The Alliance of Independent Event Agencies (AIEA), a group of independent event agencies working in the meetings, incentives, conferences and events, took its annual New Year Members Meeting and Awards to The Belfry this year, and it was a night to remember...
- Client: AIEA (Alliance of Independent Event Agencies)
- Event organiser: Kerry Walsh (AIEA chair)
- Event date: Friday 28 January 2022
- Number of delegates: 62
- Budget: £10k
The Belfry wanted to show support for the industry associations and agents coming out of COVID and had highlighted the AIEA and its Members Meeting as a key association event.
The Belfry was quickly short-listed and after several meetings with the board of the AIEA and Charlotte Carrier, account director at The Belfry, the association decided to take its event to the Birmingham-based venue.
The event is a highlight of the annual calendar for the association’s 86 independent event agency members. It provides a chance for them to get together and network, to hold a members meeting, giving them an update on what the board has been doing on their behalf, followed by an afternoon of speed networking with suppliers and culminating in an awards dinner.
The event took over a number of function rooms at The Belfry, including the Ryder Room, Warwick Suite, Lakeview Suite as well as 59 bedrooms and the group made the most of the opportunity to reconnect with a post-dinner visit to the on-site nightclub, Bel Air.
Each room was set up differently according to the nature of the event taking place – The Ryder Room was set up theatre style for the members meeting, a classroom set-up was used in the Warwick Suite for the networking event and the Lakeview Suite was set up as a boardroom. The staging and branding were delivered by The Belfry’s partner, G3 events.
Lunch for agents was buffet style in the Ryder Grill Restaurant featuring a variety of different options, while suppliers had a working buffet in the foyer of the Warwick Suite.
For the afternoon break, The Belfry’s chefs showcased selections from healthy smoothies and fruit platters to decadent afternoon treats for those who wanted to indulge.
The fancy dress at the gala dinner evening was themed around the letter W - as the event was held in the Wishaw Suite. Pre-dinner drinks and canapes were accompanied by an acoustic guitarist and soloist to set the mood for the evening.
The gala dinner featured a three-course menu with wine, featuring chef’s speciality blade of beef, with The Belfry pastry chef’s most popular trio of desserts, with all dietary requests catered for by the kitchen team.
The annual awards once again proved the highlight of the night, during which all guests were treated to a fun twist on bingo that had everyone up dancing and singing. After the awards, the guests carried on dancing to The Belfry’s resident DJ into the early hours, carrying on in the VIP area of the resort’s Bel Air nightclub.
Commenting on the event, Kerry Walsh, AIEA chair, said: “The AIEA New Year’s Members Meeting and Awards Dinner were a huge success, and my inbox is full of thanks and praise from agents and suppliers alike. The Belfry team were amazing, they left no stone unturned, always provided attentive service and nothing was too much trouble. Looking after our many requests. Thank you doesn’t seem enough, but thank you for everything, we were truly spoilt, and we hope to bring back lots of our clients in the future knowing they will be in very safe hands when they do.”
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A desire to travel led Holly Patrick to the business meetings and events world and she’s never looked back. Holly takes a particular interest in event sustainability and creating a diverse and inclusive industry. When she’s not working, she can be found rolling skating along Brighton seafront listening to an eclectic playlist, featuring the likes of Patti Smith, Sean Paul, and Arooj Aftab.
