November roundup: Our biggest month yet, engaging with event agencies and joining a new network

Here’s your November monthly roundup, and wow what a month!

I am writing this on Saturday morning as I watch the sunrise over Brewery Wharf. The coffee machines are on, and the venue is a bustle of activity as our clients set up for their second-weekend event in November. There is something special about watching the sun rise over a quiet Leeds before the Christmas shoppers descend.

November: Our Biggest Month Yet

Wow, what a month November has been! It feels amazing that this has been our biggest month since we opened ten years ago. The events coming through have been mixed, we’ve had two-day academic conferences for 220, dinners for 150, sales conferences with lots of moving parts, medical exams, and even a European polling station. We love how versatile the venue can be, you can find out more about how we can use our rooms and spaces here.

We have stretched the venue to the absolute max, and it has been great to feel the buzz and see so many delegates enjoying their time at Horizon Leeds. I must give a huge shout-out and thank you to our amazing team. Natalie, Emily, and Tracey have gone above and beyond this month. The work they have put into these events has been another level, and the fantastic feedback we’ve received reflects this.

Leeds Independent Venue Group

The Leeds Independent Venue Group met at the start of November, and we had the privilege of touring Opera North and Leeds Conservatoire.

This group aims to work as a collective of venues to promote the fantastic value independent venues bring to Leeds. We are here to support each other, sharing enquiries, collaborating on sales missions, and providing support and insight to each other. We each have our unique selling points, so it is great to have the opportunity to visit venues and see how others do it. We have lots of exciting plans for 2025, so watch this space!

Engaging with Event Agencies

It has been great to chat with so many wonderful event agencies this month. Whether that was at the fantastic connect day Delegate Wranglers organised at the Royal Armouries, where industry hot topics such as AI in events (we recently published a blog on this, which you can read here) and the purpose of accreditation were debated. I have to say, the snowy drive over to Wigan to see the lovely Insight Booking Solutions team was giving all the festive vibes. I also attended the Clarity venue showcase event where I had some brilliant conversations with a lovely group of buyers.

Although I know the expectation of many of these conversations is for me to sell Horizon Leeds, the reality is that my collaboration brain starts ticking and ends in us having a wider conversation about how we can do more to support each other.

At the end of the day, our objective is to ensure our delegates are having the best possible experience, so let’s see how we can all work together to ensure this happens.

Happy delegates equal a happy and booming events industry 😊

Joining Network Central BNI

Which leads me to my latest project. On Friday, 8th November, I officially became a member of the Network Central BNI group in Leeds. I had been invited as a guest a couple of times and was blown away by the size of the group at 53 members (now 54!) and the fact that they have passed £6m worth of business amongst them in the past 12 months. It also helps that they are a lovely, supportive group of people who have taken me under their wings.

I am really excited to see where 2025 will take Horizon Leeds’ BNI journey.

Looking Ahead to December

So as the sun sets on November and the end of the Autumn conference season is in sight, I probably should change those Horizon Leeds pumpkin spiced lattes to gingerbread, get the decorations out of storage and start to plan what mischief the elf on the shelf will be getting up to over the next month.

Speaking of December, we’ve teamed up with two of our suppliers; Catering Yorkshire and Ringtons to share the Christmas spirit and give away a Christmas hamper to one lucky winner. This is open to anyone who books their 2025 event between 15 Nov – 13 Dec will then be added to a prize draw. We will be announcing the winner on 18 December. To book your event or meeting get in touch. 

We’re also collecting for Leeds North and West Foodbank. If you’re visiting the venue and would like to contribute, there will be a collection area in the reception where you can drop off any donations.

Join Us on Our Exciting Journey

As Horizon Leeds pushes boundaries and sets new standards, we invite you to join us on this exciting journey.

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