Welcome to my journal! This is the first post that I have written and published since I re-branded and launched my new-look website.  What do you think? I’m basically in love with it! I love the neutral tones, the soft black and the hints of gold.  What I love the most though is the tagline “Planning life’s celebrations” because that’s the business I am in and it’s what makes my job so rewarding.  So massive thanks to Louise from Fleurir Creative!

Not only have I re-branded this business, I have launched a brand new venue consultancy – Host Venue Consultancy.  Helping venues achieve the success they truly deserve.  Earlier in the day, I held a mini shoot to showcase my new business with the lovely Sam from Vaughan-Stephens Photography.

Naturally, to celebrate a party was in order.  In my opinion, there should be a party to celebrate all life events and as it’s what I actually do as an occupation, I didn’t really have a choice!

The party was held at The Florist, Bristol.  Probably one of the most instagrammable bars in the city and a venue that has the most perfect exclusive use area with a private bar.  Good job I had Adrian Hibbert on hand to take images of the party unfolding!

My lovely sister and talented, award-winning MUA Jessica, made me party ready with her makeup skills.

My guests were treated to a “florist bellini” cocktail  on arrival, created by their top mixologists.  They included apple, passionfruit and grapefruit liqueurs topped up with fizz! Those who required a mocktail got something very similar just without the booze!

As a sweet treat and favour, guests were provided with a delicious lemon and elderflower cup cake with metallic gold foil case, edible rose petals and my new “h” monogram on top. Thank you Katherine from Cherish Cakes – they were divine!

For me, an event is all about creating a welcoming atmosphere and entertainment (in my book) is so important.  I was lucky enough to have the uber talented Richard Parsons AKA Glos Magician.  His close up magic really did have my guests guessing and blew them away.  Alongside Richard we were lucky to enjoy the dulcet tones of Mr Pat McIntyre, Bristol’s top singer and guitarist (he actually performed at our wedding).   I also had a promotional video running silently on a TV, showing all my guests exactly what I do.  It had great visual impact and was expertly edit and filmed by Rob from Taylor’s Videography.

As the Florist is beautiful in its own right, there wasn’t a huge amount of decoration but fresh flowers are my fave so the lovely Rachel from the Roseshed provided some seasonal flowers that complimented by brand colours.  These were dotted around the space along with some tiny candles.

I was joined by friends, family, clients and industry colleagues and I honestly had the most amazing evening celebrating this achievement.

Are you re-branding or launching a business in 2019?  Here are my top tips in order to create an unforgettable launch party that everyone’s talking about!

 

Stick to your budget

In the first instance think about the amount of money you wish  to spend on this event.  Think about why you are holding it in the first place.  You probably want some exposure, right? It’s a PR activity at the end of the day, so will be coming from your annual marketing budget.

Choose a venue that’s on brand

When searching for a suitable venue, yes the capacity and facilities are massively important but is it on brand? Does it go with your brand’s colour way, what it stands for? So for example, my brand is soft, romantic and feminine so The Florist with it’s muted tones and abundance of flowers made for the perfect choice.

Write a guest list of influencers

Again – why are you hosting this party? To gain exposure of course! So think strategically about who you should be inviting.  Think local journalists, industry experts, bloggers, you tubers, celebrities, TV.  You may have to sweeten them in order for them to turn up.  What can you do for them? Give them VIP access for a goody bag or a special area perhaps?

Create a hash tag

Create a memorable hash tag that guests can use throughout the event. Choose something that’s not already taken and kindly ask your guests to use this in the invitations, have a sign up at the event and then mention it in the speech! I got tonnes of new followers and likes in a 24 hour period and it was great to see all the posts easily by typing in the hash tag.

Provide freebies

Provide some value to your guests and surprise them with treats.  Now I’m not saying go crazy with designer goody bags that cost a fortune, I’m talking something that’s worth photographing, on brand and makes them smile.  I toyed with the idea of a gift but I decided that my event was all about the atmosphere an as I plan events, I wanted to showcase that more than a personalised product.  I opted for a bespoke cocktail on arrival, a monogrammed cupcake, live music and social magic.  It all went down a treat and those suppliers got great coverage too.

So, if your company is looking to launch a new brand, a new product or is about to take their area of business by storm, then do get in touch today.  I can help you create a fabulous launch party that works really hard for you and more importantly is enjoyed by all!