If your business is events, it’s safe to say that pandemic restrictions on group meetings have had devastating effects – but one Rhos-on-Sea company refuses to be drawn into the negativity.
The Event Lounge was established in 2011 and is celebrating a decade in business this month.
Before the Covid crisis, owners Silv and Sarah Del Prete said they attended more than 300 events a year – and brought photo booths and fun casinos to weddings, birthdays and other celebrations.
But in March of last year everything suddenly came to a standstill as bookings for 2020 were all but washed out by the pandemic.
It would be easy to feel down, but the couple have a bright future and have welcomed financial support from the UK and Welsh governments over the past year.
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On the subject of matching items
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On the subject of matching items
They also decided to offer contactless “garden party” packages with two other local companies this year – and as the restrictions ease, bookings are slowly returning.
Silv said: “There is a lot of negativity, but we look forward to it. We survived what we hope is the worst of the pandemic.
“We have focused on delivering great service to our current customers by managing to accommodate all of our wedding bookings for 2021 that had to be postponed due to Covid-19.
“It was a heartbreaking situation for so many couples. On the weekend before the main lockdown, we had to rearrange eight weddings at the last minute.
“We were lucky as we got some government grants that kept the business going and we are now seeing bookings coming in from new brides and grooms – which is great. We have also expanded our offering for this year, partnering with two other local companies to offer “garden party” packages. These are aimed at groups of 30 people or less and are tailored to people who want them in their back gardens.
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On the subject of matching items
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On the subject of matching items
“We hope to be busy with the garden parties this summer and then hope for a good normal year from 2022 onwards. Innovation is key right now. It is important that you customize your process and options to keep Covid safe. We believe that people always want to celebrate. That’s why we’re constantly trying to find a way to offer entertainment that works.
“I think ten years of experience in the business helped us weather the storm. We also have a lot of contacts in the industry, so we all stayed in touch and kept each other’s morale up. “
To mark a decade in business, they’ve thought about the past 10 years.
Silv said: “The 10 years have passed and during this time we had over 2,000 bookings. Recently we have been thinking about the contacts we made and the life that influenced you and major events in your life.
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“There are also the young people we worked with. We employed over 60 people in that time, mostly young people who went to university to do event management or sometimes technology because we use a lot of technology here.
“Here we see them gain trust, and that’s a wonderful thing.
“They also see the hard part of events by loading vans in the wee hours of the morning so they know that less glamorous part of the job. We were very lucky to have great people working for us. A strong, passionate team is the most important thing in business. “