A mum and daughter from Woolton have seen their dream venture take off after launching The Events Agency last year. Harriet, 28, and Angela Maguire, 62, started the business, which has already delivered more than 100 events across the North West and won a prestigious award.
From charity lunches to a thriving business
Before launching, Harriet worked as a sales assistant and then ran her own personal shopping business. Angela organised ladies' luncheons for charity for 26 years, with Harriet helping for the last two years. The idea for a business came after they threw Angela a surprise 60th birthday party.
Harriet told the ECHO: "My mum organised ladies' luncheons for charity for 26 years and for the last two years I've been helping her with that. It wasn't until we threw her a surprise 60th birthday party and I was doing a lot of planning until I realised I really wanted to make it into a business.
"After her party, we sat down and came up from a plan and decided to just go for it. People have always said to my mum that she should go into the industry after going to her charity events so it's definitely been a long time coming."
Taking a leap of faith
Harriet said she had no regrets about leaving her personal shopping business to focus on The Events Agency. "I was apprehensive but having my mum there alongside me made it a lot easier. I also think if you don't take the risk then you'll never know what can come from it so we were more excited than anything."
She added: "Working with your family is challenging at times and it took us a while to get used to working together but now we've settled into our roles it is the best. You know you can trust and support each other and if there's ever a problem I know my mum's there to help me."
Winning Newcomer of the Year
The company was recently named Downtown in Business Newcomer of the Year, an award that acknowledges outstanding business growth, innovation and impact during its first year of trading. Harriet said: "When we first started out, I remember wondering how people get nominated for things like that so when we got an email to say we'd been nominated I couldn't believe it.
"The day we won the award I was actually stuck in Dubai when all the flights were cancelled so my poor mum had to collect the award on her own. When she FaceTimed me I was in pure shock and I just couldn't believe it.
"It's a massive industry and there are a lot of amazing and talented people in the city so it is hard to get recognised and to make yourself stand out. Winning the award has shown us that everything we've been doing is worth it and it means a lot that people took the time to vote for us."
Liverpool's party spirit
Harriet believes Liverpool plays a key role in their success. She said: "Scousers love a party whereas in places like London it's more about business events. With Manchester and Liverpool, it's definitely more about parties and they're up for any form of celebration.
"In Liverpool people love having these types of set ups for their birthday and they want it to be bigger and better than the last one. We love doing it because it makes them feel special on their day and it's so nice to see."
Growing clientele and services
Since opening, The Events Agency has grown its client base from family friends to weddings and corporate events. Harriet said: "In this industry it's all about word of mouth and obviously social media now too. We've grown from our clients being family friends to now where we're doing people's big celebrations like weddings and even corporate events.
"We've grown a step at a time and now we've branched out to all different clientele so it's really rewarding to see our hard work paying off."
Angela and Harriet source unique pieces from around the world, with styling stock including bespoke backdrops, statement lighting, personalised signage, luxury table centrepieces, floral installations and decorative accessories. They also work with a network of entertainers and suppliers for stilt walkers, human statues, acrobats and fire performers.
Angela said: "The last year has surpassed anything we could have imagined. We have loved bringing our clients' visions to life and helping them celebrate important milestones in style. Winning such a respected business award so early in our journey was a wonderful surprise and gives us even more motivation for the future.
"As we look ahead to our second year, we are excited to continue growing, expanding our services and creating even more unforgettable events."
