In the company of Eleanor Richardson, the Harrogate events planner turning parties into beautiful lifelong memories

Q: In a nutshell, what does your company do and how did it start?

A: The Angels create and produce extraordinary parties and events for a broad spectrum of clients; from corporate launches, awards dinners and annual parties, to weddings and birthdays. You name it, we celebrate it. Our story began when I returned to Yorkshire after a period of working in London, and realised there didn’t seem to be a company offering the quality of creative events I had been producing in London.

Q: What’s the most surprising thing about it?

A: After 25 years of producing parties, I still get goosepimples when our clients and their guests experience their finished event for the first time.

Q: What do you do?

A: My role is a creative one – I’m responsible for each event’s design. I meet with our clients to understand them, their families or business, and to discover what they’re looking for from their celebration, who they are entertaining, how they want their guests to feel, and then translate that into an event.

Q: How did you end up here?

A: Before my life in events, I worked in the design and marketing sector and was involved in some big brand launches in the North. I realised it was the event element of the work I was doing that excited me most, so I took the plunge and contacted one of the leading events companies in London at the time.

The very next day I was on a train to London to meet them. I subsequently opened their Northern office, then soon after moved down to London. We produced some incredible events and the founder, Danielle Nay, was an inspirational event designer – I learned so much from her!

Q: If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing?

A: What an awful thought! It would always be design – I love every opportunity to get creative. I think it would probably be interior design. A large part of what we do isn’t so far removed from that. For our events we design entire spaces, even though they sometimes only stay for one night, but I suppose that means I get to be much more wild!

Q: What motivates you?

A: The next event, the next challenge, creating something that hasn’t been done before. I’ve always loved looking after people – making guests have a wonderful time, producing the unexpected and pushing boundaries.

Some standout moments for me include creating chocolate rivers and waterfalls in a Willy Wonka event and recreating Venice’s Grand Canal, with an opera-singing gondolier serenading guests entering the party over Venetian bridges.

Q: What one thing do you wish you had known when you started out in business?

A: To always be brave! Trust your gut feelings and stand by them. I also wish I’d found Catherine, my right arm and great friend much earlier!

Q: What excites you about business?

A: Being in business gives you the opportunity to turn a passion into a career. It’s also great to be able give that opportunity to others, and to be able to use your skill to help others.

Another element that really excites me is identifying opportunities in the industry and adapting or growing the business with them. The events world has changed since I started The Angels Events, which has led to us creating two other arms to the business.

Stretch and Style hires out stretch tents, which are relatively quick to put up and take down, come in a wide range of colours and look great from both the outside and in.

The other arm, Hire and Style, is a décor hire company, which has an enormous catalogue of pieces available to hire to style your event or party.

Q: What advice would you give to people just starting their careers?

A: The events industry is tough, and its people are a special breed. There are extreme highs and in equal measure extreme lows, but ultimately if you work hard it is so very rewarding.

So many believe it’s what they want to do but the reality is very different from the perception. It’s long days and very hard work, but if you truly love it, it won’t feel that way.

It’s a cliché to say, but true, if you truly love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life. I absolutely adore what we do and I would hope that that shows in the events we produce.

Q: Who in business do you most admire, and why?

A: I admire women who build businesses whilst raising families – it is an exhausting task! There is a saying: we expect women to work like they don’t have children and raise children as if they don’t work.

Q: What moments of your career so far stand out?

A: Wow, there are just so many and they’re so varied! Perhaps the surreal moment standing beside Jerry Hall watching Sting, Bono, Jools Holland, Brian May and Bob Geldof jamming on stage at his party.

Or overhearing a mum say to her six-year-old child when entering an event through the Alice in Wonderland maze to find the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party complete with an altered-angle table laden with towering cakes, giant lollipops and sweeties pouring from teapots: “Darling, make sure you take every part of this in, you’ll never see anything like this again.”

Or maybe revealing Robbie Williams to guests singing Angels (of course) or the tearful look on a client’s face as he shows the video of his wife’s amazing 50th birthday we produced six years before. And of course, every time we create a couple’s magical wedding day is extraordinarily special – that definitely takes some beating.

Q: What sets your company apart from the competition?

A: I would hope that it would be our creativity and our attention to detail. We work tirelessly to ensure every single aspect is considered, but above all that it’s absolutely perfect for our clients.

We have a black book of specialists and a trusted network of incredible suppliers, and I would challenge any other company on creativity and service.

Also our interpretation and fulfilment of our clients’ goals from their event, whether it’s a marketing brief, an informal gathering for friends at home or an enormous ball for hundreds if not thousands of guests.

Finally, we always deliver what we promise – in fact, we are often told that we exceed expectations.

Q: What is the most difficult challenge your company has faced? And what challenges are you experiencing at the moment?

A: I never foresaw it would ever be illegal for people to have a party! That has been pretty challenging to say the least!

Q: Have you got a five-year plan for the company?

A: Post-pandemic recovery!

Q: Why is it good to do business in Harrogate?

A: North Yorkshire is unique place with unique people – we are lucky enough to have some incredible clients who are now great friends. They entrust us with their most special times. We are very fortunate.

Factfile:

Name: Eleanor Richardson

Age: 47

Birthplace: Halifax

Job title: Founder, Director

Company name:

The Angels Events

Company address:

Belvedere House,

Victoria Avenue,

Harrogate

Website address:

www.the-angels.com

Company founded: 2003