It’s taken us. a while to pull some of reflections together but we hope that this message finds you all safe and well after an incredibly challenging year – and indeed, a difficult start to 2021. Last year was a rollercoaster for us all – both personally and professionally – with nearly all of our in-person events postponed or cancelled and some of our favourite annual projects unable to happen. What looked like a bumper year of conferences and events, was impacted dramatically when Covid-19 hit.
But in the midst of all of the stress and sadness, we’ve also been able to take lots of activity online, learn to work with incredible new technologies, and to support existing and new charity clients to raise money and awareness for their critical work. Plus between us we moved and bought houses, got engaged and had a baby! ❤️
Here are some of our highlights from 2020…
In January we hosted drinks receptions for the hardworking committees and advisory panels supporting some of our largest fundraising galas throughout the year. We were so excited about the year ahead!
In February our last in-person fundraising gala – the Rainbow Ball for Richard House Children’s Hospice – saw this London-based charity raising over £400,000, exceeding all previous amounts with a colourful evening of entertainment 🌈
In March we flew back from South Africa just in time for lockdown and experienced the devastating effects that the pandemic has had across the charity sector, with many events and campaign postponed indefinitely whilst organisations grappled with what was to come. We were able to host a number of “Coveted Cuppa” conversations over Zoom with event manager colleagues to talk through plans and work together to find solutions for virtual activity.
But in April the first of BAFTA’s Academy Circle events transitioned online and we have loved hosting these intimate Q&A sessions virtually over the last months, with stars including Ruth Wilson, Rosamund Pike and Hugh Grant.
In June we should have been hosting events in Monaco but instead one of our first virtual galas - for the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra – was jointly hosted by the organisation’s London, New York and Tel Aviv offices for over 100,000 viewers and raising over $1m.
In July we instead ran virtual summer parties – wine tastings, Escape Rooms, quizzes and live DJs, all from the comfort of our living room. It’s not quite the same though, is it??
Most importantly, in August we celebrated Kerry’s 30th birthday! And worked with the team at UAL for the first time, to deliver virtual panel discussions as part of their graduate showcase,
In October some of our annual projects went online for the first time, with the Global Schools Forum Annual Meeting (previously hosted in Switzerland and Kenya) moving to digital and the 40th anniversary of the International Fundraising Congress (IFC) taking place as a virtual summit with over 1,000 attendees from 80 countries. We also had the opportunity to work with the fantastic team at Bite Back 2030 on their Youth Summit, a hybrid event for a charity whose mission is to achieve a world where all young people have the opportunity to be healthy, no matter where they live.
In December we rounded off the year with a fantastic Global Gala for Sadlers Wells, featuring renowned performers Carlos Acosta and Akram Khan, with special guests including Sting, Olivia Lovibond and Fiona Shaw. The global innovation challenge with Reimagining Fundraising saw a highly interactive and engaging We loved working on virtual Christmas parties and supporting with gifting ideas for incredibly hardworking remote teams across the UK.
What are we looking forward to in 2021?
We HOPE that the world will open up again and that we can soon meet again and host in-person events, parties, galas and conferences with our wonderful clients! But in the meantime, we’re looking forward to seeing more innovation and exploring new technologies to help us raise more money for fantastic causes who have never needed it more.
If you’re planning an event in 2021 and would like to take advantage of our FREE events surgery on 29 January, please get in touch to book a consultation!
Share your thoughts in our events survey!
We’re asking events managers to participate in our events survey, sharing your experiences of the last 12 months, particularly how you have worked with event technology. Click here to submit your thoughts and we’ll be producing a report to share with you all later in the month.