Event Organiser Profile, Launch Pad

Address:	The Sky Lab, 133 Shoreditch High Street, London, E1 6JE
Tel	020 7613 5533
Fax	020 7613 2161
Email:	Contact by email
Website:	Visit their website

A 2003 SPACE ODYSSEY

Already guiding stars in the events industry, the founders of noughties newcomer Launch Pad tell Square Meal how their business took off

Event organising – is it really rocket science? Jo Wales and David Stringer of Launch Pad Events certainly seem to think so. Operating from an office they’ve named The Sky Lab and using a spaceship as its logo, their company’s ‘mission statement’ is to build the foundations from which to ‘shoot for the stars’ and deliver events that are ‘out of this world’.

Granted, they may have gone a bit overboard on the space lingo, but these moonwalkers know what they’re talking about – and they’ve got the business to prove it. After just two years on the London events market, Launch Pad is already considered one of its key players.

We catch up with Jo and David in early February to ask how they got on over the Christmas season and two big smiles give the answer away even before the pair has a chance to blurt out: ‘Phenomenal! Absolutely amazing – we’ve been heart-flutteringly busy. There were several occasions when we were wondering whether we’d be able to pull it all off but it all went beautifully. Looking back now, all we can say is “Phew. We did it”.’

So what’s their secret to success? ‘It’s all about being different,’ explains Jo – and if comments from past punters are anything to go by, this is something the company does very well. Last year, Andy Sowerby, the joint managing director of Investec Fund Managers, invited several event organisers to pitch for the business of organising a five-year anniversary party. Sowerby chose Launch Pad.

His explanation? ‘From the moment I met Jo and David, I was impressed. Initially, their ideas didn’t match what I was looking for but I knew they were exactly the kind of people I wanted to work with. Once they had spent time exploring and challenging my ideas, I knew they would deliver. The outcome was a party that stood out from every other corporate event I have ever attended – delivered within budget, with that wow-factor that can be so difficult to find. It enhanced our reputation as a firm that does things differently.’

According to Sowerby, it is the Launch Pad team’s drive, creativity and attention to detail that make the company stand out. Interestingly, these are the very same qualities that Jo and David list as their key strengths. First and foremost, they insist, it’s about passion. ‘We have a real belief in what we do and we’re not just in it for the money. I, for one, get emotionally attached to every event that we do,’ says Jo.

The pair also shares a burning interest for design. ‘We do all our own theming and will design everything down to the last cushion,’ says David. Jo elaborates: ‘It’s very difficult to be different in this industry as there’s a finite number of suppliers – if we all use the same ones, surely we’re producing the same product – so if I want a chandelier, I won’t call a prop company, I’ll either make it myself or have it made. Similarly, if I want flowers, I go to New Covent Garden Market. I like to deal with the wholesalers so what you get from us is a handpicked event.’

Unsurprisingly, tailor-made events are something of a Launch Pad speciality. ‘The split between our bespoke and packaged business is currently about 60/40 but we’d love it to be 70/30,’ says David. Considering that nearly all bespoke clients re-book, he may soon have his wish. But fans of the company’s creative Christmas packages needn’t worry as David assures us these will always remain an important part of the business. ‘They give us something to sell and the opportunity to ask clients what else they’re doing that year,’ he explains.

Perhaps the main reason why so many past clients return to Launch Pad is that it the company always seems to exceed expectations. ‘So many others in this industry will sell the stars and deliver the earth but we prefer to sell the earth and deliver the stars,’ says Jo, who admits to be obsessed with co-ordination, filing and personnel dynamics.

Although both Jo and David are still very much involved in every event the company produces (Jo insists she’s never missed a client meeting), they’ve had to take on staff to keep up with growing demand. Naturally, a lot of thought went into the hiring process, as David explains: ‘We decided early on that any employees would have to be able to sell as well as produce events. They’d have to understand fundamentals like how to move boxes of beer about. For us, it is critical that everyone involved knows how important each event is and why.’

This inherent sense of understanding runs like a red thread through Launch Pad’s whole operation, manifesting itself in an almost baffling attention to detail. Nothing is left to chance and it is clear that both the hosts’ and guests’ perspectives are always very much considered.

Take the use of name badges, for instance. Knowing that guests generally hate to wear them but that they’re also an invaluable tool for networking – ‘If the host can’t go up to guests and say “lovely to meet you, thanks for coming”, they will have wasted their money.’ – Launch Pad decided to jazz up the concept a little. At a recent event organised on behalf of the insurance company Martel, badges were cut into shapes to represent the industry each guest was in, so that someone in aviation would instantly know they had something in common with everyone wearing a cut-out of a plane.

Similarly, the company always ensures there’s some kind of game – remote control tank racing, say – for guests to play at its events. ‘I often find that people end up in a situation where they’re trying to chat to a business associate but once they’ve gone through the obligatory “It’s so lovely to finally meet you.” and “Wasn’t that a great trade we did last week?”, they have very little left to talk about. If you throw in something for them to get their hands on at this stage, it completely changes the dynamics of the relationship,’ explains Jo.

One of the main jobs for Launch Pad as an events organiser is to try to facilitate for people to make a connection and while the ways in which the company approaches this task may appear like nothing more than tiny details, it is these details that make all the difference. Of course, it also helps that the team is willing to work incredibly hard. ‘We believe the people we’re working alongside should enjoy the whole process,’ says Jo. ‘It doesn’t matter how many hours or how many phone calls the client needs, we’ll do whatever it takes to make it work for them.’

This kind of dedication pays off. Proud to work so closely with clients that many of them have become personal friends, Jo and David have also been on the receiving end of some serious guest appreciation. At the end of the Markel event, this went as far as a standing ovation for the Launch Pad team. Talk about out of this world.

From Square Meal The Magazine, Spring Issue 2005