March 2025: Exhibiting at events and site visits.
Last week, I experienced what I think was my biggest week of events in years. As I sit here in my home office in a silent house, it feels strange. Although the rather large to-do list and busy inbox are set to keep me busy. Here is my monthly roundup of my favourite bits from across the month.
I reckon if I estimated I spoke to over 600 people face-to-face last week – one of my favourite things about my job is chatting to and meeting new people.
Across the month, I have seen many familiar faces, which is always lovely; we discussed new events, projects, and collaborations. I have then met so many new people with fascinating jobs, inspiring events, and so much event knowledge. I was in my element, and surprisingly, my voice held out (which is a very different story to last year’s event).
CHS Leeds
I have been involved with CHS since 2011 and have seen the show develop into a must in any event calendar – and one we already have in ours for 2026. Emma and her team pull it out of the bag every year. Several people said to me that the event felt like a great big Yorkshire hug – friendly and fun.
The buyers this year were a dream, a mixture of agents, corporates, and public sector representatives. I love it when someone walks past the stand who has never heard of us before and leaves with a yummy treat and a new venue to consider when looking for venues in Leeds.
As you know, I am extremely passionate about Leeds as a city, and for the sun to shine over the glorious Leeds Dock, which is just a 5-minute walk from the venue, was the perfect example of Leeds at its finest.
During the event, Conference Leeds held a fantastic, hosted buyers’ lunch, which was fantastic. One element I loved was where buyers had to guess which statements were true and which one was a lie. Let’s try now, can you guess which is the lie:
- 50% of our profits are reinvested back into the NHS Confederation to support the work we do to improve patient care within the NHS.
- All our menus include veggie, vegan, and gluten-free options as standard.
- We have a Broadcast Studio onsite.
Congratulations if you picked number 1 – 100% of profits are reinvested, not 50%. I had some fantastic conversations, and the game was a fun way for people to learn more about Horizon Leeds.
Think Tank Breakfast
This month I attended a Think Tank breakfast, which was hosted by EventsAir. We spent the morning reviewing the challenges the events and hospitality industry is currently facing.
I had conversations that highlighted that the challenges we face at the venue are similar to what others are facing industry-wide. This sparked a conversation about how we could support each other further, and I will continue this conversation.
Site visits and days at the venue
I have had so many site visits this month, and with the sun shining, the venue looked so beautiful as it came shining through our floor-to-ceiling windows.
I love sitting down with clients to learn about their event objectives and seeing how we can support them. If you would like to arrange a tour of the venue, please get in touch via sales@horizonleeds.co.uk.
I have also had several site visits this month for organisations who want to know a little more about what Horizon Leeds does and if there are opportunities for partnership working. I am always keen to have these discussions, so please give me a shout if you would like to discuss this over a coffee.
The PA Hub
Towards the end of the month, I spent an evening at the beautiful The Milner York for the launch of The PA Hub York Showcase. What a fab evening – yummy food, incredible entertainment, and such a wonderful group of PAs. I got to meet some lovely new PAs and I also bumped into some I had seen at CHS Leeds, so it was nice to have a follow-up chat with them.
In addition to the York event, I attended The PA Hub Leeds Showcase earlier in the month, which was at the First Direct Arena. Wow, what an event. I spoke with PAs I haven’t seen for years, which was so lovely. Our hamper from our new coffee supplier, Exchange Coffee, went down a treat, as did our tasty brownies from Catering Yorkshire. A big shout out to Martin, who has provided so many delicious brownies and granola bars for our events this month!
BNI chapter Network Central
Finally, I finished the month presenting to 70 businesses at the BNI chapter Network Central. Having spent most of my month chatting to event buyers, it was interesting to talk to people in a wide variety of businesses and job roles and discuss not only how we can support them but how they can help grow Horizon Leeds.
Having such a visual product like Horizon Leeds does, our venue video is such a brilliant tool to help people see and understand what the venue looks like and what we are about. If you haven’t watched it yet, it’s worth it. Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XYelGPmUwI
Right, time for me to go grab some lunch and ten minutes in the sun before I start contacting all the wonderful people I have met over the past week. What a privilege it is to work in such a fantastic industry.
