In Conversation With…
We asked Eventful's founder Caroline Lumgair about the story behind launching the business and her passion for events.
When and how did Eventful begin?
I began my career in luxury hotels. I held various roles in event planning and sales & marketing and during those years I found myself fascinated by the role played by the event planner/agent in the industry. In late 2002 I decided to launch a venue sourcing agency with the encouragement of a couple of corporate clients who had faith in my vision early on and I am proud to say that we are still working with those clients today.
What kind of events have you organised?
We recently calculated that we have booked and planned over 4,000 events in 17 years. They have ranged from board retreats, seminars and conferences through to elegant parties and global incentives. Many events have taken place in London and in locations across the UK, while our international events have taken place in destinations as diverse as Mexico, Cape Town, Dubai and the Seychelles.
Is a hotel / venue background important in event planning?
I feel that a hotel / venue background is essential in venue finding and event planning as it gives an in-depth understanding of how hotels and venues operate. Every one of our core team has experience of working at a hotel or venue. From a service perspective, hotel training has certainly been excellent grounding for my own career, particularly because we focus mainly on executive level events and operate mainly in the luxury end of the hotel market.
Which is your most memorable event?
That is a tough question! I have many favourites. One that springs to mind is an event where we exclusively hired the National Gallery in London for a group of 50 Global CEO's in the Oil & Gas Industry. Watching the chefs prepare an exquisite dinner surrounded by some of the most valuable, priceless paintings in the world was surreal. That night was definitely one of the highlights of my career to date.
My team and I have all been fortunate enough to have worked with leading global brands at stunning venues and destinations over the past 17 years. One of the greatest aspects about the events industry is that it is first and foremost a people business, and although it is business, every event is personal to me - and to my team of talented event professionals.