BEYOND BLOG

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kassar) — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 23:16:00 +0000

“You're not disabled by the disabilities you have, you are able by the abilities you have.”

I attended the funeral of a school friend of mine last weekend. If there is a benefit in death to those still alive it’s that it makes us acutely aware of the gift of life. Spontaneity and the “little things” take on new meaning.

It has spurred me on to make a difference and BEYOND has formalised its CSR policy, taking responsibility to make a difference to Small Steps school for parents.

Always looking to practise what we preach we are planning our own teambuilding session at the school. Our DIY and Christmas present wrapping skills have already been put to the test and we look forward to a lot more.

Small Steps is a pre-school support service for young children with disabilities (some very serious) and their parents. The charity works to two aims: to provide opportunities for the children to learn skills across all areas of their development and secondly and perhaps more importantly, it offers support to the parents in coming to terms with having a disabled child. Small Steps is staffed by a small team led by an inspirational woman, Anita Coppola, recently awarded an MBE.

But what is most striking about the school is not the letters after someone’s name, rather the all-encompassing positivity which is truly infectious. Where the medical profession has a duty to analyse a disability, Small Steps encourages and develops abilities and celebrates a tiny step as a giant leap forward.

www.smallstepssfp.org.uk

Team BONDing

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kassar) — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 22:08:00 +0000

Team BEYOND went to see the new Bond movie last night. Personally, I think it might be the best Bond movie SONY Pictures has ever produced and of course the 50th anniversary of the big-screen Bond was the right time to pull off something big.

Skyfall captured all of the magic of Casino Royale: it had everything from action to glamorous women in carefully measured quantities, unlike Quantum of Solace [link] which tripped up, providing little more than an action man movie, thereby alienating much of its potential audience. Moreover, Skyfall probably had the most chilling baddie, just the right level of sentimentality to crack (not break) hearts, some brilliantly crafted introductions to the new “M” and “Q”. (“Were you expecting an exploding pen? We don’t really go in for that anymore”) and it found the delicate balance between extravagance and realism. What more could viewers possibly want?

On that note, what do corporate viewers want? Bond this year was such a winner with corporate audiences because not only does it fulfil everyone’s cinema –going aspirations, it provides great subject matter for discussion, which acts as an excellent networking ice-breaker. After the stunt of the Olympic ceremony Bond was on our lips (if only!) But for the corporate market, was it overkill this time? It seemed that everywhere you looked there was another Bond screening taking place and for the first time ever some of the larger scale Bond related events didn’t sell out. It seemed
everyone helped themselves to a piece of the pie with the result that
corporates were left unstirred by the opportunity.

Counting on fingers and toes to managing event budgets – all in a day’s work

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kassar) — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 20:53:00 +0000

Today is my first day back after my second maternity leave. Somehow the summer has passed and I’m back at my desk again. It actually feels like I never really left; I just added another ball into my training to become a professional juggler. I say training for the obvious reason – at least you go to school before you get a job - motherhood, you hit the ground running and need to go amateur to professional in your first three months. (Only you don’t get the sack if you’re not up to scratch after the probationary period.)

They say women are at their most creative and entrepreneurial after having kids. The latter is undoubtedly something to do with the need for flexibility in a world where “part-time” is still a dirty word in the corporate world. A friend of mine pre-kids was an Account Director for a brand design agency. Post-kids she has been an interior designer and set up a vintage bicycle business, Beg Bicycles. That is before becoming a children’s book illustrator and building her own house. But does motherhood, rather than take you out of the workplace, give you those all-important transferable skills to get back into the world of corporate events?

Fortunately my colleagues don’t throw their toys out of prams but managing big personalities in little people is invaluable experience for managing the same in big people. A working mother of multiple children can naturally turn her hand to the project management of events – the multi-tasking and inevitable logistics follow the same principle with the added benefit that at work your client’s event objectives aren’t always “moving targets”. Managing budgets is obviously light years from counting on your toddler’s fingers and toes, but just the fact that mummy as well as daddy is off to work each morning is an integral part of children’s view of the world today.

As a working mum myself I’m more of a realist than an idealist and I don’t believe you can have it all. I believe you can have some of it all or rather, do some of it all. It’s exhausting and rewarding in equal measures and if variety is the spice of life, it makes life as rich as the colours of a Moroccan spice market. I’m in.

2012 - Austerity or Prosperity?

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kassar) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:26:00 +0000

If December is the month of indulgence, January must mark a time for abstinence. (To be sexist about it) men go on the wagon, women diet. We Brits are deprived of daylight and sunshine is a privilege reserved for those down under.

So, are events and hospitality to be given the same stringent treatment? Robert Peston was hardly full of Christmas cheer at the close of 2011, but despite predictions of European doom & gloom, we BEYONDers have enjoyed a kick-start to the New Year.

I’m not saying we’re enjoying business levels akin to 7 or 8 years ago, when quite frankly, if we’d known what was ahead we’d have all probably doubled our hay crops while the sun was truly shining. Because today the story is a very different one – client entertaining “freedom” has been strictly curtailed, regulations tightened and it looks unlikely the City will ever be granted the same level of trading freedom again.

But whereas the crisis of 2008/9 hit the City between the eyes, it seems this time around our expectations are managed. We’re prepared to move forward under these new circumstances, staunch as they may be.

So it may not be magnums of Bollinger all round but nor is it Black Friday. It seems we have taken a typically British “stiff upper lip” attitude to the financial situation and with it maintained a dogged determination to make the best of the current climate, which will surely, in time, pull us back to prosperity.?

BEYOND’s Twelve Days of Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kassar) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:49:00 +0000

On the first day of Christmas, BEYOND took aim for me at a partridge in a pear tree.
Actually it was a pheasant, an exclusive game shoot on an aristocrat’s estate.

On the second day of Christmas our guests were served in white gloves.
By a sommelier with vintage champagnes and a Michelin starred chef at a champagne house in the Champagne region.

On the third day of Christmas, BEYOND drove us round the bends.
In a vintage 2CV car rally around the back streets of Paris.

On the fourth day of Christmas, BEYOND focussed on the girls.
And created a “macaroons & martinis, cupcakes & cocktails” evening.

On the fifth day of Christmas the BEYOND team presented to me five gold rings. VIP client entertaining around the Olympics, what else?

On the sixth day of Christmas, BEYOND delivered to me six films a-screening.
2012 is going to be the year of film – The Iron Lady, Margin Call, War Horse, The Avengers, Batman and the name is? Bond, James Bond.

On the seventh day of Christmas, BEYOND treated us to molecular gastronomy.
Think Willy Wonka, think Heston and you have the most colourful, psychedelic & tasty funday you’ve ever attended.

On the eighth day of Christmas, BEYOND showed events are for investing not a-spending.
In these market conditions, why you would expect any less from us is BEYOND us.

On the ninth day of Christmas BEYOND spotted guests busy a-networking.
After all, the best relationships are not necessarily made in the office

On the tenth day of Christmas BEYOND guaranteed more a-ttending.
Events that are such a draw, how can your guests say no?

On the eleventh day of Christmas thanks to BEYOND our performance is in-creasing.
Events boost motivation and morale, promoting better financial results and greater team cohesion.

On the twelfth day of Christmas BEYOND made a difference for me.
12 months of inspirational thinking.

Shanghai – event destination extraordinaire or just a Chinese whisper?

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kassar) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 11:21:00 +0000

I’ve just returned from a week in Shanghai. Let’s call it pleasure mixed with a touch of business. Decadence in Shanghai is what hits you between the eyes. It is reminiscent of the 1980s City heyday when stockbrokers and yuppies sported not only a pair of red braces, but a bottle of “Bolly” in hand.

In today’s Shanghai, nightclubs serve magnums of Belvedere vodka and top-marque champagne in fluorescent buckets, for all to witness the generosity of the nouveaux riches. Porcelain skinned Shanghai girls are draped on the arms of the “most privileged.” One nightclub’s centerpiece is a 20ft shark tank. (“Why not?” was presumably the answer to the question on everyone’s lips.) A skyscraper (mostly 5* luxury hotels) is being built at lightning speed on every street corner. The streets are not just scattered with, they are crammed with European luxury 4x4s. I even saw a platinum (yes platinum) Ferrari being delivered.

But literally just a couple of streets away from this full immersion into decadence there are communities living without hot water and light. Whole streets of residents share a communal outdoor kitchen. Telephone wires dangle precariously in outright objection to any kind of health & safety standards, and in the ex-pat Shanghai press, workers are reported dead almost every day on poorly managed unregulated building sites.

So the Shanghai the tourists see and the ex-pat lives is like a concubine – immaculate, polished, cultured and immense fun to be with. But wipe off the make-up and you soon reach the inner turmoil. And such is the city’s hospitality. The top restaurants serve menus that make any European ex-pat feel comfortable (not a chicken foot in sight) but service still lacks that “je ne sais quoi”. Dishes arrive at different times, the correct cutlery is forgotten, the table you reserved on the 110th floor for the view is not available for another 45 minutes….

Shanghai is keen to promote itself as the latest event destination, from the exhibition venues such as the China Pavilion and Expo Centre to the nightclubs which make London look like its provincial poor relation.

But Shanghai needs to learn a valuable lesson from our industry. That beauty lies within. It’s not superficial.

The Christmas party – will Santa deliver?

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kassar) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 12:42:00 +0000

“Double dip”; and we’re not talking the lucky variety at the fairground. These two words have taken the lion’s share of the news in September. They instill dread in us all, making us wish Robert Peston would just take early retirement rather than hound us with his breaking stories of impending European economic doom.

But these testing times sort the men from the boys. It’s time to think laterally.

Is Santa delivering? Is your Christmas party really giving you the best return on your investment? Obviously your “internal investment” is your staff and their motivation levels, but when it comes to clients it may be that the New Year brings opportunities for better availability, stronger negotiation and clearer heads for networking. (http://www.beyondevents.co.uk/pages/client_am.htm)

If the Christmas “show must go on” there are ways to appreciate staff fully on a fraction of the cost. What about a private film screening with a cocktail-fuelled reception? A family party in the office where Santa is flown in (by reindeer) especially from Lapland? Alternatively have staff design their own Xmas lunch pizza.

We know that hospitality is first in the firing line on company balance sheets, which is why we’re here to ensure that your events pay. After all, an event is for life, not just for Christmas.

Where did the summer go?

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kassar) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 20:17:00 +0000

image courtesy of Mike Baird Flickr

I know this is a seasonal obsession for us Brits, but really, has summer happened? Having fought off mosquitoes in April, I have just spent the August bank holiday huddled round an open fire with an outside temperature of 13 degrees. Little girls on the coast were going paddling in jumpers…

So if summer took us on an unpredictable rollercoaster, September is more of a calming cable car ride with spectacular (over)views spread out before us. After those battery-charging summer holidays we’re all ready for autumn with fresh business momentum, inspiration and a few large-scale aspirations.

In our case we’re diving into the waves of September with a revamped website and a new strapline. Log on to www.beyondevents.co.uk

How far will you go this autumn?

Oh we do like to be beside the seaside

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kassar) — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 06:49:00 +0000

There’s nothing like knowing you’ve got a holiday coming up to make you lack motivation at work. It dawns on you how exhausted you are and maybe just a little jaded too.

But, wow, what a holiday does for you! Just a few days (or let’s face it, preferably a good couple of weeks) is enough to transform you back into that motivated individual you always believed you would be: inspired, relaxed and ready to take on the world once again.

Holidays are truly what the doctor ordered for us busy individuals of the new millennium. A prescription of zero Outlook reminders, advice to leave the blackberry beeping somewhere in the bottom of your beach bag, or even better in your empty suitcase back in the hotel.

Holidays are also a true source of inspiration for people like us in the events industry. From the myriad of colours of artisan ice creams at the seaside stalls, to the customer service of a family-run trattoria, through to the range of eclectic boutiques with the latest continental trends. What’s more, you only need to cross the Channel to find a totally different culture as well as language. What better way of making us all more aware of the very different requirements of our individual clients.

So goodbye City heels, hello flip flops.

The Easter egg – is it all it’s “cracked” up to be?

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kassar) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 06:46:00 +0000

Easter is here. Fasting (if you did Lent) gives way to gorging on Easter eggs the way the hitherto devout Alfred Molina finally succumbs to crippling temptation in the film “Chocolat”. In my case the waistline situation is made even worse by it being my daughter’s birthday.

But what strikes me about our annual Easter indulgence is not just the vast numbers but the never-ending choice of wrapping, ranging from super heroes to the downright gaudy to such luxury you’d think it was wrapped in gold leaf.

Events are just the same (although I would like to add that downright gaudy is not something we specialise in). Events are wrapped up in proposals and invitations, often for many months of Lent style lead time before guests get to indulge in the real thing. Moreover it is the packaging that sells them. It communicates the quality, the originality and all the reasons to bite into this one rather than the competitors “egg” sitting adjacent on the shelf.

The trick is for the chocolate to live up to its wrapping so that when the Alfred Molinas of the corporate world take that first bite, the wow factor is so great that the pleasure vastly outweighs any guilt…

Spring it on!

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kassar) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 11:15:00 +0000

image courtesy of Tim Pokorny on Flickr.com

The first day of spring has sprung with possibly the most glorious day of the year. Daylight saving has given us an extra hour of light, sunshine and with it hope, that (to use a well-known brand’s strapline) “the future’s bright…”.

Spring is such a positive time of “renaissance”. Nature starts afresh and at the same time we are given the same opportunity with the onset of a new financial year. So, as we set to spring cleaning our homes and opening our windows wide to breathe in the fresh (if a little showery) spring breeze, let’s do the same with our events.

But where nature repeats a pattern of thousands of years, let’s do it differently when it comes to events. Don’t play it safe just because it’s always worked before. Jump out of the box just as the spring lambs bounce around the fields and step that little bit further out of your comfort zone. As those marketing people say “look at what everyone else is doing and do something else.”
More daylight, more sunshine, more business. Spring it on….

And the Oscar goes to ... twice gold medallist ...

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Kassar) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 15:25:00 +0000

image courtesy of Sylvain Deleu

It was the Oscars last night. That blitz of glitz, glamour, showbiz and sparkles bottled into billowing money-can’t-buy gowns, the red carpet swarming with paparazzi and of course the small-but-perfectly-formed iconic statue.

The King’s Speech” and our very own Colin Firth plucked award after award from the Oscar shelf as if their rather greedy portion already consumed at the BAFTAs had not satisfied their insatiable appetite.

This somewhat unlikely low-budget film has caused quite a stir, not only in little ol’ Blighty, but now across the world. Britain is not one to shout about itself; in fact it specialises in self-deprecation and self-criticism, knocking our nation’s best and famous off their pedestal.

So this rather blatant show of self-promotion comes as perfect timing. The Olympics, possibly the biggest event showcase in the world, and the finest hospitality opportunity our industry has ever known, goes on sale this month. Will we see the nation’s patriotic Olympic fever explode in the same way that we all flocked to witness King George VI’s “personal best” in his pre-war speech?

This is surely our country’s greatest opportunity for self-promotion and our industry’s best opportunity for investment. Through the Olympics, we must not only show our corporate guests how much we value them and their business, but show them just how effective our industry r..r..really is.