I got into the event industry because we noticed that lots of potentially great event spaces, such as schools, theatres and community spaces just didn't have the means or budget to market themselves. The idea grew into a marketplace for venues of all shapes and sizes, and we now work with around 3,000 in the UK - everything from a local town hall to Westminster Abbey.
I have worked here since we first had the idea in late 2011. We went live to the public in the first quarter of 2013; I've been here since the beginning, doing a variety of roles.
I was attracted to this particular role because I've always liked the idea of start-ups and of working in an environment with the freedom to try new things and push the boundaries of what's possible. A tech business provides a unique opportunity to do that, and to approach an entire industry in a completely new way.
Not many people know that my co-founder Will [Swannell] and I started planning for Hire Space while breaking the record for the world's longest ever five-a-side football game. We came up with 27.5 hours of ideas, and we've forgotten most of them.
The best event I’ve been involved was... We see events of all different shapes and sizes at Hire Space. We're not directly involved in many of them, but I like it when we place big corporate events in schools and community spaces, as it reminds me why we started Hire Space in the first place.
If I could do it all over again I would try to avoid the hundreds of mistakes we've made along the way, and then probably make 100 different ones.
The one thing I can’t stand is... it's never ideal when a client has a bad experience at a venue. We don't see it very often, fortunately. The way to counter it is by being completely transparent and by encouraging the sharing of user-generated content, which is a big part of what we do at Hire Space.
Outside of work I spend my time at venue showcases, or a new bar opening. Our clients want to know that we understand the venues we recommend, so we try to go and see as many as possible. There are worse ways to pass the time.
If money were no object I would throw a big party for everyone who has ever used Hire Space, in a big network of Hire Space venues. Like the London Olympics, but for the events industry.
If I could switch places with anyone else in the industry it would be... I'm a marketing junkie, so anyone who works on that side of things. We're mainly an online advertising platform and don't use some of the traditional marketing avenues for the events industry, so I'd love to understand those better.
If I ruled the event industry I would have a minimum standard for response times. Online buyers expect quick replies to their enquiries, and the venues and event suppliers who can adapt to that will thrive moving forward.
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