Page 26 - City Life Magazine - Summer 2021 Edition

26
BUSINESS
The show must go on
We’ve all missed going to events – but for professionals who help put
them together, the last year has been devastating.
We caught up with one local firm
and found out that whilst the
pandemic has thrown up seismic
challenges, it has presented new
business opportunities too.
Worcester-based Mercian Events
(www.mercianevents.com) provides
audiovisual solutions – taking the
headache of running conferences,
meetings, award ceremonies and
roadshows away from clients.
The majority of the company’s
business is derived from major
venues such as Three Counties
Showground, Sixways Stadium,
Stanbrook Abbey and Hogarth’s
Stone Manor. But with live events
cancelled, it lost around 80% of its
business over the last year.
“We were in a very difficult position
because although we as a business
weren’t forced to shut down, most of
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our clients were. This made it hard
for us to secure Government grants,”
explains Keith Istead, director of the
family-run company.
The business had to quickly adapt,
tapping into the huge demand to
host online events. With hundreds
of staff working from home, large
companies were looking for technical
expertise to host hybrid and virtual
events so they could engage with
and stay connected to employees.
Apply for a Business Growth Grant
Is your business based in Worcester
and looking to:
• Launch a new product?
• Enter new markets?
• Employ more staff?
If so Worcester City Council’s Business
Growth Grant may be for you!
Issue 55 • June 2021
Keith wanted to revamp the
company’s website to better
target this emerging market. He
successfully applied to Worcester
City Council for a Business Growth
Grant of just under £1,500 – paying
for a developer to upgrade the site.
Since the refreshed site went
live, Mercian Events has started
to attract major new clients –
including a Government civil service
department which used its services
to stage a complex virtual event
connecting 1,200 people.
“Some companies will stay with
holding online events in the future.
If you’re a large business and you
have staff all over the country, you
could save thousands of pounds on
hotel and catering bills by holding
your annual staff conference
online rather than in person,”
explains Keith.
“Online can also be a good way
of getting more feedback from
employees. While someone might
be frightened to put their hand up
and ask a question at a live event,
they may feel comfortable posting a
question on an online forum.”
However for those of us who have
missed the warmth and connection
that face-to-face events offer, Keith
sounds a note of optimism.
“There is definitely pent-up demand
for live events. I am hopeful for the
future – we have to be.
Grants of between £1,000 and
£3,000 are available – which
must be match-funded, pound-
for-pound, from the business’s
own resources.
More information: www.worcester.gov.
uk/business/business-growth-grant
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