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It was a little over 14 months between events at the Vox with the effects of the pandemic keeping the venue out of action. However, following the easing of restrictions and careful preparations, the venue reopened its doors and once again welcomed delegates as Entrepreneurs Circle hosted their ‘3 P’s in a Pod’ event on 24-25 May.
Entrepreneurs Circle, which is a longstanding client of the Vox, exists to educate, motivate, help and inspire business owners to achieve more than they think is possible. Staging exceptional events forms part of their operation and returning to an event venue with ‘3 P’s in a Pod’ once again opened up opportunity to reconnect with their network and drive business forwards. The event focused on positioning, publicity and Piers Morgan, who was the headline speaker.
Allan Boyle, General Manager of NEC Group Conventions and lead on all operations at the Vox, spoke about the venue preparations for reopening with the Entrepreneurs Circle event:
We are delighted to have our doors open again to events at the Vox and it was wonderful to see the team and venue in full operation as Entrepreneurs Circle staged another brilliant event with us.
It was a long and challenging period without events, but we worked hard behind the scenes to ensure we could return safely and successfully once permitted to do so. We spent a great deal of time during our closure developing Vox Venue Protect, an all-encompassing toolkit which would ultimately allow for the resumption of events at the venue under new health and safety measures. It was pleasing to see the details of the toolkit in action at the ‘3 P’s in a Pod’ event through our customers, visitors and staff.
The event itself ran smoothly, thanks to the combined efforts of the team at Entrepreneurs Circle and our event management, production, catering and operational teams. From pre-event planning through to post-event debrief there were challenges, but nothing that wasn’t overcome with a wholly coordinated team approach. We have a great relationship with Entrepreneurs Circle and we’re glad that this event could mark the reopening of our venue.
Gemma Heyward, Head of Events for NEC Group Conventions and lead on venue event management of Entrepreneurs Circle’s ‘3 P’s in a Pod’, described the operation:
Above everything, it was fantastic to be back in venue and managing an event, alongside a great client and wonderful colleagues – notably, event and production managers, Lucy Millington and Tom Fuller for their efforts in making this event a success.
Naturally, the pre-event processes have changed from pre-pandemic with a far greater emphasis on health and safety measures. However, despite the challenges caused by new guidance and new measures, the client’s passion to execute a successful event was unwavering and anything of concern was worked through methodically before a problem arose.
The event build went relatively smoothly. We had prepared well in advance and the venue was suitably mobilised for the return of events, but an unexpected late power failure caused a few undue stresses! I’m pleased to say that the crisis was averted promptly, and the event ran perfectly to schedule.
Internally, we had run comprehensive training with the event staff to ensure the previous high levels of service remained and nothing was comprised under new measures. This effectively played out through the event and direct delegate feedback could not have been more complimentary.
One particular event touch, designed and implemented by the client, had very successful results with regard to event delivery. Entrepreneurs Circle invested in a range of personalised face coverings, which were posted out to delegates pre-event. These items were printed with details of each delegate’s seating to ensure of a smooth flow of people through the event. This was a well thought through initiative which assisted our processes.
In total we welcomed just over 150 delegates to the Vox for this event, and whilst the venue can host up to 280 guests under new measures, this was a comfortable return to event activity. Over 1,000 further delegates joined the event online, highlighting the position hybrid events still play under current circumstances.
We have a short period now to reflect on the learnings from the two days, before we embark upon the next event setup. The ongoing debriefs with all involved are proving productive and we look forward to the upcoming events at the Vox and welcoming Entrepreneurs Circle back to us in July.
Cameron Botterill, Head of Marketing at Entrepreneurs Circle, said of the event and venue:
We are delighted to be back with our in-person events again. It’s been a long time since we last hosted a physical event but, after a successful couple of days at the Vox, it barely feels like we’ve been away!
This was a fantastic opportunity to connect with our colleagues again and deliver great content to our network. The delegates in attendance thoroughly enjoyed the experience and were fully compliant with all health and safety measures.
It was a brilliant effort by all involved to make this event feel like business as usual and we can’t wait to return to the Vox in just a few weeks’ time.
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