I got into the event industry because I love entertainment. I am a big fan of talent shows and live entertainment, and I spend my spare time watching everything from The X Factor to Got to Dance. In fact, I still get star struck when I meet the celebrities that we book for special events. Although I totally fell into the entertainment sector, now that I’m here I cannot imagine working in any other industry.
I have worked here since Scarlett Entertainment’s inception nearly five years ago. We began with just five acts, a laptop and a phone line back in 2009. We now have 17 members of staff, thousands of acts and an impressive list of past events in more than 40 countries. The last 12 months has been our most exciting year to date. We have taken on lots of new staff, won the Exporter of the Year award at the Business Excellence Awards, moved to bigger premises and been involved with some really amazing events in places like Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Sri Lanka, Dubai and Las Vegas.
I was attracted to this particular role because working alongside the events industry is really quite exciting. The entertainment sector is a really creative industry and I’ve learnt that the only limit for event entertainment is your imagination. There are so many unbelievable acts and talented people out there, and it really is a pleasure working with them and giving them the chance to perform to a wider audience. I absolutely love the creative element of supplying entertainment for the events industry because you get the chance to put together the most weird and wonderful shows, and even come up with innovative new acts that are totally unique.
Not many people know that I used to play tennis semi-professionally. I started playing at the age of ten and at 16 I went to a tennis academy in London to train and study for three years. Sadly, injury put a stop to my tennis career, but on the plus side I get to do this instead.
My worst experience at an event was when we provided various acts and performers for an event in Las Vegas, including our can-can dancers. The client’s sound engineer made a mistake and the music stopped midway through the routine, in front of an audience of 700 people. Thanks to their professionalism, the dancers just carried on as if nothing had happened, but it was a really uncomfortable ten seconds.
If there’s one thing I’ve learnt it’s that you really have to stay ahead of the game when it comes to events entertainment. Clients always want acts and shows that are unique or that the audience has never seen before, so you need to constantly be on the lookout for unusual and ‘wow factor’ entertainment. Also, it’s really important keep up to date with the latest trends and to have the ability to predict the next big thing in entertainment.
The best event I’ve been involved in was the Dubai Shopping Festival earlier this year. The month-long annual event attracts millions of people and in previous years celebrities that have performed have included Pharrell Williams. We were approached in the run up to the event and put together a bespoke family-friendly show to perform for ten days in the Mall of the Emirates. The Bubblegum Pop Show was made up of 50 performers including Katy Perry and One Direction tributes, a 14-piece live band, magic bubble show, dancers and Britain’s Got Talent dance crew Nu Sxool. The show was performed up to three times a day and drew huge crowds.
We also suggested our vertical fashion show aerial act for the event and the client ended up booking them to perform on the Burj Khalifa, a world first. The team of aerial performers wowed the audience with their dazzling display on the side of the world’s tallest building, as models strutted their stuff on the catwalk on the ground below. It attracted lots of international publicity and I have to say that it was so exciting to be a part of such an amazing event.
If I could do it all over again I would have more confidence in myself. When we originally set up the company, we did it with no investment or backing and it was very difficult to get off the ground. If I had known at the beginning that the company would become what it is today, then I would have had more faith in myself and my abilities.
The one thing I can’t stand is when you ask suppliers for a quote and they take ages to get back to you. It is especially hard when the request is urgent and you desperately need to get back to the client. We pride ourselves on being efficient and getting back to our clients as quickly as possible, so I find it hard when a supplier takes days to provide you with a price.
Outside of work I spend my time... what time outside of work? The international events industry is 24/7, so I don’t get a lot of spare time because you always need to be on the end of a phone or have access to email. But if I do get some rare down time I spend it in my pyjamas, with a glass of red wine watching The X Factor or Britain’s Got Talent.
If money were no object I would have offices all around the world; Singapore, Dubai, New York. Flying around the world to attend the events that we are involved in has taught me the importance of face-to-face business and networking. It really makes a difference meeting the people that you are doing business with, so I would love to open offices in some of our most popular destinations.
The one thing I can’t do my job without is our amazing acts and performers. Without them, there would be no Scarlett Entertainment. I can’t emphasise enough the wealth of talent and creativity that exists, and the fact that we are lucky enough to represent many of the very best performers in the world. Also, I would struggle to do what I do without a currency converter and world clock.
If I could switch places with anyone else in the industry it would be Colin Cowie, the lifestyle guru and party planner to the stars. I imagine that he has the most glamorous job, planning pre-Grammy parties, celebrity bashes and destination weddings where money is no object. You also get to make people’s dreams come true by creating the perfect event.
If I ruled the event industry I would create more hours in the day. It is so vital that people have the opportunity to visit more event expos and big international industry events, because with the increase in the use of social media and technology, the importance of face-to-face networking is being lost a little bit. Meeting other event industry professionals from around the world not only helps to build relationships, but it gives us the chance to learn and be inspired by others.
Personally, I would also like more time to spend with our artists to create and develop exciting new shows that use the very latest technologies to enhance and develop new event trends.
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