Sarah Kay is the Show Director for the London Christmas Party Show, as well as Managing Director for the show organiser, Story Events. We caught up with her to talk Show, events and of course, Christmas!

Sarah will be leading a seminar at the next event entitled ‘Top Tips on Event Planning – from budget and theming to attracting attendees and integrating social’. Click here for more details

How long have you been in the events industry and where did you begin?
I’ve been in the industry for around 10 years. I started in a small bespoke agency who ran everything from weddings to conferences. It was a small yet fast paced business so I learnt a lot very quickly.

What is your role as the Show Director?
My role is to oversee every element of the show including finding the venue, designing the offering, ensuring we get the best venues and suppliers exhibiting and of course our marketing campaign. It’s also a challenging event to deliver with so many elements so keeping on top of the logistics is important.

What excites you most about this exhibition series (London Christmas Party Show & London Summer Event Show)?
So much! We set out to design a series of shows that filled a gap that we felt had widened within the events exhibition industry and I really believe we did that, so seeing it come to life makes me so happy. It’s always at the forefront of my mind that our shows were designed to be intimate, focused, interesting for the visitor, worthwhile for the exhibitor and also creative. Remembering those goals every day and being able to develop the shows to fulfil them is a really exciting challenge

These exhibitions are highly themed how do you keep the ideas fresh and think of new content for each edition?
I’m ultimately our target market – not only running a bespoke agency who always loves to find new venues and suppliers but also a super critical event professional so I try to always remember what would appeal to me. The creative is led by the content and the great exhibitors but also this totally wonderful yet bonkers industry – we always wanted the shows to feel fun and so that spurs me on to think of fun new ideas.

What is the most challenging aspect of running the shows?
Probably the audience. We invite the whole events industry from agencies to corporate buyers and they’re a creative, information hungry yet often time poor crowd. They keep me on my toes and sparking their interest to attend and keeping them at the show when they’re taking precious time out of their day is a great challenge which I really enjoy.

This will be the 5th show in the series. Which has been your favourite show so far and why?
I’ll always love our first show as you could just feel the buzz in the room from the industry because there was such a desire for a show with that format. Exhibitors, suppliers and our host venue, Banking Hall, all trusted and supported us and for that I’ll be ever grateful. Having said that I can’t wait for the next show in 8 weeks time!

You are not only the Show Director but also Managing Director of the umbrella company Story Events, which has numerous arms to its business. How do you juggle it all? Any top tips?
Keeping calm is key. It’s such a fast paced industry and business therefore there’s lots going on all the time so I’ve learnt to constantly take a step back, keep a cool head and asses where my focus is required.
Having fun is also important. It’s the most incredible industry and we have the best jobs so it’s really important to enjoy that, embrace the perks and stay passionate. Once you loose the love you should move on.
Lastly and most importantly, I couldn’t do it all without my team. They are totally amazing and work together to pull it all of. Devoting time to the development, wellbeing and skills within the team pays off ten fold. They’re my dream team and we wouldn’t have the success that we have without that and their incredible hard work.

If you weren’t working in events what would you be doing instead? Any hidden talents?
I’d like to work for a big consumer brand as I’d enjoy falling in love with the ethos and sharing that message with the consumer. With a brand you must always think how you’re evolving and how to keep it fresh and I think that’d be great challenge. Although having said that you’d have to drag me kicking and screaming from the world of events – I’m obsessed!

Favourite Christmas Song: Best last song at Christmas events for sure is ‘All I want for Christmas is you” or to really get me in the mood at the beginning of the season – ‘It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas’. And I do love ‘Rockin’ around the christmas tree’

Perfect Winter’s Day: A long walk in the cold as long as I’m wrapped up warm, followed by a big roast, a glass of red wine and then a film in front of the fire.

Favourite Christmas Food: I actually love brussel sprouts, especially when mixed with bacon and chestnuts. I know no-one else does which is even better as I can have theirs.

Sarah will be hosting a seminar at the next London Christmas Party Showentitled, ‘Top Tips on Event Planning – from budget and theming to attracting attendees and integrating social’. You can reserve your space at the seminar by attending the event taking place from 4-5 May 2016 at 8 Northumberland Avenue in Trafalgar Square. Click here to register for your free badge.