Big wins and bigger ambitions
After triumphing at the 2025 M&IT Awards, veSpace CEO Anita Lowe talks growth, cross-brand collaboration, and the people-first approach that drives the agency’s success...
By Paul Harvey
When veSpace took home Best Intermediary Agency (Large – 41+ employees) at the 2025 M&IT Awards, it was a special moment for CEO Anita Lowe - both as a celebration and a reminder of the team effort behind the scenes.
“It’s the one award we do everything we can to be on that podium for,” she says. “Because it’s our clients that are voting for us. It’s the people we work with every day. It’s the whole industry, which makes it special. It’s not about who’s got the best submission - it’s about who’s delivering the best service. That’s why it means so much.”
And with veSpace chief strategy officer Chris Parnham picking up the Personality of the Year gong, it was a really special night for the agency, headquartered in Swindon.chief strategy officer
For Lowe, veSpace's win was an affirmation of its people-first approach and a springboard to reflect on the challenges and opportunities facing the wider events industry.
“We’re a great industry,” she says. “An incredible team of people, and we should be really proud of what we do.”
That pride runs deep through her leadership philosophy. veSpace’s success, she believes, comes from fostering a culture where people feel valued and empowered to grow. “I think if you create an environment where people love what they do, that passion translates straight through to your clients,” she says.
“If you create an environment where people love what they do, that passion translates straight through to your clients”
Major milestones
Lowe said the company has reached a major milestone with the launch this year of the veSpace International Portfolio (VIP) - a new master-brand that unites all of its specialist agencies under one cohesive identity.
VIP brings together veSpace’s corporate events expertise; Chilled’s experiential and placemaking work; Noble Events’ automotive and luxury specialism; We Love This’s creative production across fashion, retail and FMCG; and Media Mirror’s content and media services.
"We’ve got a collection of brands, and we’re really proud of them. We don’t white-label them to say they’re all part of us; we actually like to have them as an individual collection because they’re so specialist.”
She said the agency’s long-standing client base laid the foundations. “bp Castrol since day one, 36 years ago. MAN Truck & Bus—day one. Balfour Beatty—17 years. Mercedes-Benz… the longevity we’ve got with them is incredible.” With deep account penetration already achieved, acquisitions became a natural next step.
The real surprise, she said, has been the scale of cross-selling. “I thought it’d be big, but I didn’t realise how great the opportunities would be. It’s just allowing our clients to get a bigger breadth of what we can do… we don’t then have to outsource - it’s all one agency, it’s all under the veSpace umbrella.”
Those synergies now power seamless collaboration. “Before you know it, there’s a full circle where we’re all working together as one team. Those cross-selling opportunities - I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it.”
With incentives booming - “my goodness, they’re really coming through” - Lowe said the agency’s acquisition phase is now settling. “We’ve got where we want to be; maximising our full penetration to make sure we’ve got all our clients benefiting from this collection of beautiful brands.”
Managing entrepreneurs, she emphasises, is about trust. “Entrepreneurs don’t like to be managed - nor do I! We try to play to their strengths, so that the team are working to their strengths and doing what they want.”
A warning for the industry
But Anita is clear-eyed about the challenges ahead. Despite strong demand for meetings and events, she warns that service standards risk slipping as staffing pressures resurface.
“I’m noticing already that some hotels are struggling again with response times,” she says. “And I do worry that we might be heading back to that place where service levels suffer because we haven’t got enough experienced people in the right roles.
"You rely on people responding - and it’s about getting through to the right people and actually getting a response. There’s a growing sense of, ‘We’re too busy right now; we’ll get back to you later.’ And sometimes you never get that follow-up.”
The issue, she explains, is not a lack of talent but a loss of experience after years of disruption. “We lost so many great people through Covid,” she says. “The people who could read a room, who knew how to handle clients face-to-face, who could think on their feet - that kind of experience can’t be replaced overnight.
Her message to the industry is one of awareness and action. “We’ve got to make sure we’re investing in training, supporting our teams, and not letting standards slip,” she says. “Because that’s what sets us apart. It’s our people, and the way we make clients feel, that make this industry so special.”
Anita’s concerns echo a wider conversation across the events sector, as agencies and venues alike navigate recruitment challenges and shifting client expectations. “Everyone’s busy again, which is brilliant,” she says, “but we’ve got to be careful we don’t burn people out or lose that personal touch.”
Sustainability - ambition vs execution?
When the conversation turns to sustainability, Lowe’s enthusiasm is immediate. “Yes, yes, yes, yes,” she says. “We want to be carbon neutral by 2035.
“It’s something we’ve been working towards for a while, and we set ourselves that goal and thought, gosh, that’s ambitious - but I genuinely think we can do it,” she explains. The agency has a level B rating with the Carbon Disclosure Project, and is currently making EcoVadis a major focus.
“So many of our companies - bp, Balfour Beatty, Capgemini, BMW - are wanting us to have EcoVadis. And when we’re saying we’re already going for it before they even ask, they go, ‘Wow, we probably didn’t expect you to volunteer that.’ There’s a lot of work - it’s unbelievable - but we’re very fortunate; we’ve got lots of accreditations and we’re very proud of them, and we make sure that we maintain them.
“I think we’ve also got to realise that it’s about making sure our clients are doing the right thing. Sometimes when you talk about sustainability, you do wonder - are we talking ambition versus execution?”
Embracing AI - with humanity
While she’s pragmatic about the pressures of resourcing and sustainability, Anita is equally forward-looking when it comes to technology. She believes artificial intelligence has a place in the events toolkit - provided it’s used thoughtfully.
“It’s not our enemy,” she says firmly. “It’s not going to take jobs. It’s got to be part of an event person’s toolkit - if you use it with care and purpose.”
At veSpace, that means exploring AI for efficiency, not replacement. “We’re using it appropriately, to add value,” she explains. “If it can help with admin or research, brilliant; it gives our people more time to focus on creativity and relationships. But the personal touch will always be what makes events powerful.”
For Anita, technology should enhance the human experience, not erode it. “Events are about connection,” she says. “AI can support that, but it can’t replace the feeling you get when people come together in person. That’s still what matters most.”
Energy, experience and enthusiasm
As the events industry continues to evolve, Anita remains optimistic. “We’ve proven how resilient we are,” she says. “We’ve got new challenges, but we’ve also got brilliant people who care deeply about what they do. If we keep that, and keep learning, the future’s bright.”
For an industry built on experience, empathy and the power of human connection, her words are both a reminder and a rallying call.
“It’s about the people,” she says. “Always has been, always will be.”