Best events of 2019

The end of a year is always a good time to reflect. The most events I attended was in September (23) and the least was in the month of August (6) but, with such a wide choice, what were the ones that stood out each month that I did not organise myself?

January - WSP’s office opening at The Mailbox in Birmingham. A well-attended event with a good atmosphere and some great conversations.

February - A dinner invitation to Hotel du Vin with a drinks reception at Birmingham Town Hall and a performance by the British Para-Orchestra. Great food and great company.

March - St Patrick’s Day celebration where I was a guest of South and City College Birmingham. The weather was not great but it was good to see the parade and I met and spoke with a number of people including the Lord Mayor of Birmingham. I watched The Father Teds perform and once they finished went on to one of the outdoor spaces in Digbeth to listen to more live music.  

April - The twentieth year anniversary celebration night of the Jam House in St Paul’s Square, Birmingham. A nice drinks reception followed by live music at one of my favourite music venues in Birmingham. Some great networking on the night too.

May - A showcase event of the 'Secret Garden' at Sky By Water, Resorts World. A venue option that offered some thing different to the norm.

June - The Meetings Show at Olympia in London. A three-day event that included a drinks reception, conference, seminars, dinner at London Zoo, speaking with venue exhibitors and the opportunity to meet with industry professionals from the UK and abroad. It was great to catch up with many industry friends and connections and make some new ones too.

July - A pre-launch event at Flights Club Birmingham. A fun evening playing darts, eating pizza and networking. 

August - An event at The Alchemist in Brindleyplace to celebrate its opening.  

September - The MacDonald Burlington Hotel’s celebratory event following the hotels refurbishment. A drinks reception, followed by great food and entertainment.

October - Halloween with members of the Birmingham Sales Squad. An event that I was invited to as a mystery guest. Great fun getting dressed up as Dracula. Great food and company at The Botanist followed by cocktails at Be At One bar. 

November - A two-day, Academic Venues Solutions conference where I was compère and moderator. The event took place in Liverpool and included speakers, workshops, a drinks reception, dinner and entertainment by one of The Cavern’s resident performers. 

December - Press Night at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. A pre-show drinks reception followed by a great performance of Peter Pan - reimagined, then a post-show after party with members of the cast - a couple of which I got to speak to.  

Well done to everyone involved in organising the events I chose.

If I can be of help to readers of this article by designing, planning, organising, promoting and running an event on your/your company's behalf in the future, please contact me. 

To everyone that attended or sponsored the events I organised myself, thank you. I hope you enjoyed attending as much I did and I look forward to seeing you in 2020. If you are interested in hosting or sponsoring one or more of my events next year, please get in touch.