AN EVENTS specialist has launched a party planning business for those who want to celebrate in style.
Thirty Eleven Seventy will create extravagantly themed parties for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and retirements, tapping a growing trend among high net worth individuals for lavish celebrations with family and friends.
The business is the brainchild of businesswoman Joanna Daley, founder and chief executive of Roselle, which is already a foremost name in delivering corporate events around the world.
During a decade working with blue chip clients, including BP, Stena Drilling, RBS, Johnson and Johnson and Tesco Bank, her Roselle team has repeatedly turned down offers to handle events for private individuals.
Daley, who has spent 20 years at the highest levels in the corporate hospitality and conferencing sector, said: “It’s a natural development of our service to businesses, but until now we did not take on private commissions because this did not fit with Roselle’s corporate profile.
“However, we are getting so many enquiries that it is now time to act. We have the expertise, the creativity, the contacts, the relationships and the track record to make incredible events happen in people’s homes.
“Everything we do is aimed at making people feel great – that is our mantra and it is how we define ourselves and what we deliver. As we continue to grow, each business in the group will do that in a slightly different way.”
Even before its official launch on November 30, the firm has landed two commissions, thanks to word of mouth referrals. They are for an 18th party and a 65th birthday, both in January.
Businesswoman Daley is making a significant investment in the new company, the name of which reflects her date of birth and, she hopes, will highlight the wide range of celebrations Thirty Eleven Seventy will deliver.
Daley added: “This could just as easily be about 70people graduating, a 30th wedding anniversary or an 11th birthday. Milestones come in very many different forms. Our job will be to make any event beautiful and spectacular and to ensure that guests are cared for by the most professional and courteous staff.”
While Daley and her team will continue to expand existing relationships with hotels and other luxury venues, her ambition is to see the Thirty Eleven Seventy team help clients transform their homes and gardens into fantastical venues
She added: “I really want us to bring amazing events into homes. We have carried out some magical transformations of venues for corporate clients. In a recent commission we turned the interior of a luxury hotel into an enchanted forest, complete with grass, trees and the smell of rosemary and thyme.
“If people can imagine it, we can deliver it. For example, it may be a businessman celebrating his retirement and we could build for him a room within his home that is a perfect replica of his favourite golf club – right down to the grass and the members only bar.”
Initially Thirty Eleven Seventy will be supported by the team at Roselle, which has a present establishment of 14. Roselle has offices in Edinburgh and Aberdeen and delivers events, not just in the UK, but internationally. Recent projects have been in Barcelona, Dubrovnik, New York, Miami, Sun City and Dubai.
The launch of Thirty Eleven Seventy is the latest ambitious business development move by Daley. After launching Roselle in 2001, she expanded it rapidly working particularly with pharmaceutical and financial institutions.
She then anticipated the banking crisis and prepared by diversifying widely. That included an expansion into Aberdeen, by the acquisition of existing event specialists Hamilton Rose. The result is that Roselle is marking its 10th anniversary with its best financial performance to date.
Daley expects Thirty Eleven Seventy to enjoy similar, rapid growth and added: “My expectations are high. We know what we are about and what we can deliver. We know the margins on all the related services we will bring in and I have great hopes that the new business will prosper.
“Creating a truly amazing and memorable event where every possible detail is taken care of comes at a price, but for those who can afford it, there is no ceiling as long as what they get is perfect.”
Daley credits much of her focus on the advice she has received during four years of business coaching from the renowned consultant, Fergus King of Shirlaws. She says that has also helped her achieve personal goals, particularly through long-term support of the charity Barnardo’s Scotland.
