Businessfocus busIness Matters In your coMMunIty SARAH FEELEY meets a proud Bristolian celebrating 21 years in business
that experience to help others – especially young people – to fulfil their potential. she’s the owner of In any event uK, an
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award-winning creative event management, conference logistics and venue-finding agency based in Westbury-on-trym that works throughout the uK and overseas in corporate, public and association sectors. “We’re more than just an event
management company,” she says. “We design, create and produce events, research venues, project manage and deal with conference logistics like delegate registration.” clients past and present include
WeightWatchers, Wrigley, Deloitte, Lloyds tsb, airbus, universities and the nHs. elaine was born in bristol near the Downs
and went to Wellsway school in Keynsham. she left school at 16, did a business studies course at city of bath college, and after a few false starts pursuing careers in bookkeeping and journalism she studied business administration at university and started working in the travel industry before switching to event management and starting her own business. after 21 years in business, what advice
would she give to others starting out? “you’re only in business for one thing
– to make money,” she says, “and you need a load of skills like bookkeeping, sales and so on, so seek out as much advice as you can from organisations like business Link and business West. “you’ve got to be constantly looking for
new ideas, new ways to attract business and keep your clients, you can’t be complacent. you need to move with the times, incorporating things like social media and sustainability. and when the chips are down, pick yourself up and say ‘what’s next?’.” as well as running a successful business,
elaine is launching the bristol young student of the year awards to help improve local school-leavers’ employability skills. she says: “I’m celebrating 21 years in
business by investing in bristol’s future. “I feel very passionate about giving young
Elaine Brown is a key player in Bristol’s business scene
people the opportunity to pursue work when they leave school, to give them the belief that they can achieve, they can do it. “I always had the support and enthusiasm
of my parents who’d tell me ‘do in life what you enjoy doing’, but not everyone has that support system. “Many young people feel stereotyped by
“you’ve got to move with the times, don’t be complacent”
Elaine speaking at the Bristol’s Bright Future conference
the areas where they live and pushed into certain occupations. youth unemployment is one of the Government’s key concerns, and for many leaving school this year, going to university is no longer an option. “It’s about equipping school-leavers
with the skills they need in employment. It’s not just about maths and literacy, it’s time-keeping, a positive attitude, being committed and enthusiastic. young people don’t have that mindset at the moment.” the competition will be open to local
students in post-16 education and will feature mentoring, work experience and work-based assessments. “It’s not an intelligence test,” says elaine,
“it’s about providing them with support to raise their game and achieve their burning ambitions.” elaine, who lives in stoke bishop, is
fiercely proud of her bristolian roots. not only is she a bristol city Football season ticket holder, she is actively involved in shaping bristol’s future. she has organised five conferences since the late ’90s focusing on issues that affect the city and galvanizing the support of local business leaders. the last was bristol’s bright Future earlier this year. “I’m very passionate about bristol,” says
elaine. “Instead of focusing on the economic downturn, bristol’s bright Future focused on the many positive things happening in our city at the moment.” CL
www.inanyevent-uk.com www.mediaclash.co.uk Clifton Life 75
ou don’t clock up more than two decades running a successful business without learning a thing or two along the way. And Elaine Brown is determined to use
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