Event Matters

In this episode of Event Matters, David Watt is joined by Rachel Locke, founder of Virtual Approval and its new sister brand, VA Events.

Rachel wasn’t planning to start an events business. Furloughed from recruitment during COVID, she offered to help people take their meetings online. The couple of hours she hoped to fill quickly became a full diary. Today, the company delivers webinars, workshops and conferences across virtual, hybrid and live formats, although persuading clients to see beyond the word “virtual” has taken some work.

Rachel explains why she introduced VA Events alongside the established brand, why online events are still keeping the team busy and what gets her goat about a live stream being called a hybrid event. She and David also discuss the challenge of stepping back from the event delivery she loves, trusting others to take the lead and learning to be the boss when every decision used to come back to her.

Expect insights on:

• Why professional learning webinars and online workshops continue to attract audiences
• Giving online delegates an experience worth turning up for
• Recognising when your reputation no longer reflects everything your business can do
• Introducing a sister brand while protecting an established source of business
• Handing over delivery when you still love the adrenaline of running events
• Asking “Where’s the sparkle?” to challenge the team to go beyond expectations
• Using automation and AI to spend less time chasing emails and more time creating better events

Rachel has clear ambitions for the business, but she’s also enjoying what it makes possible along the way, including time for yoga in Bali. It’s an honest conversation about broadening your offer, loosening your grip on the detail and building a business you enjoy being part of.

Host: David Watt, Kershaw Partners
Guest: Rachel Locke, founder of Virtual Approval and VA Events

In this episode of Event Matters, David Watt is joined by Matt Turner, Founder of Clownfish Events, who started the business at 18, grew it into a multi-million-pound company and, 16 years later, decided to fire himself.

Matt shares how growing up feeling he didn’t fit in led him to build his “own room” through Clownfish, creating a workplace where others could feel accepted and supported. He explains why a strong culture makes commercial sense and how events can help teams reconnect with their company’s purpose.

He also talks openly about the insecurities that business success couldn’t resolve, learning to accept help and recognising when someone else was better placed to lead the company’s next stage of growth.

Expect insights on:

• Building a culture where people belong and can do their best work
• Giving employees the role models and support they need to develop
• How events reconnect colleagues with each other and their company’s purpose
• Why external success doesn’t resolve personal insecurity
• Accepting help through therapy, coaching and mentoring
• Recognising when a growing business needs a different leader
• Finding identity and purpose after stepping away

Matt’s story offers a personal perspective on the relationship between a founder and their business, from the need to prove yourself to becoming comfortable enough to hand over responsibility.

Host: David Watt, Partner at Kershaw Partners
Guest: Matt Turner, Founder of Clownfish Events

In this episode of Event Matters, David Watt speaks with Simon Woodward, Founder of Polar Bear Live, about finding a niche in event production and building a business through reputation, relationships and a willingness to solve unfamiliar problems.

With more than 30 years in the industry, Simon has developed a specialist role supporting property developers and destinations including Battersea Power Station and Olympia London. He shares how adapting during COVID opened up new opportunities, and why making spaces event ready starts long before the first event.

The conversation also explores Simon’s fascination with emotional intelligence, what he learnt from working with Mike Kershaw and how leaders can create an environment where people feel comfortable speaking up.

Expect insights on:

• Finding a niche by understanding your clients’ world and speaking their language
• Designing public spaces for events before costly practical problems arise
• Turning existing skills into new services when your usual work disappears
• Building relationships that lead to recommendations and follow clients as they move
• Balancing a problem-solving instinct with dependable suppliers and stronger processes
• Using AI to save time while keeping a close eye on quality
• Developing emotional intelligence, listening without rushing to judge and making it safe to ask for help

An honest conversation about adapting a business, earning trust and understanding the people you work with.

Host: David Watt, Partner at Kershaw Partners
Guest: Simon Woodward, Founder of Polar Bear Live

In this episode of Event Matters, David Watt is joined by Adam Blackwood, Founder of Private Drama Events, who has spent more than 25 years bringing theatrical storytelling to events for leading brands and private clients.

A RADA-trained actor, Adam never planned to build an events business. Performing Shakespeare at corporate dinners led to a partnership with Shakespeare’s Globe and a career creating experiences that make people feel something – and remember it.

From murder mysteries aboard the Belmond British Pullman to opera for Rolex, Adam shares how he finds a story in the client, the venue and the occasion. He also explores the detailed planning, trusted relationships and commercial decisions behind the performance.

Expect insights on:

• Using theatrical storytelling to create memorable events
• Finding creative connections between brands, venues and occasions
• The planning and teamwork behind ambitious live experiences
• Building client trust and delivering when things go wrong
• Using AI while managing expectations and realistic budgets
• Building a creative business that can thrive beyond its founder

Adam offers a vivid look at how imagination, attention to detail and trusted people come together to create experiences guests remember.

Host: David Watt, Partner at Kershaw Partners
Guest: Adam Blackwood, Founder of Private Drama Events

In this episode of Event Matters, David Watt is joined by Matt Grey, CEO and Founder of event:decision, to explore what it really means to deliver events responsibly – and why the conversation needs to go much further than carbon and recycling.

After nearly three decades in the events industry, Matt launched event:decision during Covid with a focus on measuring event carbon footprints. Since then, the business has evolved to look at the much bigger picture: environmental impact, social value, governance and the contribution events make to the communities and supply chains around them.

Matt explains why he now prefers to talk about responsibility rather than sustainability, and why agencies shouldn’t wait for clients to ask before taking it seriously. He also challenges an industry built around telling stories to get much better at telling its own – not just through headline economic figures, but through the people, businesses and communities that benefit from events.

Expect insights on:

• Why responsible event delivery goes far beyond carbon and recycling
• The social value events already create and how to measure it
• Why agencies should think about responsibility before their clients ask
• How the events industry can get better at telling the story of its own impact
• Turning surplus event food into something valuable for local communities
• How technology and AI are changing the way event impact is measured
• Why live events remain such a powerful source of human connection in an increasingly digital world

This is a practical and thought-provoking conversation about recognising what events already contribute, finding ways to do it better and giving the industry stronger evidence – and better stories – to show the value it creates.

Host: David Watt, Partner at Kershaw Partners
Guest: Matt Grey, Founder and CEO, event:decision

In this episode of Event Matters, David Watt is joined by Lee Clubb-Sansom, CEO of Sarah Haywood Exceptional Celebrations, to explore what it takes to turn a founder-led events company into a business built to last.

Lee’s route into events is far from conventional. Having started his career in luxury retail before moving into the world of floristry with McQueens Flowers, he brought with him experience in people management, operations, finance and high-end service. He explains why those skills have proved so valuable in an events industry where talented people can find themselves running increasingly complex businesses without necessarily having been taught how to do it.

The conversation explores Lee’s move to Sarah Haywood and the work he and Sarah have done to take the company from a business centred around its founder to an employee-owned organisation with a team capable of carrying the brand forward. Lee shares how they built the right team, transferred knowledge, stress-tested the business and gradually reduced its reliance on Sarah without losing the reputation, service or personality she created.

Lee also talks about why emotional intelligence matters so much when delivering highly personal events, what he looks for when recruiting and why some of their strongest hires have come from outside the traditional events world. Along the way, he shares his thoughts on AI, supplier relationships and why the best person for the job isn't always someone who has done exactly the same job before.

Expect insights on:

• What the events industry can learn from luxury retail and other sectors
• Building stronger business skills alongside exceptional event delivery
• Moving from a founder-led company to employee ownership
• Protecting a founder’s legacy while building a brand that can thrive without them at the centre
• Recruiting for attitude, emotional intelligence and transferable skills
• Why service and guest experience sit at the heart of luxury event delivery
• Where AI can improve efficiency – and where Lee believes human judgement still needs to lead
• Creating a culture where employees genuinely take ownership and accountability

Lee’s story is a fascinating example of how an events business can evolve without losing the qualities that made it successful in the first place. It’s a conversation about leadership, people and building something that can continue long beyond its founder.

Host: David Watt, Partner at Kershaw Partners
Guest: Lee Clubb-Sansom, CEO, Sarah Haywood Exceptional Celebrations

In this episode of Event Matters, David Watt is joined by Nigel Halliday, Managing Director of Ministry of Colours – a specialist business supplying colour powder for events, schools, charities and communities across the UK.

Nigel’s route into the business was far from planned. After redundancy and a difficult period personally, an unexpected opportunity led him into a business he would eventually reshape around a relatively small part of its original offering: colour powder.

He shares how Ministry of Colours grew from supplying fundraising merchandise to building a focused business around an experience that brings together events, fundraising and fun. As Nigel puts it, they aren’t really selling colour powder – they’re selling the experience that comes with it.

The conversation also explores how Nigel has built a lean business around strong processes, trusted partners and increasing levels of automation. He explains why he believes in giving people responsibility rather than managing every detail, how the team works with the natural seasonality of the business and why technology should take care of repetitive work so people can spend more time on the things that actually move the business forward.

Expect insights on:

• How Nigel rebuilt his career and found an unexpected route into running his own business
• Why Ministry of Colours shifted its focus from general fundraising merchandise to colour events
• How selling an experience rather than simply a product has shaped the business and its marketing
• Why doing fewer things better has been central to the company’s growth
• How empowering people and building good processes can keep a small team effective
• Why partnerships with suppliers, agencies and other specialists are so important for small businesses
• How automation and AI are helping remove repetitive work from customer service and operations
• Why seasonal businesses can benefit from working with their natural peaks rather than fighting them
• The importance of knowing when to outsource and recognising the value of your own time
• Why resilience, asking for help and learning from other people’s mistakes matter when building a business

Nigel’s story offers a different perspective on the events industry, showing what it takes to build a successful product-led event business around a simple idea, strong customer experience and disciplined operations. It’s also a practical look at staying focused, adapting when needed and creating a business that ultimately gives you more choice over how you want to live and work.

Host: David Watt, Partner at Kershaw Partners
Guest: Nigel Halliday, Managing Director, Ministry of Colours

In this episode of Event Matters, David Watt is joined by Patricia Lynch, Founder of Senen Event Management, to talk about making the leap from experienced event professional to business owner – and what she has learned in her first two years of running her own company.

After more than 20 years working across events and hospitality in Ireland, Spain and Australia, Patricia decided at 39 that she would rather take the risk than look back and regret never trying. She shares the reality behind that decision, from launching her website and waiting for the phone to ring to building a business that now delivers around 50 events a year.

Patricia explains why reputation and relationships have become her most powerful sources of new business, and how she learned to approach networking as an introvert. She also talks about the challenge of moving from being the person everyone turns to for answers to recognising when you need to ask for help yourself.

The conversation also explores what great event delivery looks like in practice, from creating a seamless attendee experience to building a trusted freelance team, communicating clearly and staying calm when things inevitably don't go to plan.

Expect insights on:

• Making the leap from event professional to business owner
• Building a business through reputation, referrals and relationships
• Why asking for help is an important skill for any entrepreneur
• Creating a better attendee experience through the details that really matter
• Building trust and consistency with a freelance event team
• The importance of communication and contingency planning when things go wrong
• How Patricia uses AI to compete with much larger event businesses
• Why AI could make live events and human connection even more valuable
• Building an international reputation without rushing to build a large team
• Overcoming the fear of failure when starting your own business

Patricia’s story is an open and practical look at what happens when you back your own experience and build a business around it – including the uncertainty, lessons and opportunities that come with doing it for yourself.

Host: David Watt, Partner at Kershaw Partners
Guest: Patricia Lynch, Founder, Senen Event Management

In this special episode of Event Matters, David Watt looks back at some of the conversations he has had with event business owners and leaders so far, bringing together the recurring lessons that have emerged around starting, growing and building a business that can last.

Across 16 previous conversations, some surprisingly consistent themes emerge. Few successful event businesses began with a perfectly formed plan, but as those businesses grew, their founders had to change with them – learning to step away from delivery, trust other people with responsibility and build the structure and culture needed to support the next stage of growth.

David also revisits conversations about the realities of building a team in a demanding industry, from creating a culture where people can learn from mistakes to recognising when constantly working harder is no longer sustainable. The episode finishes by looking at technology and AI, and why service, empathy, judgement and human connection remain so important to creating great events.

Expect insights on:

• Why successful event businesses rarely start with a perfect plan
• How the founder's role needs to change as a company grows
• Learning to step away from delivery and trust other people
• What good culture actually looks like inside an event business
• Building a business that doesn't depend on everyone constantly running at full tilt
• Why founders need to create space to focus on the future
• Where technology and AI can add value without replacing the human side of events

Bringing together perspectives from across the Event Matters series, this episode explores what it really takes to build an event business that can grow, evolve and become bigger than the person who started it.

Host: David Watt, Partner at Kershaw Partners

Featuring insights from: Lucy Nicholls, Andrew Charlton, Gavin Farley, Chris Lind, Jason Brown, Jennifer Davidson, Holly Faulkner, Craig Mathie, Rita Chandarana, Ben Hardy, Taran O'Doherty, Shea McNelis, Cindy Eisenhuth, Lisa James, Deborah Rey-Burns and Hugo Campbell.

In this episode of Event Matters, David Watt is joined by Hugo Campbell, Co-Founder of Togather, the food and drink specialist behind catering at some of the UK's biggest festivals and live events.

Hugo's journey into events started long before Togather. Growing up in Oxford, he and his childhood friend and future co-founder Digby spent their teenage years chasing free festival tickets, running a music blog and immersing themselves in the world of live events. After moving to London and witnessing the rise of the street food scene first-hand, the pair spotted an opportunity to combine their love of food and events, launching Feast It as a marketplace connecting food traders with private and corporate events. More than a decade later, that business has evolved into Togather, a team of around 65 people delivering food and drink experiences for major festivals including Isle of Wight, Love Supreme and Gala.

The conversation explores how catering has become a central part of the festival experience, why younger generations are placing greater importance on food than ever before and how festivals are increasingly using hospitality to attract and retain attendees. Hugo also shares the lessons learned from scaling a business in the events industry, building trust with suppliers and maintaining quality as the company has grown.

David and Hugo discuss the role of technology in events, including Hugo's conviction that events are one of the most AI-impervious industries there are. While AI can add significant value behind the scenes, he argues that human judgement, creativity and relationships will always remain at the heart of great event experiences.

Expect insights on:

• Turning a teenage obsession with festivals into a fast-growing events business

• Why food has become a key driver of the festival experience

• How great catering can influence ticket sales and attendee retention

• Building trust with suppliers and maintaining quality at scale

• The operational challenge of delivering food and drink experiences for major festivals

• Why Gen Z's relationship with food is changing the events industry

• Creating memorable experiences through local partnerships and unique food concepts

• Where AI can improve event operations and where human judgement remains essential

• Why sustainable growth often comes from patience rather than speed

Hugo's story is a fascinating look at entrepreneurship, live events and the changing role food now plays in creating memorable experiences.

Host: David Watt, Partner at Kershaw Partners

Guest: Hugo Campbell, Co-Founder, Togather