Office Transformations are the latest craze

There was one phrase that permeated nearly all the corporate event briefs I received during the boom years: 'find us something original and unique'. The need to constantly update, be on-trend and find new experiences for our clients became the Holy Grail that Mask and lots of other event designers were chasing. We delivered amazing technicolour experiences that helped to convey very clear business messages and (during the boom) this is exactly what our clients wanted.

But now the new overriding word that seems to permeate briefs since late 2008 is 'low-key'. Organisations want to have events because they are the best way to deliver essential business objectives, but there is a real concern from corporations and charities that they will be perceived as wasting money.

In fact, while in some cases this new pared back approach is driven by the need to cut budgets, in others it is the main driver: the budget can be the same but don't make the event look and feel too expensive. Many would think that this is music to an event managers ears (get paid the same but spend less on the event!) but it's incredibly hard to recalibrate: we really want to impress and amaze our clients and earn our fee. However, we have to find a way of delivering exactly what they want: a more pared down event that delivers key objectives... simply.

It's a delicate balance: the fundamentals need to be in place: something nice to eat, a few classic drinks, some icebreaking entertainment, a good location and venue, but clients are wary of having anything that may look frivolous. I think some of my clients (how great is it when a client helps you develop an idea?) may have found a solution: in recent weeks Mask has received requests to transform office spaces into event spaces.

It's a great idea: often major corporations and charities have great lobby spaces that are redundant in the evening, the locations are central and in-house catering or delivered canapés keeps food and drink spend to a minimum. The whole concept speaks of cost effectiveness and more conservative business practises. For a small fee we light the space and add some furniture, a bar, décor, AV equipment and music which allows our client to get on with the business of entertaining in a nice atmosphere and conveys a clear message that they are being careful with budgets. So far, we have received three requests for in-house parties and by partnering with our group caterer Create we can also serve canapés and drinks too. It is the event service that is keeping us busy during 2009 and best of all it has perfect synergy with what our clients want: great branded networking events at a fraction of the cost.