It’s almost time for The Meeting Show 2016, and while we are definitely all looking forward to seeing what the show floor holds, we are also excited about the mini events that take place around the city related to TMS. For example 2016 will see the return of the FRESH Dinner, now in its second year, on Tuesday 14th June.

The FRESH Dinner is an event for anyone that is interested in designing more effective meetings. The group of industry figures that meet at these events truly understand the importance of innovation when delivering meetings.

The FRESH dinner is also an opportunity to meet new professionals with an interest in the content side of meetings. You will have the chance to connect with meeting planners, meeting designers, facilitators, producers, ROI specialists, technology suppliers, actors and more. As the name suggests, you will be networking with a FRESH crowd… which can only lead to ideas sharing and dynamic conversations!

Save the date and book your seat now*
*below rates are available until 09/06/2016; No refunds or cancellations:

Date: Tuesday, 14th June 2016

Time: Welcome Drink starts at 19:00pm/ Dinner Starts at 20:00.

Venue: Hilton London Kensington Hotel

Dinner format: CLAMP dinner (Content to discuss / Light meal / Alcohol limitation / Mixing participants / Private space).

For more information and to book, please click HERE.

Event industry sleepover, Network under the stars, has announced its inspiring key note speakers and seminar sessions, as well as the first round of mentors who will be available for exclusive 1-on-1 sessions with attendees on the night.

The event, which is in its second year, is being organised by London Book and Screen Week, International Confex, Olympia London, Ways and Means Events, Freemans and LiveBuzz and will be taking place on Thursday 7th July.

All proceeds from the event will be donated to Breast Cancer Now and Macmillan Cancer Support.

Key note speakers:

 Harriet Minter—TED talks regular and founder and editor of Women in Leadership at Guardian

 Fay Sharpe—Managing Director at Zibrant

Educational seminar sessions:

 Suzanne Arnold—Corporate stylist and personal branding expert

 Liz Sinclair—Professional development expert and director at esp recruitment

Exclusive one to one mentoring sessions with:

 Maggie Crowe OBE—Director of Events and Charities at BPI (Brit Awards)

 Annie Byrne—Editor at Exhibition News

 Katherine Buchan—Owner of Venue Search UK

 Tracy Halliwell MBE—Director of Business Tourism & Major Events at London & Partners

 Lisa Hannant—Group Managing Director at Clarion Events

 Janice Edmunds—Operations Director for Montgomery

 Sharon Robinson—Managing Director at CEVA Logistics

 And more inspiring mentors to be announced in coming weeks

More information and registration can be found at olympia.london/networkingstars

Following the inaugural event industry sleepover in 2015—which raised more than £7,000 for Breast Cancer Now and Macmillan Cancer Support—London Book and Screen Week, International Confex, Olympia London, Ways and Means Events, Freemans and LiveBuzz has today announced its return on Thursday 7th July.

This year, Network under the stars will see an enhanced focus on sessions and activities that will aid professional growth.

Commercial Director at Olympia London, Anna Golden said, “By celebrating women within the events industry, we aim to boost confidence and skills within the workplace. We hope that this event will provide a unique platform for women to network and engage in an environment that is welcoming, educational and fun; the very essence of what our industry stands for.”

The night will commence with speed networking, mentoring sessions with the industry’s leading experts and inspirational key note speakers before attendees have the opportunity to mingle through a range of activities such as cocktail making classes and yoga.

Once again, all proceeds from the night will be donated to Breast Cancer Now and Macmillan Cancer Support, who will also be present to share their stories on the night.

Attendees are welcome to make it an all-night affair, or just stay for the evening if they prefer.

More information and registration can be found at olympia.london/networkingstars

In honour of our fifteenth birthday, we’re sharing 15 things that will remind you of the events industry in 2001. Warning, this list may cause nostalgia.

1. Guests were constantly leaving the event to head outside and get some more bars of signal on their Nokia 3310’s.

2. Britney’s VMA performance meant that pythons were an unofficial trend and people half expected them to appear at every social event.

3. Clients were beginning to understand that they could personalise the event and venue to represent their company better, so the ability to physically brand the event was high on a client’s wish list.

4. Laptops were becoming more and more portable, and so access to power was a frequent guest request.

5. #EventProfs were unsure as to the future of their industry. At this point, events had still not completely made it into the marketing mix and so there was no real focus on events in a company’s budget.

6. Apple releasing the first iPod put a lot of pressure on event DJ’s as everyone had a version of their favourite song right there in their pocket (this is probably also when DJ’s first started disliking their job).

7. Clients were reluctant to accept that the internet could assist them with tasks like event reservations and check in, and so for a while – the original and most extreme of the paper trails lived on.

8. Informal fashion was popular, with wealthy business men often seen at events in jeans and untucked shirts. So for event managers, dress code became a permanent fixture in ‘important event information’.

9. People were all after that element of ‘surprise’ within their events. However it was very difficult to pin down exactly what this was…

10. Conferences and meetings in the UK were enjoying the highest level of international guests in ten years, business travel became the second most popular reason for inbound tourism with 6.8 million visits in 2001.

11. Planners began to realise that not all events need to be held in a banquet hall, and that other unusual spaces could work too.

12. Clients catering requests branched out from vegetarian and vegan, and included ‘Atkins friendly’ dishes for their health conscious guests.

13. Everyone began to imagine how different their events would be when guests arrived on a segway, and how it would be mandatory for staff to zoom around the show floor instead of walk (though of course the segway dream lasted all of 10 minutes).

14. Themed events came back into fashion, because HELLO, how else could you possibly make your work stand out?

15. And due to pop culture at the time, the most popular requests for event themes likely included: Harry Potter, Moulin Rouge, Shrek, and/or Planet of the Apes.

Ahh the good old days.

Last week The Brewery played host to the 2016 BNC Global Event Show, a networking exhibition specifically designed for top event planners to meet leading UK and international event suppliers in the heart of London. On top of the event suppliers exhibiting – there were educational seminars, luxury goodie bags, and delicious free food and drink on offer all day for attendees.

To capitalise on all of this, BNC worked with Guidebook to create an app for the event that would give attendees the chance to network before, during, and post event. Guidebook specialises in enabling event organisers to build and manage mobile event apps. Not only does this mean that event organisers can store all the information about their event in the device people use most, their smart phone, it also significantly increases the lifespan of a one-day event.

Attendees were able to download the guide in advance to see which suppliers were exhibiting, plan sessions they’d like to attend, and make connections with other attendees in the app. Over 350 people downloaded the app and more than 50% of those chose to ‘Check-in’. The fact that they could do so meant that in 2016 the specialist ‘networking exhibition’ became even more engaging than in previous years, and helped to further reinforce the ‘community vibe’ that BNC has worked so hard to create and nurture.

Through the extensive metrics available via Guidebook, the BNC team were able to study the most viewed sessions, the most popular parts of the guide, and much more – all in easy to understand charts and images.

They will use this top-level data, and much more detailed metrics, to analyse what their attendees’ want – and ensure that next year they provide an even better attendee experience. Anyone who attended last week will attest that it will be a difficult task for the BNC team to host a more successful event next time – but their only chance of doing so is by carefully analysing attendee behaviour and habits.

We know that there are lots of different apps and tools out there for #EventProfs, but it was so interesting to see behind the scenes of the BNC show and discover how they make use of Guidebook to improve their attendee experience!

This post was written for ISES UK by Stewart Price from the Guidebook team.

Future of Events is a Conference, Exhibition and Career Center – all in one energized space. The aim being to provide event professionals with the tools to develop their personal and professional competence by providing new techniques, creative ideas and innovations to make future events game-changing.

The Conference offers a unique line-up of inspirational speakers including Frank Supovitz, Senior VP Events NFL (SuperBowl), David Adler, BizBash, Kevin Jackson, President ISES UK, Corbin Ball and many more, plus interactive workshops to challenge event creators on both professional and personal levels.

The Exhibition is the hub for a live catalogue of event ideas, services, stand concepts and techniques for corporate and public events. You will see the latest advertising campaigns and newly creative gadgets from around the world – guaranteed to engage and amaze clients and colleagues.

The Career Center is the place to be for those interested in investigating opportunities for professional growth and development in the events industry.

ISES UK are proud to support the conference and offer our members worldwide an exclusive discount that could save you 200Euros! Click here for the ISES member brochure outlining more about the event, and how to make use of this offer. See you there!

INTRIGUED? INSPIRED?
CONTRIBUTE. ATTEND.

Website: www.futureofevents.org
Contact: Marieke Kamberbeek, Manager Associations: 

The umbrella body for the UK events industry, the Business Visits & Events Partnership (BVEP) has surveyed members of its partner organisations to determine their thoughts on how ‘Brexit’ might affect events in the UK.

The overall results show the industry to have concerns about the level of events that would be attracted to the UK and the amount of investment that would be made in the industry, if there is a vote to leave.

Just 10% felt more events would be attracted here after Brexit, with 60% predicting there would be less. Industry investment was predicted to decrease by half of all respondents. The other half said it would stay the same or increase – just 13% expected it to increase.

56% believed the ability to recruit the right staff would be the same after leaving the EU and 39% felt that it would be harder with just 5% said recruitment would be easier.

Business regulation was the topic that most divided the industry’s opinion. While the EU is often criticised for hindering UK businesses with bureaucracy and red tape, the majority felt this would stay the same or increase, with 44% believing a leave vote would lead to less regulation.

Many of the specific respondents’ comments on possible post-Brexit issues for UK events business, highlighted increased regulation on events held in Europe as one of the largest concerns. Other issues raised were the potential loss of work to European contractors and destinations; additional transport and other operational costs and the possible perception of Britain as an “outsider” destination for European events.

On the plus side the possible weakening of the pound could make Britain more competitive; there might be greater flexibility and ability to win more global events and trade outside Europe, with more opportunity for government to support events without breaching state aid rules.

Speaking of the results, Michael Hirst OBE, Chair of the BVEP says; “This is a timely piece of research, organised by the BVEP. It highlights some of the key considerations and demonstrates how many opinions there are in this important debate. On the one side there are concerns about some of the circumstances which will arise from a Brexit but there are others who feel there will be positive opportunities too”.

He added; “The EU referendum is now just weeks away, no matter what the UK decides, the BVEP will continue to raise sector awareness and work with its stakeholders to support its future growth.”

The BVEP represents a broad base of opinion formers in the industry and believes the best way to contribute is to present the findings of its survey without prejudice to either point of view.

The International Special Events Society has officially changed its name to the International Live Events Association (ILEA) which was announced on the 2nd May via a video broadcast, presented by international president Jodi Collen CSEP.

A wider roll out of the brand will be carried out over the coming months to encompass a new logo, website and other marketing collateral. In addition, the association will be transitioning its existing social media presence to create new names and pages where necessary.

Jodi Collen explained; “The world has changed phenomenally since the International Special Events Society was founded in 1987 and our industry has always kept up and changed with it. This is the culmination of a process that began several years ago and that will continue as our association continues to evolve. This is a massive opportunity for us as an association and the beginning of a very exciting time in our history.”

ILEA UK President Kevin Jackson commented:  “We are beyond pleased to announce our new name, especially as it has been something everyone has known would be coming for some time.”

“We are excited to be moving forward and evolving as an association, but we will not be forgetting our past and the role that ISES UK has played in our industry over the last 15 years. The name is gone but the legacy will continue as we operate under our new name. It won’t be an overnight change, but the board and I are looking forward to completing the process, which, like everything we have ever done, is with and for our membership.”

The launch of Events are GREAT Britain will take place this Thursday (14th April), officially outlining VisitBritain’s new strategy for Business Visits & Events.

Events are GREAT Britain is part of the wider GREAT campaign and will act as the umbrella brand working to drive more international business to the UK. Activity will start to roll out over the next six months, with a core focus on supporting British destinations and venues to deliver measurable economic benefit to the visitor economy from new events, enhanced delegate numbers and business extenders.

The launch event will take place at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea Football Club in front of an audience of major industry associations, stakeholders as well as representatives from many of the UK’s major destinations and convention centres.

Presentations will take place from newly appointed Head of Business Visits & Events for VisitBritain – Chris Foy, deputy chair of the UK Events Industry Board and chair of the BVEP – Michael Hirst, OBE and CEO of the Association of Event Organisers and vice chair of the BVEP – Chris Skeith.

Events are GREAT Britain will replace the current Britain for Events campaign which had run since 2010. It will make its international debut to the industry later this month at IMEX Frankfurt on 19th April.

When creative agency Imagination was asked to deliver Jaguar Land Rover’s Global Dealer Conference this March, leading crewing company Showforce were only too happy to lend their support. The impressive event was held aboard the exclusive, six star, cruise ship the Crystal Symphony, where the invited guests enjoyed a luxury trip from Miami to the Bahamas.

The four-day conference was designed to deliver the latest company messages to a global network of over 400 guests on each rotation, based on worldwide regions and incorporated offsite driving experiences on dry land in Jaguar Land Rover products, at both Homestead, the Miami race track, and a variety of road drives in the Bahamas.

Showforce’s crew chief was involved from the outset of the project, sitting down with Imagination’s production team and preparing for the conference well in advance. Then when the event commenced five crew, handling all freight loading, using a 350 tonne crane, to lift containers of equipment and the expensive Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles safely on to the ship. Lifts were scheduled continuously, every 15 minutes over a 48-hour build period, making it a highly pressurised environment with plenty of time constraints and no margin for error throughout.

In addition, the crew supported other suppliers to the event, including helping the ships’s crew and the Port of Miami Stevedore company to distribute equipment and assisting with the install of event infrastructure, creation of presentation stages and reveal experiences. Such was the nature of the work that the team was increased to nine for the de-rig and unloading of the equipment and cars.

Hilary Taylor, Imagination’s Production Manager said: “Showforce’s specialist experience in vehicle movement proved invaluable for this project and having their crew chief involved at the planning stage certainly paid dividends. The crew consistently delivered high standards across all of the demanding rotations and ultimately contributed to a highly successful event.”

Chris Martelly, Showforce’s operations director said: “This was a really exciting job for Showforce to be a part of, having the crew work long hours both at sea and on dry land was an interesting challenge for the team. Loading and unloading the freight was incredibly tense with no contingency or mistakes so ensuring that the right crew were assigned to the project was vital. We were delighted to support Imagination and play our part in the overall success of such a high profile conference.”

ISES UK members Table Art – well established as a market leader in design and delivery of contemporary table centrepieces, props and lit furniture – have expanded their portfolio to include a complete event styling service for clients. The expansion incorporates all of the company’s in-house manufactured, and often bespoke products, and couples it with state of the art technology, exceptional design and attention to detail.

Styling themes already offered by Table Art range from ‘Dream Circus’ and ‘Rio Carnival’ to ‘Art Deco’ and ‘Superheroes.’ With a strong focus on the use of technology the company will use sights and sounds to stimulate the senses delivering an almost tangible atmosphere from the moment guests arrive. These include light boxes, picture frames incorporating digital content, LED pixel tubes that have multiple uses including ropes and posts and SONOS surround sound. In addition, the company offers an impressive range of fabric inflatable props that are easy to transport and install. For example, a seven metre palm tree comfortably fits into a small laptop sized bag and there is a huge elephant included within the ‘Dream Circus’ theme.

Event Art’s fabric inflatable elephant, from the ‘Dream Circus’ theme

The new event styling concept allows the Table Art team to transform venues and events using creative modern practices. The company is providing tailor-make packages to suit each client; designing bespoke props where appropriate and working in tandem with clients to understand their objectives. Certain packages include a personalised website that clients can use for promotional purposes, they come complete with a library of graphics and teaser trailer – artwork can then be tweaked specifically for their events. Thus allowing organisers to set the scene, capturing the imagination and engaging with guests prior to the event.

Commenting on the new service, managing director Gary Martin said: “Moving in to complete event styling is an opportunity to take all the principles and good practises that we use in delivering centrepieces and upscaling them for clients who are looking for a more comprehensive solution. We have always prided ourselves on our creativity and innovation so as the event industry moves towards technology it makes sense to move in that direction. We believe that styling with technology will become commonplace and we want to be at the forefront whether that’s utilising tech to create an effect or including sounds. It is an exciting development for myself and the team and we’re looking forward to it evolving as we roll it out over the next six months.”

Feedback from Table Art’s clients has also been positive, long standing client, Viv Keating of Park Publishing said: “We regularly work with Table Art, their service levels are second to none; they’re flexible, reliable and absolutely fantastic onsite. They work with us closely to understand our requirements and now with their ability to deliver an end to end solution they will literally be bringing our events to life. They’re not afraid to design and create bespoke items for us and we’re already in discussions about an event later this year, where we need their input to create something spectacular.”

Event Art’s new ‘Rio Carnival’ concept

Ahead of this Summer’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Table Art has designed and manufactured a complete range of event styling ideas around the concept of the ‘Rio Carnival.’ It includes a huge replica of the famous Christ the Redeemer statue, giant palm trees, colourful pixel tube table centrepieces, vibrant display boards that set the scene and the sounds of salsa and crickets. The new range has already been booked for a number of high profile events at The Brewery in London this Summer.

This time last week the ISES UK team were back in their individual offices as the buzz of UK Events Week sadly died down, but what did we actually get up to over those five days?

Day 1 – Monday
Event Tech Lab at the Digital Catapult Centre

We started off the week finalising details about our March event, our exhibition stand, and actually mapping out what the ISES UK team and members would be getting up to across International Confex and the Event Production Show. (We would end up delivering over FIFTEEN HOURS of content as an association over the two days. So as you can imagine, before it had even kicked off we were filled with pride and keen to get on the show floor to see our members doing their thing).

In the evening, ISES EMEA chair James. Morgan invited us to his event – Event Tech Lab – at the Digital Catapult Centre, which FYI is an amazing space located between Kings Cross and Euston. The debate for the evening was around the question: ‘how much tech should I use for my event?’. The discussion was kick started by a panel of industry experts from across the sector, before which we had heard from tech start ups around the world via the magic of tech (surprisingly!). There was a great crowd in the room; we were pleased to see a number of our members in the audience talking about their tech and supporting each other, plus we got to chat with some of the greats from our industry about where our association is heading, including Michael Hirst. The event was finished off with pizza and networking so all in all a great Monday!

Day 2 – Tuesday
Exhibition stand build, and Fiylo Event at The Magazine Restaurant

Tuesday was build day in Olympia as all of the production teams from various companies worked their magic over their allocated squares of carpets turning them into fantastic show hubs – and we were no exception! We worked with Scene Set Ltd, Petal to the Metal, Spaceworks Furniture Hire and Metro Broadcast to bring the ISES UK stand to life.

Some of the team were also involved in a research project at the beginning of the week, which got many industry heavyweights in one room talking about the future of our sector, the results of which are soon to be released.

Every year Confex brings in an international audience, and because of this we were fortunate to be able to meet some ISES EMEA members in London last week. FIYLO travelled over from Germany as part of a larger group of German event suppliers and companies exhibiting at the shows. To mark their arrival they very kindly invited us to their networking event at The Magazine restaurant in Hyde Park. A Kofler and Kompanie venue, the space was in keeping with their brand as it had a very exclusive feel perfect for the international group of #EventProfs networking in it.

Day 3 – Wednesday
First show day and March Board Meeting

After two great networking events to start the week, we were more than ready for the first show day. On Wednesday we connected with current members showcasing across the show floors, caught up with past members whose companies have now evolved into bigger and better offerings, and met with potential ISES UK members who had heard about us and our association but just wanted to learn that little bit more. Luckily, the way in which our stand was set out meant that we could welcome them in to our ‘meeting area’ and engage them with other members that were around on the day.

As the show closed on day one, we hosted our monthly board meeting. And as some of our international members were in town, we of course invited them along to give them a feel for how our chapter runs and to compare notes. After a good hour talking strategy, the meeting was adjourned and we joined the rest of the #EventProfs down at the networking bar in Event Production Show.

Day 4 – Thursday
Second show day, and #EventStudents activity

We met as many, if not more, amazing #EventProfs on day two of the shows, but for us the focus was on the #EventStudents on the Thursday! Our members George P Johnson teamed up with UKCEM to deliver a session exclusively for current event management students, giving them exposure to industry figures. Later on in the day there was the Eventice final which was interestingly an all female final. And of course the My Event Vision Final, which ISES UK really supported this year – this may have been evidenced by the fact that the advisory board contained three of our own board members!

We love anything that encourages people to be creative and follow their event dreams no matter their age or career stage, so we were thrilled to meet the finalists for 2016 and learn about the progression of last year’s winning idea. Watch this space!

Day 5 – Friday
Following up on leads and researching all of the amazing companies we met on the show floor

As you can probably tell, we had an brilliant time at UK Events Week. And though our team were extremely busy (so sadly could not get to everything that was organised in conjunction with UK Events Week), we loved every second of what we did attend. It was fantastic to see the industry coming together and celebrating the best of what we currently offer… as well as looking forward to the industry that we are evolving into.

As an association we always try to inspire people to shout about their passion for the industry, and encourage everyone to continually strive for knowledge to help make our sector the best it can be. So to spend each day of last week meeting new and familiar faces with the same intention was a genuine buzz for the team. Forget events week, let’s make this a year long thing!

Until next time UK Events Week…

The International Special Events Society has officially changed its name to the International Live Events Association (ILEA) which was announced on the 2nd May via a video broadcast, presented by international president Jodi Collen CSEP.

A wider roll out of the brand will be carried out over the coming months to encompass a new logo, website and other marketing collateral. In addition, the association will be transitioning its existing social media presence to create new names and pages where necessary.

Jodi Collen explained; “The world has changed phenomenally since the International Special Events Society was founded in 1987 and our industry has always kept up and changed with it. This is the culmination of a process that began several years ago and that will continue as our association continues to evolve. This is a massive opportunity for us as an association and the beginning of a very exciting time in our history.”

ILEA UK President Kevin Jackson commented:  “We are beyond pleased to announce our new name, especially as it has been something everyone has known would be coming for some time.”

“We are excited to be moving forward and evolving as an association, but we will not be forgetting our past and the role that ISES UK has played in our industry over the last 15 years. The name is gone but the legacy will continue as we operate under our new name. It won’t be an overnight change, but the board and I are looking forward to completing the process, which, like everything we have ever done, is with and for our membership.”

Here at ISES UK, we love to celebrate our members and their work. So when one of our newer members – Classico Productions – asked us to help them spread the word about their latest adventures we were more than happy to help!

Take a look below for an update on their work over the past few months, and be sure to get in touch with their designated ISES member Lowell Cabual if you want to learn more about the Classico team…

What a Nice Guy!

Earlier in March our very own Managing Director and owner of Classico Productions, Richard Cohen was featured on the global phenomenon that is The Guestlist. Hosted by the celebrated events professional Lord Jason Scott, the hour long podcast highlighted the humble beginnings of Classico Productions, it’s ethos and what it means to be a nice person working in a competitive and aggressive market. 

Since the first episode of the The Guestlist Podcast in January 2016 it has received rave reviews and is listened to by thousands of “entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, wannapreneurs and eventreprenuers”. One particular 5-star review stated that the podcasts offer ‘a great series that continues to educate and astound’.

To listen to Richard’s and other interviews, just click on the link The Guestlist Podcast.

Birthday Celebrations

Last month was full of celebrations which included a very special 15th birthday party for one of the events industries leading associations, ISES (International Special Events Society). Event professionals flocked to the infamous Egg London to party the night away and were greeted with cocktails and food which was provided by the amazing Boulevard Events. 

However, it wasn’t just the food, drink and entertainment that shocked guests with amazement but our very own Sales and Marketing Director, Lowell Cabual raised the roof on the dance floor. With his cool moves and slick performance, the crowd was pumped, but there was one particular move that caused a riot. In their newsletter, Boulevard Events said ‘Lowell Cabual of Classico Productions stole the show’ and Lord Jason Scott said ‘it just blew my mind’.

To see the full video click here.

It’s Never Too Early

It seems bizarre to be talking about Christmas already when summer hasn’t even arrived yet but as they say “failing to plan is planning to fail”. So it’s never too early to think about Christmas and we’ve got an awesome venue for you to host this years’ celebrations. 
Classico Productions have teamed up with the famous Mercedes-Benz World to offer you an unforgettable Christmas Party. From £57+VAT per person you can enjoy a drinks reception, 2 course meal, festive décor and DJ for the evening. The venue offers 3 floors of ultra- modern spaces suitable for up to 700 guests which can be tailored for your numbers. Guests can enjoy a stylish Christmas event surrounded by jaw dropping automobiles from the past, present and future. But it doesn’t stop there, you can also upgrade your package with a theme and add something special to the celebrations. Choose from White Tie and Diamonds, Winter Wonderland, Saturday Night Fever or 1920’s and Gangsters.

Chiswell Street Dining Rooms at Montcalm Brewery

Earlier this month Classico Productions were proud sponsors of the Montcalm showcase which had over 300 guests register for an opportunity to see what this fantastic venue has to offer. Food and drink was provided by the Chiswell Street Dining Rooms which is the Hotel’s in-house restaurant and part of the prestigious ETM group that own and operate other high end establishments such as One Canada Square Restaurant and Bar, The Botanist at Sloane Square and The Hat and Tun in Farringdon to name a few.

Want to find out more about us? We’d love to talk to you! Call us on  or email us at

Couldn’t make last week’s 15th Birthday event? Here’s a little overview of what you missed..

Hosted by members Egg London, our 15th birthday event perfectly demonstrated the creativity and collaborative power of our membership. Making use of Egg’s flexible indoor and outdoor space, we welcomed ISES members past and present to reflect on how far we have come as an association. Over 100 attendees joined us for this month’s event, and the crowd was a mixture of familiar industry faces, their guests, and soon to be event professionals – a true reflection of ISES UK in 2016.

Boulevard Events handled the catering on the evening, and honestly we couldn’t have asked for more. They delivered outstanding dishes for us, including a tailor made birthday cake which had everyone drooling. What more could you need? Off to Work provided some of their staff to help support catering on the night – who executed front of house service flawlessly. But if you know the Off to Work team you wouldn’t expect anything less!

Present Communications and Leo Wilkinson were on site to capture the entire evening for us, especially our mini flash mob from the Hire-A-Dancer team… a 2001 style flash mob naturally. PRG XL Video provided some of their screens to help dress the space and assist the Fat Unicorn crew in transporting guests back in time at their 2001 themed green screen. Guests could share these 2001 snaps through an app created specifically for our event, or directly to social channels – so keep your eye out for them!

Kevin Jackson, current president at ISES UK said of the evening: ‘Our birthday event was a great way to mark fifteen years in the events industry. Fifteen years connecting creative professionals with each other, helping them to grow their corporate and personal brands. On the night we saw some fantastic examples of the work our membership contributes to the sector each and every day.’

Pictures from the night can be found at this link. Here’s to another fifteen years #EventProfs!

AR Experiential is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with Engine Creative that will support the ongoing development and commercialisation of the immersar® event experience platform and position both organisations for consumer adoption of Smartglasses.

With Augmented Reality at its heart, immersar® will launch as the go-to platform for Smartglasses based multi-sensory experiences. Engine Creative’s award-winning AR and context aware publishing platform Reality Engine™ will now power immersar® experiences at live events.

AR Experiential is a specialist agency evolved from a background in event operations. Engine Creative is an award winning creative services and digital products agency who are experts in bringing brands to life through mobile and emerging technology such as AR, VR and wearables. The partnership cements a shared strategic vision that both organisations seek to position for where the physical and digital worlds of marketing and communications will ultimately converge.

On announcement of the partnership, Scott Hope, Commercial Director of AR Experiential said: “We’re really excited to be partnering with a well-respected agency Engine Creative, one of the few that have mastered the development of augmented reality and share our passion for physical and digital integration. Collectively we’re in a strong position to deliver rich and interactive brand experiences across the events and retail space.”

Matt Key, Managing Director of Engine Creative comments: “The collaboration with immersar® is part of our ongoing vision of bringing AR, VR and proximity experiences to brands looking to build useful connections with their audience. Our award-winning platform Reality Engine™ is capable of powering amazing AR experiences and we’re excited to work with Scott and the team at immersar® on this new venture in the events sector.”

AR Experiential exhibited at the Wearable Technology Show, ExCeL London on 15^th and 16^th March, where representatives from both organisations were on hand to discuss the portfolio of products that the partnership represents. Scott Hope from AR Experiential and Engine Creative’s Andy Wise also discussed innovation in Augmented Reality.

For more information, visit http://www.arexm.com/

 The following blog post is written by current University of Hertfordshire Student, Keeley Knight

My story with ISES started in July 2015 where I attended an event that my then employer, Viva Live Music, provided the entertainment for. This is where I met Terence, who is the Director of Education for the ISES UK team. We talked about that fact that I was working as a student in an events related job even though I didn’t study Events Management, and he suggested that ISES might be a fit for me. From there he invited me to my very first ISES UK event at Shaka Zulu – their AGM.

Having not gone to a networking event of this kind before, I was very nervous! I had been to many marketing based expos and conferences in the past and always found it quite difficult to approach people as a student. It just never seemed like the right environment at the time and as other students may relate, it can be a very intimidating setting!

Therefore in the build up to the event I decided I needed to market myself in the best way possible, and created some business cards and a website to share with people. I would recommend this to any student looking to make networking contacts, having a material product to share really helps people remember you in the long term.

On the evening of the event I was instantly put at ease with the warmth and friendliness of the events professionals I met, everyone was genuinely interested in my studies and the achievements I had made so far. The general setting was relaxed and I was instantly energised, motivated and inspired by the people around me. I was slowly building my personal brand and the best thing was I was having fun doing it! I knew when I left the event I had to get more involved with ISES UK. I signed myself up as a member, and a couple of weeks later I saw that a Marketing Committee position had become available via Twitter, so I jumped at the chance. Within a month, my passion and enthusiasm meant that I was sat at my first committee meeting – I could hardly believe it!

ISES UK has helped me in so many ways, not only has the community helped me build my confidence but they’ve also enabled me to add industry experience to my CV. Not to mention sharing connections that allowed me to build a freelance career whilst still studying. BUT, the best (and most unexpected) part is that ISES is the reason I now have my placement secured for next academic year.

I met the CEO of Wildgoose, an events company specialising in team building location based challenges, in December at the ISES UK Christmas event. After experiencing their product on the night, it was safe to say I was very interested in their company and the work they do, and so after a little networking I gave him my business card (so far so usual), but I wasn’t expecting what happened next…

A month later I updated my LinkedIn status saying I was looking for a placement role, and I received a direct message from the CEO of Wildgoose sharing a potential marketing placement opportunity. Obviously I already knew of their work so I grabbed the chance, and from there I went through the interview process, but I am extremely delighted to report that I start working for them in June. Of course I would not have got the job without my experience and competence, but without ISES UK welcoming me into their community and connecting me with these organisations, I may not have ever been given an opportunity to work for a company as exciting as Wildgoose!

So thank you ISES UK. The past 8 months as part of the family have been a whirlwind of positive experiences, I’ve met some incredibly inspiring people, built a really strong CV that will help me even after I graduate and secured my placement. All whilst having the best time and making some incredible friendships. Students, I cannot recommend joining more, and I’m looking forward to what the future holds for me as a member!

The following blog post is written by current Event Management student
Catherine Eagles, from the University of Greenwich.

A few weeks ago myself and a few other students were invited to attend the 2015 Event Awards as guest of ISES UK – the International Special Events Society – as soon as we arrived at the Eventim Apollo we were greeted at the door with the warmest welcome by the event staff, and as we waited to go upstairs to the designated ISES UK guest area we met many other event students from universities across the country. Our arrival networking party was the perfect ice breaker where we got to talk to some of the ISES team, some of the Event Awards organisers, recent graduates and of course the other student guests.

We then got taken to the balcony where we had front row seats to view the awards, with complimentary welcome drinks and popcorn. There was such a wide scope of events up for nomination, from the product launch of Edible Orbs, to Adidas campaigns, to a Hendricks Gin quest through the rain forest! It really broadened my horizons as to the various event companies out there, and the variety of memorable and innovative experiences they produce.

Once the awards were over we were invited to go downstairs to the foyer area which had been transformed into the after party space, it was the perfect opportunity to network with all the industry professionals we had just witnessed being celebrated. At the beginning of the night I might have felt too under-prepared to have done this, but the ISES team had given us all a pep talk and some blank business cards which we were able to use to represent ourselves – and I honestly cannot recall a single person who was not happy to be approached by us to chat about their events. We also got to try the aforementioned Edible Orbs (zero calorie vapor, consumed through a straw, tasting of strawberry or cookie dough).. I still cannot get my head around how it actually works!

The night was the perfect opportunity to get dressed up, make new contacts, network and have a good dance. I have attended quite a few networking events but this one by far was my favourite. Elena at ISES UK made us feel so welcome and has offered us so many industry connections, I am so thankful to her and the rest of her team for that! I’m now hoping to use those connections to attain a graduate job next year. I would highly recommend the event to other events students if the opportunity arises in the future, and to definitely consider joining ISES UK for their networking events – it is a great way to be pro active about graduate life before you have even finished uni!

The following blog post is
written by Megan Strahle, a current
International Events Management Student
from the University of Surrey.

When my professor presented the opportunity for students in the International Events Management program to go to the Event Awards in London, three girls in my class and I jumped at the opportunity. All of us are international students and we didn’t want to pass up a once in a lifetime event while we were so close to London. I couldn’t wait to see how the UK put on a major event show and to see who won what.

We took the train to London and successfully rode the tube to the venue. When we arrived, security greeted us and directed us to the coat check. All of the student guests stood around chatting amongst ourselves before we got invited upstairs to a cocktail reception where we were greeted with champagne. Our hostess introduced herself and her team and welcomed all of us. We mingled and ate popcorn until it was time to watch the awards – I loved hearing where all of the other students were from and what they wanted to do with their degree.

The awards portion was nothing short of spectacular. I had previously worked in the events industry and decided to go back to school to broaden my horizons, and watching the awards discovering the creative efforts behind some amazing events further motivated to set my goals higher than they already are. The students cheered along with the event professionals when people won – and we all watched starry eyed as people received the awards they worked so hard to obtain. We were sitting in the balcony seats overlooking the entire event – and we had great seats before health and safety meant we had to move and lost our front row view(!) – but regardless it was an excellent show.

Afterwards we ventured downstairs to the bar to mingle with the guests. There was a DJ and a fun photo booth on the upper level, it was quite hilarious to see the shots the photographer set up! Unfortunately, I had a Cinderella moment where the clock struck a certain time and I had to catch the last train back before I got a chance to mingle with the guests. I wished I was able to stay longer and meet the amazing people in the events industry but I knew my chance to do so wasn’t over..

At the after party, our hostess had mentioned that students could join ISES too. After seeing the Event Awards and the amazing companies present, I jumped at the chance to be a part of something so spectacular. Each month there will be an opportunity for me to join a group of event professionals at an industry networking event and grow my contacts (where hopefully I won’t have to leave before the end!). It is a great way for students to immerse themselves in the events industry and take a running leap towards their future. I can’t wait until the next event!

The following blog post is written by Alexandra Dayle Weatherstone and Lewis Manson, current Events Management students from Leeds Beckett University.

If Carlsberg did awards ceremonies…

There’s a sponsorship deal in there somewhere! A little over two weeks ago, our lecturer shared with us the chance to attend the 2015 Event Awards as student guests of ISES UK – and we both jumped at it.  So in typical student style, we took a five hour long MegaBus from Leeds to London to attend the event at the Eventim Apollo and frankly, we would do it all over again! As current Events Management students, we cannot stress enough how much fun we had, and how worthwhile attending the Event Awards was for us. This is how our evening went..

Landing in good ol’ London Town, we hit the tracks for the esteemed Apollo. Before arriving we ate in a beautiful restaurant just round the corner, Lala’s. FYI highly recommended – we had great service and fantastic food (and maybe a sneaky Bellini or two).  Then we changed into our glad rags for the evening, leaving us feeling fabulous, despite changing in the restaurant toilets (don’t judge – remember the five hour coach journey? And who said the events industry was always glamorous?!). We arrived at the Eventim Apollo to be met by the shimmering lights and a host of top event industry players, all dressed to the nines in wonderful tuxedoes and stunning dresses – the best kind of night!

As student guests of ISES, we were welcomed with a champagne reception where we had the privilege of meeting fellow Event Management students from other universities and our lovely hosts. After a short time, we were taken to our balcony seating to watch the ceremony – from here we could observe the entire audience of industry professionals eagerly waiting to discover if they would receive awards for their work. Then it began, and the gorgeous Steve Jones presented to the best of the best in event creativity.

Witnessing the awards brought to light just how impressive, creative and world altering our wonderful industry can be, especially with the likes of ‘Shell Morro Da Mineira’ from J. Walter Thompson, who managed to bag the most awards of the evening including the Grand Prix Award.

After the awards ceremony we moved down to join the rest of the guests. The foyer turned disco was the ultimate place to network with the finest in the industry. Forget single and ready to mingle, we are unemployed and ready to mingle! Introducing ourselves and swapping business cards with those willing to talk to us (which thankfully all were), we both networked and danced the rest of the evening away. Fingers crossed, we met our future colleagues!

With extremely sore feet from the dancing but still buzzing from the energy in the room, it was time for us to hit the tracks. We headed back to the bus station and back home to Leeds after an extremely rewarding and wonderful evening.

The atmosphere was positively overwhelming and the collective energy from a room full of amazing talent has further inspired us to become one of them. So much so, that we have since become student members of ISES UK. There is no doubt in our minds that the knowledge that ISES offers will allow us to become top players in the industry one day too, maybe even with an Event Award to our names.

Apollo… You’ve were amazing, Thank you!

The following blog post is written by a previous member of the ISES student community – Laura McNamara. 
In 2014 Laura graduated with a 2:1 in Event Management from Bournemouth University.

The four years I spent at Bournemouth were some of the best ever, and I  would go back in a heartbeat and do it all over again if I had the chance! It  was tough, I won’t deny that, and the jump from college to university  essays and what is expected of you is something you will have to get used  to, but all in all you’ll get there.

In my final year I was lucky enough to be one of four students from my  Event Management course to become a nominated ISES UK student  member. This meant I was able to benefit from all of the opportunities that  the association has to offer it’s corporate members, such as attending  industry events and networking with top names in the sector.

Since graduating in 2014, I have been working as a freelance event and marketing manager. At present I work for Projected Image Ltd – specialists in the supply of audio visual equipment for the events and conferencing industry – as well as a boutique events agency in London. At Projected Image Ltd I head up the marketing department, it’s a small business and didn’t have anyone working in marketing prior to my arrival.. so a word of advice for job hunters: don’t dismiss the smaller businesses straight away, you never know what opportunities may be open to you!

As with all degrees there is the good and the not so good, and in particular I think that Event Management is a degree which comes under a lot of fire…which I experienced first-hand!

So how was having an ISES membership beneficial to me as a student?

I don’t know where to start here. As far as I am concerned, there are no downsides to having an ISES membership, you get to network as a student with industry professionals from a variety of backgrounds with years of experience … where’s the issue there? I made numerous contacts through my networking, I met some VERY interesting people and was able to discuss where I saw myself after uni. I also was able to get into conversations about my dissertation subject and how this was progressing with those who know the industry like the back of their hands and could possible offer advice.

I have (or am about to) sign myself back up to an ISES membership for the next year. As a graduate I have lots to learn and there is so much room for my personal and professional progression within the industry. I can’t see a better way of enhancing this than to network with those already in the industry and who could be prospective clients for both myself as a freelancer or Projected Image Ltd as suppliers, as well as meeting possible future employers.

ISES hold a mixture of events, and although you will get to meet familiar faces, never underestimate the contacts these individuals may have. I found everyone to have a very ‘open-door’ welcoming mentality at the events, and even as a student, there was a lot of interest in what the future holds for me as well as the work I was already participating in.

I can’t wait to see where my ISES membership will take me next!