“Mind the gap!” We’ve probably lost count of how many times we’ve seen and heard this on our rides in and out of the London tube, and remember to stay on the right side of the stairs or escalators, as the left is the “express lane” for the Londoners who never seem to cease their fast pace.
Our day started pretty early with some great breakfast at the hotel, then we were off to meet the managing director for Pure Events. Pure Events, a company that has hit off some great deals and contracts all around and that proves that small investments can go a long way. Charlotte Wilson, the Managing director of Pure Events, began with just two staff members and 10,000 Pounds. Her company skirmished to stay in the market but was hit with the 2008-2009 financial crash and was forced to stick to a 5-year plan and rebuild. Ms. Wilson’s story proves to us that with a strong mind set and a vision, some savings, a positive outlook, and perseverance to make your dreams come true, we can all make it.
Pure Events handles 65% of its events from overseas companies, including but not limited to law firms, telecoms and so forth. The company stays out of private events, such as weddings, to avoid the “emotional trauma” (aka Bridelzillas). Their main goal is to listen to their clients, see what the clients want, and use their marketing skills and material to make it happen. Technology has been and is crucial to their company, and not precisely for propaganda, but for the booking of the events, the planning itself and the printing material. The company’s budget ranges anywhere from $10,000 – $2.5 million Pounds, and the key for a successful year in and out is a good analysis of the year’s budgets and spending so they are able to do better year after year.
The Company goes by three core beliefs; reliability, creativity and innovation. An important formula in the managing book of the company is: Trust = (credibility + values)/ risk. It is crucial for people to trust you; they need to be able to count on you. As a company, they must make sure to “risk assess everything” before the events, because as much as you don’t want something to happen, challenges always present themselves. One must think quick on their feet; you have to learn to improvise and make the best at every moment. This is a lesson we learn pretty often in life, things will not always go as planned, and while we seldom wish to think of what can go wrong, we must always remember there’s the possibility of it occurring. So with this lesson, we take into account the company’s model: “retention of business.” Listen to the clients; make sure they get what they want; they’ll be happy, satisfied, and will return for business and, more times than not, will also spread the news on the great company that put their event together. Therefore, a tip for the future event planners out there, “go to as many industry events as possible, go for advertisement purposes and make connections; you’ll never know who you will meet and how they can impact your life in the future.” Wilson started her company with 3 or 4 contacts from her previous working experiences outside of the field.
Then we were off for a lunch break, but not before another “mind the gap” reminder, followed by a walking tour of the better known sites in London.
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