I am beyond thrilled to celebrate a significant milestone, back in April was my ninth year in business! The moment literally passed me by as I was so knee deep in event enquiries, contracting and site visits! It’s been an incredible journey filled with numerous ups and downs. As I look back on these nine years, it’s been an incredible story of resilience, especially how I navigated through the challenging times of COVID-19.
The Early Years: Laying the Foundation
When I started this journey nine years ago, my vision was clear: to create a business that not only thrives giving me a better work/life balance, but also makes a positive impact on the industry. I poured my heart and soul into building a brand that reflects my values and dedication to excellence. Those early days were filled with learning, growing, and lots of coffee-fuelled brainstorming sessions!
The COVID-19 Challenge: Navigating Uncharted Waters
Then came 2020, a year that tested our resilience in ways we could never have imagined. The COVID-19 pandemic completely shut down the event industry leaving me and thousands others without any financial support and simply left to our own devices. Like many businesses, I faced unprecedented challenges. There were moments of uncertainty, fear, and tough decisions. I’m not even going to mention home schooling at the same time!
The Rebuilding Phase: Rising from the Ashes
The road to recovery wasn’t easy, but I embraced it with determination and hope. I adapted to the new normal and explored innovative ways to stay connected clients who weren’t booking and venues who were closed. Virtual meetings became part of our daily routine and like many, focused on strengthening my online presence, engaging through social media, launching my webinar series (which is still in demand today!) and creating a sense of community despite the physical distance.
Looking Ahead: A Bright Future
Rebuilding my business has taken time and patience and it’s incredibly encouraging to see that our enquiry levels haven’t just returned, but have now exceeded those received back in 2019. Many of my clients have also experienced considerable growth over the last 12-18 months and I am immensely grateful for their loyalty to Park Lane Events and for entrusting me with their increased volume of venue finding enquiries! It’s also wonderful to see that our industry as a whole is thriving again; not only are venues seeing regular investment through refurbishments but there are constantly new venues popping up, highlighting a growing demand for face-to-face events and bringing people back together. There’s also been a noticeable uplift in familiarisation invites from venues as they are (very generously) keen to show event bookers what their venue can offer in terms of a guest and delegate experience.
When it comes to events, it has also been reassuring to see that venues seem to have adapted well to new ways of working since hospitality re-opened post Covid. With the closure of lots of venues and the unfortunate loss of jobs during the pandemic, many venues have had to completely re-build their teams which inevitably takes time to get right. Over the last few months, I’ve noticed a marked improvement in the consistency of venues, both in their communication and the reliability of their service levels; better communication from venues means fewer last-minute surprises and knowing that my clients are in good hands certainly helps to ensure a smoother event experience for all involved!
There is still a long way to go due to some venues still experiencing staff shortages and lack of new recruits coming forward, which makes it even more crucial that I keep on top of which hotels and venues are not just promising high levels of food and service, but the ones that are consistently delivering on this.
As I look ahead to the final quarter of 2024, it’s certainly going to be a busy time for Park Lane Events with a so many confirmed events taking place as well as industry trade shows in the diary to attend and even speak at! I shall also be taking the opportunity to plan for 2025 as well as supporting those last minute Q4 enquiries. Even though I am currently looking forward to the summer holidays, I am super excited to have contracted many Christmas enquiries already ensuring clients have the best space available.
If you haven’t got your Q4 venue finalised yet or you are still to plan for your 2025 events, let me know if you’d like me to contract your venue for you. With so many enquiries underway for 2025 and site visits already taking place, availability is going to be a premium next year. Once the summer holidays start (especially August) responses from both hotels and corporate event buyers tend to become more slower paced whilst corporate events are not necessarily taking place and decision makers are on annual leave themselves. This can result in a delay in turnaround time before September kicks off and the pace returns
Although if last August was anything to go by, it was just as busy as the rest of the year!
Drop me a line to get in touch and perhaps I can get that ideal venue contracted for you.