I got into the events industry because my parent’s friends ran a hotel and I would help out during the school holidays. I loved it and decided that I wanted to manage a hotel myself one day. I achieved my ambition to become a hotel manager at 26. I wanted a new challenge within the hospitality industry and the natural step was venue management.
I have worked here since October 2009.
I was attracted to this particular role because I relished the opportunity to launch The King’s Fund’s newly refurbished event spaces and create and launch a new brand to the events industry, while maintaining the relationship The King’s Fund has to the healthcare sector.
Not many people know that I used to work at Radio 1.
My worst experience at an event was attending a Christmas party at a hotel. The venue had been selected because it boasted fabulous festive theming and entertainment. When I arrived I was very disheartened to see a miserable looking Christmas tree in the corner of a poorly decorated room. It ruined the atmosphere of the party and I vouched that if ever was I in such a position I would never oversell any product.
If there’s one thing I’ve learnt it’s diversify your products and be the best at what you do, don’t devalue your brand by allowing poor service or discounting heavily.
The best event I’ve been involved in was convincing the Crown Estate to sell their Mayfair building, No.4 Hamilton Place, to the Royal Aeronautical Society (my last employer), having pursued the sale for a number of years.
If I could do it all over again I would try not to change the world in a day; one day at a time is far more effective.
The one thing I can’t stand is sloppy service.
Outside of work I spend my time frequenting eateries around London, I am a real foodie at heart. Recently I’ve discovered Nopi in Soho, divine flavoursome tasting dishes from the Middle East and Asia. The food is heavenly, the atmosphere brilliant, the service is attentive and the toilets (often the neglect part of an eatery) are fab.
If money were no object I would be a gentleman that does lunch and I’d take up my charity work full time.
The one event I will never miss is The Cateys, as it acknowledges the contributions candidates and businesses have made to the hospitality industry.
The next 12 months will be busy for me and my team. I plan to evolve the No.11 brand to include a more tailored one to one customer service experience and introduce a range of extra touches which will see No.11 rival the services of the best boutique London hotels. Going forward we want No.11 to be seen as a landmark event venue that brings affordable luxury to clients events. We will also develop the venues environmental credentials by applying for the Green Business Tourism Award and the London-centric Green Business Award.
If I could switch places with anyone else in the industry it would be Alex Polizzi from ‘The Hotel Inspector’ fame – a brilliant hotelier and a great ambassador for the industry.
If I ruled the event industry I would create a uniformed commission basis of either 8 or 10% so that all venues are all on an even keel and agents aren’t conditioned into using some venues over others.