25 Years of Event Organising

This year (2019) marked the twenty-fifth anniversary since I designed, planned, organised and ran my first event.

One of my long-established business friends recently asked me which of the events I had organised would be in my all-time top ten. Whilst there was some very obvious ones, it made me consider their question further. So, in no particular order…

1

I will always remember the first event I ever organised. It was a sales conference. I was working for a consumer retail business in a marketing role and was asked whether I would be willing to organise a sales conference for all store managers (the theme of the conference was ‘Putting the customer first’). I really enjoyed working on the event. It was great success and became an annual fixture in the company calendar. Subsequent conferences also included a company party on the same day.

2

Whilst working in a marketing role for a national chain of servicing, MOT and repair garages, I created an event-led national initiative aimed at making motorists more aware of the need to/how to, maintain their car and look after their safety on the road. I involved local police forces and the company’s staff in a series of open (instructional but fun) evenings. I organised and promoted numerous instructional evenings across England, Scotland and Wales. The event-led initiative gained publicity on local television, radio and editorially in a number of publications. The initiative was nominated by one of the police forces in the Prince Michael of Kent Road Safety Awards and I won a ‘Champions of Excellence’ company award. 

3

I organised an annual speaker/networking business lunch for women professionals for a number of years. The guest speaker was always a celebrity that shared an interesting life-story that business professionals would relate to. I can recall them all but the one that stands out was when Toyah Willcox was my guest speaker. A fabulous person with a very interesting life-story and a very memorable event highlight as Toyah gave a live performance at the event.

4

I received a phone call from Facebook. I had been recommended to them. The company was keen to get in front of business professionals to inform them of all the features and benefits businesses could take advantage of to help establish, develop and grow their business. I was informed that Birmingham was one of five UK cities they were looking to hold an event in and they wished to offer me the opportunity to do this on their behalf. I promptly stated that I would love to and asked if Birmingham could be the first of their planned events which they agreed to. Representatives/ speakers from Facebook flew in from Ireland and Spain, the event was a sell-out and a great success. 

5

Whilst working at the Chamber of Chamber, I organised a number of large, annual, business and awards dinners. The one that stands out over the years was the Bi-Centenary anniversary dinner and awards. I had the opportunity to do things a little different to the norm and the event featured a number of ‘added touches’ to make the night a very memorable one.

6

I was approached by the Regional Chair of a ‘top four’ accountancy firm and asked if I would organise a celebratory dinner/awards/party for their staff. I chaired a team of staff volunteers and was given full budget responsibility. The event had the theme of ‘Parisian Night’ and the budget allowed for a bigger stage production than I had ever had been given before at the time. The night was a great success and I was subsequently asked to organise a further event for the firm (which had the theme of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’) before they then decided to run the event internally. 

7

When the current West Midlands Mayor was the Chair of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership, my team and I were appointed as the approved event partner for the organisation. I organised several events during this time - White Paper presentations, round table discussions, annual conferences/AGMs and a couple where Lord Michael Heseltine was the guest speaker. The one that stands out for me was the presentation of Lord Heseltine’s ‘No Stone Unturned’ report at Birmingham Town Hall. 

8

I have organised a number of speaker events for a range of clients including SME’s, large companies, Embassies and High Commissions. One event particularly stands out. A day-long speaker event - some great speakers - a mix of business people that had achieved great success and people that had successfully overcome adversity. A very interesting, informative and thought provoking event that included a spontaneous standing ovation. I am still contact with most of the speakers that participated. 

9

I was asked to organise the Lord Mayor of Birmingham’s annual Charity Ball one year. The event happened to be on the night of my last day in my role at the time which gave it added significance. I was drafted in at short notice but set about doing what was needed to make the night a success. It was a great night and remembered by the Mayor at the time to this day.

10

I was contacted by The Cabinet Office following a recommendation to them that had been made by one of my business connections. I was asked to set up an invitation-only drinks reception event in Birmingham at relatively short notice. A senior politician was looking to meet with a range of eighty business professionals to discuss the awards and honours system with guests, as the region was historically under-represented and they hoped that it would encourage more people to be nominated. Another informative event that attracted a full-house despite the short notice and achieved its objectives.

I have organised events in more than forty different UK towns and cities during my working career to date. As you will have determined from the above, I use a variety of venues and event spaces and work on a range of event types for all business sizes and sectors. I really enjoy doing what I do. If I can assist you and your business by removing the stress, anxiety, time required to help meet your business objectives using my knowledge and experience to produce a cost effective, professional event on your behalf, please contact me.