1.Congratulations on your new role, Lucy! With over 30 years in the hospitality industry, what drew you to ExecSpace at this stage in your career?
When Emma and I first discussed the idea, I jumped at the chance of taking the helm at ExecSpace, and I’m really looking forward to the challenge that comes with building a 5-year growth plan to guide the business to its next stage.
I’m delighted to be working with Owner & Founder, Emma Little, who’s well-known in the industry and for whom I have huge respect. I’ve known her – in a role as both customer and supplier – for over 15 years, so this was a massive draw for me.
2. ExecSpace is known for its boutique, high-touch approach to venue sourcing. How do you plan to evolve the business while preserving its unique identity?
Our customers advocate how much they value our dedicated approach to ‘venue finding’. Through effectively becoming an extension of their team and a trusted partner, we have successfully, consistently, delivered a personalised service which our customers have come to rely on and value, which is at the heart of our business.
Our customers are, however, also evolving and changing the way that they manage events. Times change and opportunities change, so we need to be able to offer turnkey solutions that will enable them to achieve their business goals and continue to drive the reason for them to host meetings and events in the first place.
We are exploring new solutions that will take the form of low-touch tech options for smaller, multiple-date meetings and delegate registration software to save manual admin time for the meeting planners. Everything we do will seamlessly integrate and add value for our customers. Watch this space.
3. Luxury hospitality is built on trust, relationships, and experience. How do you see ExecSpace elevating these values in today’s increasingly digital and transactional world?
This is something I have enjoyed from the moment I joined ExecSpace; relationships, trust and business integrity are key to doing business at any level, and are key for our business reputation. Our customers trust us to recommend the right venues to deliver their meeting and event needs because our knowledge of the industry and the relationships and partnerships we built over years of work with venues, suppliers and buyers are integral to this success.
As an organisation we really invest in getting to know each venue intimately and a great example of this is following a recent client review. We were able to demonstrate the considerable sum that we had saved their business by negotiating discounts and reducing cancellation costs on their behalf. Our success has come from genuinely striving to put the clients’ needs at the very heart of what we do and consistently investing in relationships to build long-lasting partnerships with our clients.
Whilst digital innovations are important to assist with our customers’ requirements, they don’t replace the human communication aspect of hospitality.
4. Having held senior roles across the UK and Europe, how has the luxury events and venue landscape changed in recent years—and where is it heading next?
With the trend to work from home continuing, many companies are re-evaluating how they communicate business messages to their employees, how to keep teams motivated and how to fully integrate new colleagues, who may not be able to meet face to face, not to mention how client acquisition, retention and relationships are managed.
This brings organisers to a different kind of decision-making, and the need to generate events and meetings that offer experiences for team members and customers that move away from the traditional style of networking and come together over common topics of better mental health awareness and promoting well-being.
The impact of face-to-face connections on business growth cannot be undersold…
Customers are advising us that meetings are becoming more casual; therefore, less formal venues are being explored. Will ‘casual luxury’ become the future expectation? Event requests are becoming more experiential, with quirky, less traditional venues firmly gaining ground with planners. Luxury venues have the draw to increase attendance at a venue which an invitee might not normally visit. One thing is clear: Businesses need to offer a compelling reason to leave home and attend their event!
5. ExecSpace is already known for its strong client partnerships, especially in professional services and the public sector. Are you planning to expand into new markets or sectors under your leadership?
Yes, but over time, I am keen to ensure ExecSpace’s loyal customers continue to be well looked after. I feel hugely energised by the fact that so many customers have been so supportive of our business and that they have provided so many great recommendations already, and it is great to see the Professional Services sector is thriving, with many businesses starting to expand again and moving into other key city locations.
Public Sector, on the other hand, is experiencing a tough period of cost reductions – we have known this for a while and have been assisting our Public Sector customers to explore cost-effective measures. Our focus will be on growing business sectors, including Life Sciences, Construction, and Energy.
6. Emma Little (Owner) mentioned your alignment in values and leadership approach. What does strong, values-driven leadership mean to you in the luxury hospitality space?
Putting the team first has been a topic Emma and I have discussed at length over the years. We both want to focus on how to get the very best from our teams whilst investing in their development and building their commercial acumen, to support their growth and their understanding of the business.
Emma and I have collaborated many times to assist in hospitality career growth and development, and we are both keen supporters of HIT Scotland (Hospitality Industry Trust), nurturing hospitality training and talent in Scotland. Emma has handed over a fantastic team, dedicated to clients, commercially aware and empowered to make their own calls.
7. Innovation is a core theme in your appointment. Can you share any new strategies or solutions you’re bringing in to enhance client experience or operational efficiency?
There are a number of solutions we are exploring to add even more value to our customers. In short, we are keen to explore any areas that will make it easy for our customers to drive success through the power of in-person connections, brought together by one trusted provider.
8. Client expectations in the luxury segment are continually rising. How do you ensure your team stays ahead in delivering exceptional service and curating memorable venue experiences?
A key focus for us is building in development time for the team to stay on top of new venues, restaurants and food trends, event themes, sustainability options and any changes in the industry. We’re also keen to include neurodiversity needs within meetings and events further up the agenda, working with our venue suppliers to develop more in this space. And, not to be underestimated, working with our suppliers and partners to ensure our customers are connected and can collaborate to build experiences their teams and customers will both choose to attend and talk about afterwards!
9. What role does sustainability play in ExecSpace’s future, especially as it becomes an increasingly critical element in high-end events and hospitality planning?
A huge role! ExecSpace is very much driven by our customers’ requirements for sustainability, which is well catered for in our RFP briefs. This is something we really believe in, and we see as a key consideration. Major hotel & venue brands are leading the way and tend to be helpful with real, sustainable measures in place. Many non-hotel venues really have their act together now and can demonstrate ‘true’ sustainable practices that we are able to share with our customers as part of their venue selection decision-making.
10. Finally, what excites you most about the future of ExecSpace—and what should luxury event planners and venue partners expect from this new chapter?
I’m currently working on ExecSpace’s 5-year plan, and I am incredibly excited to see what the future brings. I want us to be developing further collaborations with key city hospitality groups, large venues, tourist boards and convention bureaus to assist in driving events into the UK and to our destination cities. I’m a keen collaborator and love connecting the commercial dots by bringing partners together, where we all benefit and ultimately enrich our customer offer!
