THE PANEL
Matt James CEO, DNA Productions
Marcus Rendle managing director, Hype Party Planning
Jamie Simon director, Impulse Events
Rick Stainton events director, Smyle
What are the key elements needed for producing a bespoke event?
Marcus Rendle I think it's understanding the brief and what the client wants to achieve. Bespoke by definition is something done as a one-off, so it's almost about working out which elements of the event are going to make it stand out.
Rick Stainton You need to have a clear understanding of the brand values, the audience, and why they have been invited. Those should be the foundation stones. Also, make sure you set the tone of the event right from the first communication. It's got to be symbiotic all the way through.
Matt James The creative concept is absolutely key. There are so many events out there that rely on the same old themes. If I go to one more Moulin Rouge party ...
What are the most challenging factors in creating a bespoke event?
Jamie Simon Trying to take an idea and turn it into something feasible that's going to work in an event setting. You can come up with something fantastic but if you can't make it happen in a way that's deliverable and on budget, sometimes it's better to go back to the start and completely rethink.
MR You have to try to break down the budget, so maybe allocate ten per cent to food, ten per cent to entertainment and so on. That is one of the main starting points.
MJ Coming up with something completely original, but that's the fun of the job, and what event organisers are paid for. It's a dream brief to work on a bespoke party.
How is their success measured?
JS Formal client feedback can be a great way of doing it, but really what's most effective is us being on site and watching the event happen. Experience tells you what to look for. Seeing people's faces, looking at queue times, that sort of thing.
MR Subject to the brief and who's attending, there's always some sort of return you can measure, from a wedding to a corporate event. It might be a bride saying her dreams have come true, or a company's sales figures increasing because people have a fuller understanding of what they do.
MJ I always try and take time to watch guests as they come in to the room. You can read a lot by people's immediate reactions. If they saunter in and go straight to the bar, you haven't wowed them.
How big is the demand for bespoke events in the current economic climate?
JS To make an event something really special I think you need at least £250 a head to spend, so it might be a challenging year. But if people are looking to impress their clients, what better show of strength and resilience? For event companies, it's going to be survival of the fittest.
MR There's certainly plenty of business there, I just think people are going to have to work slightly harder for it. The stronger companies will all see it through because they have a stable base and clients. Some of those who aren't quite at the top of their game might go to the wayside, but for every door that closes there are other opportunities opening up.
RS From Smyle's point of view, the last two quarters of 2008 are looking fantastic, but if you'd asked me in June I wouldn't have been quite so confident. There are a lot of shorter lead-up times at the moment.
What is the most impressive bespoke event you have witnessed that wasn't your own?
MJ Any Alexander McQueen fashion show. I find them so inspiring. He has a fresh concept each time and always uses different theatrical techniques - visually, they're so striking. Every time I see one of his shows I think: "Ah! Why didn't I think of that?"
RS The Rio Carnival. I used to live in Brazil and you've got a million people on a beach, all wearing different outfits, against a backdrop of the most amazing firework and light show. Year on year, it bettered itself and, for me, it acted as a big inspiration to go into the events industry.
MR The Brit Awards are just phenomenal from a technical viewpoint. Managing one headline act is hard enough, but managing a dozen acts, with intricate set-ups and a live TV audience, is just brilliant.
If you had an unlimited budget what would be your dream bespoke event?
JS We try to make the people in the room feel special and fulfil their dreams, so it would be whatever was right in the context, whether that's ten courses of Michelin-star food or all their musical greats on stage.
RS I would love to do the first event in space. You would be setting the rules as you went along because there would be no previous comparison. Something like that could probably happen in the next five years.
MJ I don't know if it's really about budget, to be honest. When you have the freedom to come up with any theme for any budget, it's almost too easy. If you have to come up with a creative concept within certain parameters, that's actually much more exciting.
EXPERTS' CHOICE
Our bespoke events club reveal their favourite venues and suppliers for producing the perfect event.
VENUES
Matt James
Altitude
Il Bottaccio
No 1 Piazza;
Sketch
The Vinyl Factory
Marcus Rendle
Alexandra Palace
British Empire & Commonwealth Museum, Bristol;
Olympia
Paintworks, Bristol
Roundhouse
Jamie Simon
Claridge's
Earls Court/Olympia
Natural History Museum
NEC;
Wrotham Park, Hertfordshire
Rick Stainton
The Grove, Hertfordshire
The O2
Old Billingsgate
Roundhouse
Gleneagles, Perthshire
SUPPLIERS
Matt James
Dobson Sound;
Fluid;
McQueens;
PSL
Steve Kearney Consulting
Marcus Rendle
Albert Hall Dance
Floors;
Aquabatics;
Sweet & Chilli;
South West Audio;
Taste The Food
Jamie Simon
Glam Slam;
Hawthorn
Helix 3D;
Rhubarb
XL Video
Rick Stainton
The Amazing Tent Company;
Gallowglass
Inwater;
Last Supper;
Star Productions