In this blog our Business Development Manager and accomplished event planner, Amy Brown, shares one of the most memorable, fun and creative events that she has been a part of planning. Her mission was clear. To create a corporate festival event in the middle of a British summertime, and here’s how she did it……
CLIENT NAME
Mobile technology company, Apadmi.
EVENT OBJECTIVE
The objective was to create a corporate festival event. Something that everyone who works within Apadmi could enjoy with their friends and family. And importantly, a day that also transitioned into a music festival as the evening went on. So, we set about creating an event that had activities for everyone, from children to parents of employees. And I believe we achieved just, and more, with that aptly named, ApadFest.
WHEN WAS IT HELD?
July 2023 at Delamere Events in Cheshire, UK
WHO ATTENDED?
There were 200-250 guests at the event. This consisted of employees at the company’s Manchester head office, with their family and children. People were encouraged to bring their partners and kids to the event, and the client made it clear that he wanted it to be inclusive for all ages.
THE VENUE
We have organised this festival for Apadmi for the last two years and each time it has been such a huge success. This year, to up the ante, we changed the venue to a much larger and open space at at Delamere Events in Cheshire. This allowed us to have more funfair rides and entertainment outside. This worked extremely well, as the British summertime was also kind, so the event was bathed in sunshine.
Plus, the change of location added an element of surprise for guests when they arrived at the festival site – which couldn’t have been more perfect. Delamere Events is set in an old quarry and already has a large 300 capacity tipi set up on the grounds. Surrounding the tipi is a huge green field which we used for all the outdoor activities. As it was in a remote location it meant we could have music outdoors and there were no noise restrictions with close neighbours to factor in.
THE DESIGN
The concept was to create a corporate festival event for people of all ages to enjoy. That meant thinking about the unique sights, sounds and smells associated with a music festival and funfair. From street food vans filling the air with the scent of fresh popcorn and burgers. To colourful signage and flags, rides, and all day music vibes.
– FUNFAIR
The main request was to have as many crazy activities as possible, this included the client’s favourite funfair ride; the Waltzer. So, we knew that the fair ground and choice of music were big elements, and this became a major part of the project.
– MUSIC
When you create a corporate festival event, music is undoubtedly a key factor. So, for the entertainment, we went all out. We had a DJ playing sets outside all day with speakers all around the site. It created that true music festival feel. We then broke up the DJ sets with performances from two different bands. These were bands that the client personally loved and wanted to support them by inviting them to perform at the festival. As the day turned into the evening, our incredible sax and percussionist joined the DJ, which really turned the tipi into the party tent. It was an electric atmosphere and guests partied late into the night.
– EATS AND TREATS
Food was true to the festival brief too.
Guests received a ApadFest wristband upon entry to the festival which they could use to get drinks and food. It’s these small details that made it really feel like a music festival. On offer were gourmet pizza trucks, burger vans, breakfast food vans, ice cream, popcorn, and candyfloss. All the food vans were locally sourced from the Cheshire area and proved to be a massive hit!
– THE MERCH
Branding is very important to Apadmi, so we worked closely with their inhouse branding team to create huge festival style flags, which were erected across the whole festival site.
And there’s always a merchandise stand at every great festival, so it was only right we had one at ApadFest. We had 100’s of t-shirts made to ensure all guests got to take one home with them, along with special gold pins which can be used as a collector’s item.
THE CHALLENGES
The main challenge for this event was the weather. We had to create numerous contingency plans in case the weather was poor. Thankfully, we never had to bring any of these into play – but preparing for every eventuality was vital.
Apart from this, the festival didn’t pose many major challenges. The venue was hugely supportive in the planning process and set up, which makes a huge difference for a large-scale event such as this.
OUR CLIENT’S THOUGHTS
In simple terms it’s an absolute pleasure to work with Amy; there’s no element of stress from us because she’s a stickler for detail (in a good way of course). We have our briefing meeting for an event and at this point it can pretty much be an informal chat because she knows our requirements by heart by now, and within days we have venues to visit, ideas to brainstorm together and agreements to be made.
She’s always calm and collected, even with our last minute requests (speaking of – our summer festival, we were messaging the morning of!) She’s fully present at the event itself…even willing to be dragged into a photobooth for a thank you picture! And the beauty of working with Amy, is that even after an event there’s the want to de-brief to ensure we were fully happy and to make sure we have the opportunity to raise any concerns or changes we’d want to make for the next event – nothing is ever too much and the fact she can maintain professionalism but be fun whilst dealing with us is a testament to itself!
MY PERSONAL HIGHLIGHTS
My personal highlight from this event was standing at the top of the hill looking down at the festival in full swing, knowing how much planning and time had gone into producing the event. It was a proud moment for me, as I was so invested in making it the best day possible. I have a very close working relationship with the clients and always want to exceed their expectations. Seeing all the families and friends enjoying everything we had organised was incredible.
WHAT WOULD I CHANGE NEXT TIME?
Next year, we raise the bar again! We will make it even better than the previous years, which includes adding more food stations to the site, as these were such a hit this year. We’ll definitely include new fairground rides and activities, and different entertainment – so there is something fresh to enjoy. Oh, and maybe there will be one or two TLC surprises to come!
Thanks to Decoy Media for all the fabulous photographs used in this blog.