holistic approach that benefits many more people than themselves.

People wanting to host events are incredibly in-tune to this and their demands are, rightly, high. People are not entertaining venues who do not have a charitable facet or who don’t have sustainability high on their agenda. Instead, due to the pool of venues and new offerings, they take their business elsewhere leaving these venues dangerously exposed and looking out of date.

As event professionals, understanding the venues we work with and their sustainability and charitable agendas is high on our list and we always ensure that they are on point with our values and clients’ needs as well as keeping up to date with the ever-evolving developments and implementations. We are proud to work with venues to educate and support on these areas which is so rewarding, as even the smallest changes and in-roads can make huge differences.

Here are a few examples of what venues could be doing immediately:

• Swapping out all plastic where you can
• Changing your electricity supplier
• Affiliating yourself with a charity – a local one to the venue often works really well
• Aligning your values as a venue
• Setting out exactly how you will give back – this doesn’t always have to be monitory. Could you donate unwanted food to a food bank, for example?

These are all relatively small things but things that your clients, and potential clients, will love you for and could be the difference in them choosing your venue over a competitor. It can feel like an enormous task, especially with phases such as ‘net zero’ banded about, but we are all here to support each other and learn as we go by taking things step by step.

So, if you are a venue who would like to discuss your charitable angle more – we would love to help. Do get in touch and together we can ensure each and every venue is doing as much as it can for the greater good. And who doesn’t want that?

There is no denying that the pandemic was pretty brutal for a lot of us, and most definitely for the events industry. However, one of the good things to emerge from it is the sense of camaraderie and community from both businesses and customers. For many of us, it meant we got to know our fellow businesses in our vicinity and what was there under our noses that perhaps we hadn’t taken notice of before. This is certainly true for me when I launched the wine and cheese packages, as it allowed me to work with some exceptional local partners and get to know their businesses and, I’m happy to say, I still work with them today.

From a customer perspective, lockdown gave us the opportunity to get to know the businesses that were super local to us, rather than our go-to ones when we jumped in the car. Many of these businesses went above and beyond to ensure we were looked after by sourcing stock, selling much-needed items and meeting the demand that many of the bigger names just couldn’t do. And this hasn’t been forgotten.

With this is mind, one of the wonderful trends to emerge already this year is the way venues in the same location are working together to collaborate and offer people something extra special. Many businesses who complement each other are joining forces to offer fantastic 360 events packages allowing clients some incredible multi-layered events.

A great example of this are the businesses near the beautiful Mayfair Townhouse in London. This is a gorgeous building stooped in history and offers a fabulous bar as well as meeting rooms and bedrooms. However, only a stone’s throw away is the Curzon cinema, so by these two businesses working together, they can offer clients a very tantalising private screening event with dinner and drinks and somewhere to stay all in one. This is hugely appealing for brands who perhaps have a product launch or a film to show as every aspect has been catered for. As an events planner, we can step in and add extra layers too when needed, such as booking a great restaurant for dinner, all in the same area and all in the same ilk as the client’s brief and budget.

For those venues that maybe aren’t buddying up yet, there is a desire to do so and we are helping a lot with that. As events professionals, we make it our business to get to know the many great venues and their offerings. It is getting increasingly rare that one venue can cater for all a clients’ requirements as many are so complex, so it is up to us to find more than one venue that will seamlessly transition to make the event as magical as possible. This could be finding a great space to host meetings or presentations during the day, but then afterwards finding that perfect private dining room for guests to enjoy dinner and drinks, followed by a boutique hotel for a nightcap and to stay.

Often, it can be left to team members to source venues and this can often be overwhelming, especially if they don’t know an area. We take all that stress away and build a perfect package in line with your brief and budget.

I really hope the emergence of collaboration between venues keeps growing and many more like-minded businesses collaborate and showcase each other’s services to their customer base. Support and championing are definitely the order of the day!

There are some incredible new venues opening in 2022, and I cannot wait to explore what they have to offer and get my creative juices flowing for the best events and experiences to host there! 

Here are a few of my favourite new venues: 

One Hundred Shoreditch, London  

Yes, I know London is not short of a hotel or two, but this new offering in the heart of Shoreditch looks something extra special! Housing 258 bedrooms, six restaurants and bars with one boasting a panoramic view of East London, the plans are big. Alongside this, it has five meeting and event rooms catering for intimate and large get togethers as well as its One Hundred Room which boasts floor to ceiling glass and breath-taking views. 

I cannot wait to visit this one and check out the décor which is promised to be full of pink marble and bright spaces, with a big focus on sustainability and ethical sourcing.  

Fairmont, Windsor Park  

This has been a long wait. I remember seeing the computer images of what the interior and exterior of the hotel would look like, and I now can’t wait to visit. It’s top of my list!  

Dripping in decadent luxury it is huge! Located on the edge of the gorgeous Windsor Great Park, the hotel is surrounded by 40 acres of grounds, including a beautiful lake. It offers more than 200 rooms and suites that ooze soft tones and textures, and also houses a spa and wellness centre boasting state of the art innovation with luxurious and decadent surroundings. 

In one wing of the hotel, they have 15 meeting rooms catering for all needs as well as a massive ballroom that can host up to 700 guests. This will be such a fantastic addition to the area and I already know, I’ll be organising events here!  

Art’otel, Battersea 

Another London venue set to open this summer is taking up residency in the former power station development at Battersea and features skyline floors, rooftop pool and bar and a destination restaurant and bar. This is the group’s first UK hotel, and it promises to be brimming with art-inspired interiors and décor!

OWO Residences, London 

This is going to be London’s first Raffles Hotel featuring nine restaurants and bars and an immersive spa. The building itself is completely iconic having been the Old War Office. Having stood at Whitehall for over 100 years, people including Sir Winston Churchill and Ian Fleming have all walked the corridors of what was the Ministry of Defence headquarters.  

The new space will have 125 rooms and specific event spaces. I can’t wait to discover this new gem in London town!  

Chateau Denmark, London   

This is a spot with quite some history as it was inspired by the birthplace of the British music scene – Denmark Street in London, where The Rolling Stones recorded their first album, the Sex Pistols once lived, and it was rumoured to be where Ziggy Stardust was created. This new space boasts 55 bedrooms and apartments, named ‘session rooms’. Each have their own individual stories and are divided by four narratives: vintage gothic, timeless grandeur, modern psychedelia and punk now.

Due to open in the spring, Chateau Denmark is being lauded as the largest immersive space of its kind anywhere in the world! I definitely will be making sure I am one of the first through its doors!  

If any of these sound up your street for an event, please do get in touch and we can get planning!

The Countdown Summit in Edinburgh is underway leading to COP26 in Glasgow and I cannot wait to hear the speeches, promises and commitments from world leaders regarding sustainability, net zero and climate change. 

I cannot wait to hear from the people coming together for The Countdown Summit as it promises to unveil some imaginative and scalable solutions that we all need to turn the tide on climate change and create a healthier and more equitable world for all. 

As they say, a net-zero future is possible which is why the Summit is being held as a gathering for politicians, business leaders, policy makers, scientists, Indigenous leaders, artists, philanthropists, youth activists and others to organise and work together to make that future a reality. I will definitely be listening intently. 

COP26 is the headline act where world leaders will gather in Glasgow to discuss how to collectively tackle climate change. The top line aims of the conference are: 

• To secure global net zero by mid-century and keep 1.5 degrees within reach 
• Adapt to protect communities and natural habitats 
• Mobilise finance 
• Work together to deliver 

These are all huge asks so it will be fascinating to hear what the various leaders have to say and what barriers will be in place in order to achieve it. Even though these aims don’t obviously impact the events industry on the surface, when really thought about they are very impactful indeed.  

In the past few years there has definitely been a sea change in the events world as both organisers and clients are demanding each event to be as sustainable as possible. This goes far beyond just replacing plastic straws. There are intricacies in terms of digital footprint, having a clear transparency on your supply chain and the layers that go with that as well as researching venues thoroughly and knowing what to ask, look out for, question and change, where possible.  

In reference to the ‘adapt to protect communities’ point, this means that we have to build and maintain reliant infrastructure in order to protect our lives and where we live, and this goes down to the smallest of detail. For us, I have to ask – what could we do better? What systems does Lucy Claire Events have in place to be as sustainable as possible in order to lessen the damaging impact on our world and each other?  

These are big questions and ones I will be thinking about very carefully. So, will I swap my petrol car for an electric? Will I aim to radically reduce my travel? Will I just use British suppliers? On this last point, I am pleased to say 99% of the time I do, but it needs to be a conscious 100% going forwards.  

As a business we really need to know our suppliers and their methods of working even more than we do already and understand their values and commitment to net zero and if we can work together to achieve it.  

Lots of food for thought but we are so ready for it!