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80+ venues

Alice Groom at Lavender Green reflects on 25 years

Friday, September 7, 2018 - 13:30

A shift in client requests 

In the past, clients wanted big, extravagant arrangements. However, when the recession came along, people started to keep a closer eye on their spend and client requests were much more simplistic: just ticking a box so they have something on the tables. Now, there’s an increase in demand and people are starting to be more clever with flowers. They’re not necessarily spending more, but I do think that clients are starting to push the boundaries.

Corporate clients have got a new generation to impress and they’re becoming much more adventurous with venue choice and requesting elaborate floral arrangements to match. Event organisers want the ‘wow’ factor for their clients and they are certainly a lot more particular with their requests. They want guests to walk in, get their phones out and experience something which is totally unique. It’s not the case for every event, we do still have more traditional requests for clients who are having a smart dinner or a more formal affair. But one thing I would say is that all clients pay much more attention to what the flowers look like, especially ensuring that they represent their brand or business.

Scope of events

I’ve been at Lavender Green for about 5 years now and one thing I’ve definitely noticed is that every year clients look back on a fantastic event from the previous year and they say ‘Now we’ve got to beat it, we’ve got to think bigger’. Clients want to ensure that there’s the right atmosphere at their event as they are now investing equal amounts across entertainment, catering and floristry. Nowadays, it’s all about creating a memorable experience and a journey for guests by activating all the senses.

Working in unique venues

I think people are pushing the boundaries in unique venues. If a museum shuts its doors to the public at 6, then we often only have a short time to set up for an event, unlike more traditional venues where we would have the whole day. All of the suppliers are trying to see what they can do in that time so creativity is certainly central to events in unique venues. During our experiences in UVL venues, we’ve seen people really push the boat out and I think clients and event organisers become very excited about holding an event there. This element of excitement means that clients really want to get involved with the planning of an event which is great to see as a supplier.