StarkeventsUWSpitchJuly2023

University West of Scotland UWS

World Congress on Science and Soccer 2025

From idea to delivery From Royals to Railways / From Federations to Commonwealths / From Apprentices to Farmers / From North to South / From Police to Pickups / From East to West / From Outdoor to Indoor / From Colleges to Congresses / From DJs to Pipers / From Showcases to Ships / From Highlands to Lowlands / From Science to Street food From us for you

Introduction

Starkevents are delighted to provide the University of the West of Scotland WCSS 2025 team with initial thoughts and information about providing event management expertise and support for WCSS 2025.

As a company heading towards their 25th year in business Starkevents know that the successful company will ultimately be the best fit for WCSS 2025. A company who can create the most effective and collaborative partnership with WCSS 2025 and of course we think that is Starkevents!

We have identified 3 areas of event delivery;

1. Project management ensuring WCSS 2025 is delivered in the most professional and financially viable manner

2. Event logistics an organized and coordinated partnership with all venue partners

3. Customer care including delegate registration and abstract management to deliver an outstanding event

PLEASE NOTE ALL PHOTOGRAPHS IN THIS DOCUMENT ARE FROM STARKEVENTS PROJECTS

Why Starkevents?

✓ Based at The Whisky Bond minutes from Glasgow city centre and close to all venues

✓ Extremely well connected in and around the Glasgow venue and event supply base

✓ Work with other pan European clients including the EuroCOP Federation and The SWAN Forum

✓ Have the in-house infrastructure to create the perfect delivery model for WCSS 2025

✓ the key partners

✓ Highly experienced in generating income including sponsorship, exhibition sales and delegates sales

✓ Have delivered many multiple venue Glasgow events including 8 venues in one day for the GAP Group

✓ Have worked on many sensitive relationship projects including working on a joint project with No 10 Downing Street and the First Minister of Scotland during the Commonwealth Games 2014

✓ One of our closest suppliers Sound Acoustics work as a retained AV supplier at Rangers

✓ Have two semi professional hockey players on our full time event team with strong links and understanding of the sports community in Scotland

Our Pitch

We have studied the project outline in detail and using our past experience we would propose that this project is one that would benefit from our tried and tested planning delivery model.

✓ Starkevents would propose a half day workshop at no cost or commitment from UWS

✓ During this interactive session with the Stark team and UWS we would scope out full project requirements

✓ We would then collaborate with UWS to how this could be delivered jointly by UWS, their chosen partners and Starkevents

✓ At this early planning stage we have also found it of considerable benefit to do some pre-workshop preparation by speaking to past WCSS hosts to learn valuable lessons and insights.

✓ At the end of the session Starkevents would then produce an event business plan for UWS with proposed event management fees and costs

✓ All the above may feel like common sense but we have been involved in many Congress related projects that never take enough time to create and develop clear objectives and an agreed delivery model

Our Suitability

Starkevents Key Facts

• Celebrating 24 years of innovative event management

• Stark HQ offices at The Whisky Bond in Glasgow and virtual capability all across Scotland

• Working all over Scotland and beyond to design and deliver amazing events and engagement

• Accredited Living Wage Employer

• Winner of Scottish Event Awards Best Conference 2015 & 2016 and Best Product Launch 2016

• Finalist in the 2023 Scottish E Awards for Best Corporate Event of the Year

• Built our reputation on delivering professional, creative business events and engagement for many parts of the Scottish business and corporate community

• Sister company Starkpeople offering a bespoke service providing highly professional, motivated event staff for the conference and events industry

• Signed up to the Scottish Business Pledge

• Members of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce

• Supplier of a wide range of event related products and equipment

Starkevents HQ

• Full time event management company working all over Scotland

• Infrastructure to deliver seamless event support from Disaster Recovery Plans to fully supported IT Cloud systems

• Full time IT Cloud support from Why Settle http://whysettle.co.uk/ and BT telephone switchboard with answer machine facilities

• Foundations of the company are built on the strong business relationships Ann Stark has established throughout Scotland over the past 30 years

• Bespoke Register For Event online booking/payment. Secure by-design event bookings with end-to-end encryption users connect to the system over HTTPS and all information is protected in the database using AES-256 encryption

• Our own framework of trusted suppliers to support as projects require

• Governance and internal planning processes to ensure transparent and organised event delivery

• Established reporting structure to ensure all projects have bespoke planning timelines and financial management systems as each project requires

Fair Work First

Starkevents are a long time supporter of the Fair Work First policy;

• appropriate channels for effective voice, such as trade union recognition;

• investment in workforce development;

• no inappropriate use of zero hours contracts;

• action to tackle the gender pay gap and create a more diverse and inclusive workplace; and,

• providing fair pay for workers (for example, payment of the real Living Wage).

Starkevents were one of the first signatures to the Scottish Business Pledge and are an accredited Fair Living Wage employer.

Official kit Sponsors of Watsonians Ladies 1stXI for the duration of the EuroHockey Club Championship Challenge 1 Turkey, May 2023

Here are some we made

Please noteall photographs arefromStarkevents projects

The SWAN Forum 13th Annual Conference, Glasgow, 2023

Shayna Ramboz Chief Operating Office

SWAN The Smart Water Networks Forum

We have been left speechless at the turnout of the 13th Annual Conference!

We could not thank each of the attendees, speakers, and sponsors enough for their enthusiasm over the past three days. We would like to give a HUGE shoutout to our event team, Starkevents for their unmatched efforts in bringing

COP 26 My Fashion Path, Glasgow

Dr Nicola Crawford, Program Director

Developing Young Workforce Glasgow and Glasgow Chamber of Commerce

the launch of My Climate Path and also a Sustainable Fashion event for over 400 people and 23 partners. These were run with impeccable care and precision taking into account our vision, thoughts and keeping absolutely to budget. What Ann and her team created for us was just incredible and the creativity and their immense experience absolutely made our ideas into spectacular showcases. Managing a project of our size in a tight timescale with so many partners and keeping to the budget was a challenge that was handled with grace and professionalism.

Starkevents is simply the best events team I have

Social Work Scotland Conference and Awards

Flora Aldridge Communications and Events Manager

Social Work Scotland

and Exhibition has been an absolute pleasure. They are friendly, proactive and adept at understanding your needs.

Ann and Bethan are professionals; they keep their eyes on the horizon for developments, and work in a really collaborative way to create events which more than meet the brief, whilst also being efficient, competitive and sensitive to requirements (including COVID-

Elaine Russell

GAP Group Ltd

From start to finish, working with Starkevents to organise our annual conference and evening dinner has been a pleasure. They responded to our initial brief with some fantastic suggestions and delivered far beyond our

UK attending, they got exactly that.

Throughout the day and in the evening we had incredible bands, chosen by Starkevents, that created a lively and enjoyable atmosphere. They concluded the evening with a lighting spectacular, a 20-minute light show set to music from various decades. The rest of the day and evening went off without a hitch. The process of making the event was made easy by all the staff at Starkevents, they were extremely cooperative and creative making it an extremely successful and enjoyable event. After last years turn out, we can wait for out 2023 conference with this amazing

Scottish Police Federation Conferences & Awards, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Creiff

OECD, Conferences and Field trips all over Scotland

Scottish Rural Leadership Conferences & Gatherings all over Scotland

John Muir Conference, Dinner, Study tours and exhibition, Perth

Scottish Apprenticeship Awards for 19 years

City of Glasgow College Signature Events and Conferences, Glasgow

ISAM the International Society of Addiction Medicine

Scottish Apprenticeship Convention, Edinburgh

EUROPARC, Cairngorms National Park Authority, Aviemore

Grant Moir Chief Executive

Cairngorms National Park Authority

and all your team for all that you did to make the Europarc Conference a success last week. I cannot tell you how highly I rate your team and the way that everything was managed.

A great deal of planning and organising went in to

it all came together extremely well and was a huge success. It would not have been possible without your support and so a huge thank you from me and all the team at the Cairngorms National Park

Borders Railway Opening Celebrations

John Swinney MSP Deputy First Minister

express my appreciation of your enormous contribution to the success of the Commonwealth Games Business Conference.

The logistics were brilliant and along with everyone else who attended, I was very well looked after. You delivered a world class event, and my officials have made it clear how much they relied on your knowledge,

Meet the Team!

Starkevents ensure all reasonable steps are taken to deliver sustainable products and services.

We help our clients make informed choices about utilising local food sources, using recycled/recyclable produce and minimising waste.

We want to create unique event experiences for participants and clients, raising awareness of a more suitable and mindful lifestyle. Including how delegates travel to events to reduce the carbon footprint.

Starkevents are committed to only purchasing /hiring sustainable produce that can either be re-used and or recycled.

Event management support

Project Management

Ensuring WCSS 2025 is delivered in the most professional and financially viable manner

Project Management

Starkevents are a highly experienced and forward thinking event company who fully appreciate the complexities of the WCSS 2025 event project.

The logistical delivery elements of this project will rely heavily on organised and structured delivery supported by a detailed project plan and agreed milestone dates. As with all similar multi-layered projects Starkevents would create the event project plan with milestone dates and a risk assessment process included in the logistical delivery plan. Our proposed logistical planning delivery would follow our experienced format and procedures;

✓ Event Business Plan confirms the overall event ambition and delivery strategy

✓ Monthly in-person planning meeting in Glasgow complimented by a monthly Teams planning meeting

✓ Project plan covering week by week delivery with agreed milestone dates

✓ Weekly written summary of event planning status with risks highlighted

✓ Weekly booking report of delegate registrations including income reporting

Many of our event projects include sponsorship and exhibition income generation

Event Logistics

An organized and coordinated partnership with all venue partners

Event Logistics

It is vital for a project like WCSS 2025 to have a clear delivery structure and for the event logistical part to be clearly defined. This is even more crucial as WCSS 2025 has 3 critical venue partners in Celtic, Hampden and Rangers who will need coordination with that ensures that is the best fit for their own internal structures and their timescales.

In the early planning stages Starkevents would define the event logistical requirements and then create a delivery structure around this which would include;

✓ Venue liaison and collaboration

✓ Supporting audio visual and staging

✓ Delivery of sponsorship and exhibition materials

✓ Infrastructure to delivery the Poster displays over multiple locations

✓ Other event logistics including catering, theming and furniture

✓ Support for delivery of social and evening activities and events

Venue experience

• Aberdeen Football Club

• Ayr Racecourse

• BEST Construction Centre Hamilton

• Blythswood Hotel Glasgow

• Carnegie Conference Centre Dunfermline

• City of Glasgow College

• Crieff Hydro Hotel

• Discovery Point Dundee

• Dynamic Earth Edinburgh

• Dumfries and Galloway College

• Easterbrook Hall Dumfries

• Glasgow Science Centre

• Gordon Castle

• Grange Manor Falkirk

• Holiday Inn Express East Kilbride

• Huntingtower Hotel

• Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum Glasgow

• Laggan Gate House of Fleet

• Perth Concert Hall

• Riverside Museum Glasgow

• The Park Peebles

• The Village Edinburgh

• Trump Turnberry

• West Brewery Glasgow

• Yotel Glasgow

Along with conference delivery experience we have an exceptional dinner and social portfolio delivery experience

Brand, marketing and website experience

Please note all the designs and images above have been created in house at Starkevents

Customer Care

Including delegate registration and abstract management to deliver an outstanding event

Customer care

The customer care of any Congress project is a huge administrative job which requires a detailed delivery manual to confirm all agreed processes and protocols including VAT and HMRC legalities.

Starkevents has a full time team who administer event registration projects supported by our in-house online registration and payment portal. We recently completed a large conference project with Police Scotland that not only required a detailed registration process but for some included internal vetting. Clear and transparent reporting and communication was key to the successful delivery of 100% of fees paid by delegates.

Also customer care does not just stop at the receiptt of an online registration but is the beginning of a relationship with delegates which can include support for visa applications, travel information and ongoing onsite support. Starkevents pride ourselves in our commitment for each and every delegate to have an outstanding and positive experience during their time in Glasgow.

Registration process

Starkevents can provide support for delegates from the moment they register to the moment they leave the conference. We have a 9am-5pm email and phone service, Monday to Friday, and pride ourselves on responding to delegates within a 12 hour period.

On the following page you can see examples of projects that have recently used the Stark registration Senior Woman in Policing Conference & Exhibition 2023 and Social Work Scotland Conference & Exhibition 2022. Starkevents own this platform and weekly registration and income reports would also be provided.

Starkevents are highly experienced in managing registration processes that involve multiple layers including booking speaker accommodation and travel plus ensuring the correct paperwork protocol is followed. Our current client EuroCOP requires us to follow very specific registration processes including accommodation and travel for clients attending from all across Europe.

On the day support

Starkevents would provide a highly motivated and experienced team across all the events. Starkevents propose to create an event delivery team covering all venues. Starkevents also have a sister business Starkpeople. Starkpeople offers a bespoke service providing highly professional, motivated event staff for the conference and events industry, hosting events in Scotland.

As an added-value proposition Starkevents would include complimentary badge trays and lanyard trees for all event locations.

Starkpeople

Added Value, Innovation and Corporate Social Responsibility

Added value and innovation

What is innovation to one client is run of the mill for another. We work hard with all clients to reduce their carbon footprint and be more effective in everything they do.

For the past year many of our clients have embraced our ISSUU application which allows for all conference materials to be loaded onto a digital platform and presented to delegates as an online booklet. We also have encouraged delegates to help save the planet by accessing conference materials and paperwork via QR codes displayed at events no more paper!

We are able to provide a plastic free option for delegate badges and have sourced bamboo lanyards which again reduce the carbon footprint of an event. We are able to offer clients badge trays and lanyard trees to make the delegate arrival and registration process easier and more welcoming.

Community benefits

Starkevents always encourage clients to consider including social and community benefits when delivering any event. As part of our monthly meeting between Starkevents and UWS we would discuss this further.

For initial consideration we would propose;

• Encouraging a net zero approach and a plastic free event

• Looking to support a local sport related charity through fundraising or donations

• Working with local partners to give students work experience in either events or hospitality. Please notethiswouldbeinadditiontotheStarkteamnotreplacing

• Working with a local food bank organisation to utilise any excess food

We have also been working with ENABLE Scotland to allow a young person, Ross, to experience life in an events company. Whilst Ross has significant physical disabilities he has a great attitude and we work hard to identify work experience opportunities for him.

Fees and Costs

Fees and Costs

And so this document really would host a free of charge half day planning workshop that would allow UWS and Starkevents to both better understand the requirements and capabilities of both teams.

Starkevents work on a £400 plus VAT per day for consultancy and event delivery. Starkpeople are on £22 plus VAT per hour (5 hours per day minimum). For other Congress projects our fee has been made up of;

✓ % of sponsorship and exhibition sales

✓ Transparent commission from event suppliers

✓ Per head fee for each delegate registration

Starkevents are keen to get in to more event delivery scope detail before quoting in detail. We are also aware that UWS have already done a considerable amount of venue and supplier scoping and confirmation.

Why choose Starkevents?

Experience Over 24 years creating amazing events throughout Scottish public life

Resource Full time event management company with all the required infrastructure and support

Enthusiasm

Up for a challenge, a team with ambition, youth, experience and determination!