Reflecting on a fantastic 2024

Our latest news post is reflecting on a fantastic 2024, and what an incredible year it was for Horizon Leeds.

Let me start by wishing everyone a Happy New Year from me and the team at Horizon Leeds.

As I sit here in the venue looking out at a snowy Brewery Wharf, I can’t help but reflect on all that happened in 2024.

It has been exactly 1 year since I returned from maternity leave with my third little girl. The year has flown by but at the same time, it feels like I was never away. I thought it would be nice to reflect on what has happened in the past year and look at what 2025 has in store at Horizon Leeds.

Quarter One (Jan – March 2024)

While catching up with clients I hadn’t seen in over a year and learning about the latest developments in Leeds, I noticed a lot can happen in 52 weeks, especially with the construction of many new buildings. The venue was bustling with a large two-week training contract and many of our regular clients, eager to develop yearly strategies and finalise budgets. What better place than Horizon Leeds, with its natural daylight (a must in January) and unlimited coffee!

February and March flew by with numerous healthcare events, from large 150-delegate conferences (my favourite to organise) to exam days and everything in between. It’s wonderful to already see that these clients have booked in for their 2025 events, too.  Plans for the 2025 spring conference season are in full swing, and it’s great to see how the events have developed and grown – I’m looking forward to seeing the finished product in spring.

In February, I attended Confex, the first large-scale exhibition of the year. It was a fantastic event, and I loved what the Production Show and PA Show brought to it. These events are a brilliant opportunity to catch up with peers and explore new products. I was on a mission to find new exhibition branding and was excited to see all the different options.

I also completed the double when I exhibited at two exhibitions in one day! This is where my event trolley comes into its own. Giving away over 200 brownies as well as having some fantastic conversations, I was in my element, although the same couldn’t be said for my feet the next day.

March was a huge celebration as 2023/24 became Horizon Leeds’ highest income year, thanks to the post-pandemic event boom. There was so much to celebrate!

Quarter Two (April – June)

We kicked off the new quarter with the exciting news that Catering Yorkshire won the catering tender for their 7th year with Horizon Leeds. They introduced fantastic new menus, including popular vegan options.

April and May were packed with exclusive events, ending with UKREiiF. The buzz during a large conference week is unmatched, and the feedback was incredible. Our small team plays a part in every event, and we love celebrating the positive feedback together. Here are some examples from this year:

“Just wanted to say a HUGE thank you for yesterday. Everything went smoothly and we felt so well supported by Emily and the team, particularly when it came to the tech.

The venue is great, and we will be recommending it to anyone else who plans to have a Leeds based away day.”

“I just want to say a huge thank you for yesterday, from booking the venue, right until the end, everything was so smooth and easy!”

“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to you and the entire team at Horizon for your invaluable support in hosting the Understanding Inclusive Leadership conference. The event was a great success, and it wouldn’t have been possible without your efforts.”

“The attendees were very impressed with the venue, facilities, and meals, all of which contributed significantly to the positive experience. We truly appreciate all the hard work that went into making this event a success.”

“Thank you once again & we look forward to hopefully collaborating with you in the future!”

While the venue welcomed delegates, I was busy networking at my favourite event of the year, CHS Leeds. Horizon Leeds exhibits there annually, and we always try to get the whole team involved. It’s such a vibrant and exciting show where the conversations never stop. Being back post-maternity leave and COVID was wonderful. Then, it’s back to the office to connect with all the new contacts and book site visits!

This quarter, we welcomed Creode to the Horizon Leeds family. Our website is crucial to our business, and Creode was the perfect choice to enhance it. You’ve likely noticed the positive changes, ensuring clients have all the information they need in one place. It’s also important that our site reflects the delegate experience at the venue.

In June, the venue buzzed with drinks receptions, summer fizz, and tasty canapés. Clients began incorporating yoga sessions and net-walking into their agendas, shifting the focus to wellbeing. As an NHS Confederation venue, health and wellbeing are central to what we do, from healthy menus with fresh ingredients to fidget toys in Inspire@ to help delegates stay focused. We’re always considering the delegate experience to ensure their well-being. If you’re interested in incorporating well-being activities into your next event, I’d love to discuss how our amazing suppliers can support you.

We also exhibited at The Meetings Show in mid-June as a stand partner with The Delegate Wranglers. They are experts at stand shares, making it a fantastic two days filled with connecting with new and old clients.

Quarter Three (July – Sept)

Quarter three was significant for the venue. We celebrated our 10th birthday, what a milestone! To mark the occasion, we created a look back over the 10 years blog, which you can read here. We also worked with First Sight Media to create a new promotional video, we’re biased but it’s brilliant (feedback we’ve received can also back up this statement) and has been a game-changer for proactive sales. The video showcases the entire venue and demonstrates how events can be run. Take a look for yourself here:

We also launched our instant book service, allowing clients to book via our website for smaller meetings. It’s been great seeing clients use this element and the feedback we’ve received from this has been great, and we’re excited to see how it evolves further this year.

A few years ago, independent venues across Leeds formed a group to support each other and share enquiries, recommending venues when they couldn’t accommodate events. This summer, the group reformed to promote offerings and provide excellent service to clients. This initiative has been a great success, keeping events within Leeds. I’m excited to see where we take the group next year, so stay tuned!

Quarter Four (Oct – Dec)

Quarter four was incredible. November was our busiest month ever, with large conferences during the week and weekends. We opened our doors to so many new clients and I look forward to developing these relationships further in 2025.

One of my favourite events was a communications conference for over 150 delegates from various sectors. It featured workshops, creative lunch activities, and an awards ceremony. Whilst I am sitting at the reception desk, I love hearing delegates chat about their event and day as they leave in the lift. Exclusive use events are when Horizon Leeds comes alive, and this is something we’re working on developing further this year and beyond.

With the venue so busy, I left event management to the experts and focused on creating new connections. I attended various networking events, with City Networking and the FSB being my favourites. I met so many interesting people with great ideas and collaboration opportunities. I also joined BNI at Network Central, one of the UK’s largest chapters. The Friday morning buzz is incredible. Roll on 2025!

I want to give a huge shoutout to our marketing team, Emma and Danni. As part of the NHS Confederation team, they juggle many projects at once. Throughout 2024, they worked hard to ensure our website and social channels were engaging, creating fantastic blogs to support our clients’ event plans. They have great content planned for 2025, so stay tuned!

December was a month of catching up and hosting many away days. Our clients, with regional teams and hybrid working, used the venue to meet and plan for the year ahead. Many mince pies and gingerbread lattes were enjoyed. While clients were at home enjoying their Christmas break, we had the painters in. The venue is now looking crisp and clean, ready for a busy 2025.

We’re ready for you, 2025!

With 2024 hosting over 400 events attended by 15,000 delegates, what does 2025 have in store?

We’re supporting our clients by incorporating the latest event trends. Check out our blog on these trends here.

We have a variety of exclusive events booked with unique agendas and I would like to increase these over the year. Hybrid is still a large part of our event offering, thanks to our fantastic Broadcast Studio. We work with clients to ensure they use the technology to provide engaging and inclusive events, something which we will continue to promote this year. Incorporating wellbeing elements is key to a successful event, so working with like-minded suppliers is essential. We’re also focusing on sustainability and ways to encourage to think greener when planning their events.

I want Horizon Leeds to be a hub that brings teams together, providing a welcoming space to inspire, think, and engage. This will be achieved not only through clients hiring the space but also by collaborating with companies to offer training course opportunities. Making new connections is crucial, so I hope to see many of you when I am out and about.

Give me a shout if you have any ideas of collaborative events as I would love to learn more over a cuppa and we look forward to hopefully seeing you at Horizon Leeds soon.

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