‘Wish my soul was – down by the sea’

Back in 2019 we were lucky enough to be asked to assist with a really interesting brief for a week-long company conference in conjunction with one of our fabulous long-standing clients. This event changes country annually and has to be based in a city but not one of the ‘main’ cities or the capital.

The brief:

• An iconic or interesting building/conference centre with links to the city it is based in
• 700 people Tuesday – Friday with accommodation around the city
• Set up and build x two days
• Exhibition space for 60 shell scheme stands
• Offshoot meetings on day one and last day for 170 people not in main conference centre
• Welcome Directors meeting and drinks reception in a WOW location with links to the city
• Gala dinner with a difference for 700

Karen and the team undertook a search, and we shortlisted Brighton and the Brighton Centre, Brighton Dome and Hilton Metropole Brighton. We also sourced accommodation from over 20 properties in Brighton for the client. Then………………………Covid arrived! Unfortunately, all the work was undone due to the Pandemic and postponed indefinitely until the restrictions were lifted.

In 2023 we were delighted to be contacted by the client to pick up the search again, due to availability and client preference for 2025 the wonderful Brighton Dome and Corn Exchange were selected as the chosen option. We site visited with the clients who arrived from the Netherlands and the wonderful team at the Dome It was a complex brief with onsite and offsite syndicate space. The history and versatile space at the venue lent itself well to the brief with the wonderfully refurbished Corn Exchange the central hub for the exhibition showcase.

For the Welcome Directors drinks reception and the Gala Dinner, we were delighted to take our wonderful client who were hosting the event, on an accompanied site visit in a very wet and windy Brighton and much vision was needed to imagine the locations we put forward:

• Private hire of the end of Brighton Pier with a range of rides included and food stands for catering and the i360 for the reception and drinks in a private pod with panoramic views of the South Downs and the sea.
  

For the offshoot meetings on day one and derig day, we conducted site visits with the UK contingent at the DoubleTree by Hilton Brighton Metropole and the Leonardo Royal Hotel Waterfront Brighton, both of which were contracted for the events.

The accommodation was on an allocation basis and was taken over by the onsite logistics company and booked by individuals across the city.

Just a couple of months prior to the event we received a sad call that the i360 had been taken into receivership so the search for the welcome reception started again. We put forward the fabulous Restaurant at the Grand Brighton, Shelter Hall, the Sealife Centre and the Royal Pavilion. After the client’s site visit, they chose the Royal Pavilion for its stunning setting and the beautifully ornate event space.

Once all contracted the client began liaising with the venues on the finer details and event planning with our background support. As the dates in June arrived, we all prayed for good weather to showcase how well Brighton works for a city-wide event. Most of the venues, attractions and restaurants are located 10 minutes’ walk from one another and the train station which runs regular fast trains from London Victoria and the Thameslink from the city. Also, just 30 minutes from Gatwick on the Gatwick Express. There’s a great range of interesting historical buildings, large hotels all close to one another, and of course the wonderful seafront too!

The June event date arrived and the client was blessed with gorgeous hot sunny weather! The event went really well. In our client debrief after the event we had feedback such as:

‘We are extremely pleased with the production and delivery of the conference. The venue ‘Brighton Dome’, in combination with the ‘Unitarian Church’ worked very well for us. Centrally located, charming buildings but also the flexibility from these venues while working with us, were all plusses for us.’

‘It was an incredible night – the weather gods really did look down on us as it was absolutely stunning! All went really well, the Brighton Pier team were really good and helpful. It was definitely my most unusual (and fun!) event’

For us as a team there’s nothing more satisfying than knowing our input in finding the right venue, negotiating the best prices and helping the contracting process along all contribute to the impact, enjoyment, and success of our clients’ events.