2Heads secures two major nominations for the FMBE 2024 Awards

Each year, the FMBE Awards spotlight the cutting-edge innovations driving the brand experience and events sector, where nominations are fiercely competitive. We’re thrilled to announce that 2Heads has been nominated in two categories this year: Most Immersive Event and B2B/B2E Event for our work with Qatar Airways at this year’s Farnborough International Air Show!

Farnborough is one of the world’s premier aerospace events, gathering leaders from across aviation and aerospace to showcase the latest in technology, sustainability, and immersive brand experiences. Our activation for Qatar Airways brought their vision to life, blending innovation with impact to engage and inspire attendees from around the globe.

The awards will be held on Thursday, January 30th, and we extend our best wishes to all the nominees.

Faye Goldstraw | Account Director

My life in events started when I was a waitress in a cocktail bar, (no pun intended). I  worked for TGI Fridays in Covent Garden and was roped into managing Christmas for the branch, the second busiest in the UK. I loved the work and a few years later, at the age of 22, I packed my bags for the event management BA at Leeds Beckett University.

One of the best in the country – the tutors wrote the manuals – the course included a year-long work placement, as a venue event manager at Stoneleigh Park in Coventry. There I was responsible for the ‘big picture’ side of events that venues are known for; space rental, facilities, electrics and logistical operations. 

What I loved about working venue-side was the helicopter view you gain of the events industry. You touch upon all the shows at the venue but no individual event is your responsibility. At Stoneleigh Park, the focus was very agricultural with equine events and a range of indoor and outdoor exhibitions. I loved it so much, I returned after University on mat-cover. 

From venue to show organiser side, I worked next with an agency in Leamington Spa, Essential Events. They provided show operations for Upper Street Events on a portfolio of events including Country Living, The Gadget Show and Caffe Culture and health and safety support for other show organisers. The opportunity was both exciting and challenging. Straight in at the deep end, I was involved in operations, floor-plans, exhibitor management, venue liaison, stand plan approvals, health and safety … you name it.

One of the biggest challenges was pushing back on contractors that often didn’t meet regs and agencies with impractical ideas(!) Quite often, exhibitors would submit plans but once we checked for compliance, we found some interesting interpretations!

My venue experience was really handy when working with big venues like NEC and Olympia and I applied that POV when approaching as a show organiser. What I loved working show organiser- side was handling my own show, the ultimate responsibility for everything show-level sat on my shoulders, and though I was only mid-twenties, I loved the way the pressure made me develop. In events, you do hit the ground running! 

The show organiser world is quite cyclical so I jumped at the chance to work with GES, managing show registration as an account manager. My key responsibilities focused on looking after show organisers (see a pattern here?!) and their show registrations requirement, a natural tie-in with my experiences to date. I did learn that data processing and analytics was not necessarily my bag. Registrations can be very desk-based on site and I still remember the first time we used the new photo badging system. 🙂 I did love how an efficient, innovative solution can change a whole client experience.

Another thing I discovered when working in registrations is that I like big picture organisation. For my next role, within a boutique agency based in Daventry, I worked as an account/project manager for just one client, Allison Transmission whose main industry is commercial and defence vehicle propulsion. I looked after their twelve to fifteen show programme, managing both client and project. The work was varied, from booking space to event management, from a 36 SQM booth to 300SQM double deck structure at IAA in Hanover. 

These years were my baptism of fire. I understood operations and exhibitions but the next big step in my career was client management, understanding my client’s services and ways of work. It’s not a quick process, I needed to understand their business and their desires, their language and how they work. Outside of work, I deep-dived into their world, looking at what they have done to arm myself with information, then go to site and talk to as many people as I could. 

I’d roll that knowledge into budget management, which in itself is a dark art! My advice to anyone in project management is to keep your eye on the budget, contingency planning is a big deal. Show to show, year to year, last minute requests will happen. What I loved most about project management was standing back the day the show opened from sourcing, and thinking to myself, ‘I did that.’ That sense of success on the first day of a show is still the absolute best.

I spent the next two years with Freeman EMEA in corporate account management. Another hybrid role, my time there was also an education in production. Using their in-house facility, I saw everything being produced in front of me which was useful and helped my understanding of how things were built, and understanding finishes and production methods from scratch. What I loved about my experience in production is that I found I had less reliance on other people when I came to an event from a place of knowledge. Freeman was a big machine and I realised that I also wanted a role with more autonomy. 


I was therefore thrilled to take a role at 2Heads. I was approached by the agency about a senior account manager role which sounded interesting. I felt I had a choice at this point in my career – continue in project management or to focus on the relationship management side of events. 

My first week I was onsite at Farnborough International Airshow.  My first account was Rolls-Royce’s global show program. Since 2018, I have worked on seven years of global show programmes, two Paris Air Shows, two Farnborough International Show, three Dubai Air Shows and two Singapore airshows. (Phew) and helped navigate my clients through covid planning. What I love about my work as account director is that it brings together everything I’ve ever learned; from venues, show-organisers, registrations, contractors, production, project management and client management.

About Faye

Faye is a member of the Client Services team at 2Heads and currently leads on the Rolls-Royce and Deutsche Aircraft accounts, working with a dedicated team to deliver a range of shows and experiences for her clients. Faye thrives on meeting new people and understanding what makes them tick – and what pushes their buttons!

Tom Stenner | Global Account Director

It all started for me at Uni. As part of a four year events management BA at Leeds Beckett University, I decided to do something different with my placement year. Flying out to Australia to assist a family contact who was at the time the CEO of Diabetes New South Wales, my entrance to the industry set me up for life.

I lived in Bondi beach, organising sponsorship and awareness campaigns with celebrities to support sufferers. My role was junior but I was thrust into a KPI-based world where I had to own my role, from arranging a topical speaker at the Sydney opera house to briefing creative on all campaign comms, I learned quickly that the event professional is a master of agility.

I won’t focus too much on my first full time job. It was in recruitment and safe to say it told me all the things I didn’t want to do, unearthing dead databases and resurrecting data. When a role came up at Mask Events on London Bridge, I was off into the world of big Christmas corporate parties as site manager at Truman Galleries. At the time, themed production involved big budgets and it was interesting to see how large corporations invest in their staff, and how far they’d go with theming. For me, I learned that a good event professional knows how to form a creative response beyond function.

The fun then really began. I went to work for a student marketing agency, Campus Group, who engaged uni campus audiences for brands via activations. From Smirnoff and Bacardi, I worked on very campaign-led activations, including sampling, field marketing for some of the biggest FMCG industry brands and took away one of my key learnings, a top level event professional knows how to run a end to end, results-driven campaign.

I moved to the staffing division and found myself organising the staff for all the main festivals Uk-side, including Lovebox, Big Chill Festival, Field Day, Global Gathering. I had to show true initiative as the database was outdated and I had a huge roster of bars to fill with staff. There was no choice but to pivot and get the people in. This was both stressful and eye opening, especially the challenge of keeping the bars going. I did, however, have an access-all-areas pass, getting on stage with Prodigy and I learned that live events can be transcendent and life changing. A wise event professional leans into the fun.

My passion was, and still is, brand sponsorship in events. Particularly sport, following a reasonably successful youth in Rugby playing in the First XV, I still love sport and play football every week. When I got the role at Brand Experience agency RPM, I found a place where my two loves merged. There I worked on some of the biggest brands in true experiential formats:

After 6 years of B2C activations, I wanted to broaden my horizons and test myself in the  different and growing environment of B2B. Mainly I wanted to work on larger scale campaigns and lead larger accounts with bigger marketing requirements. I wanted an objective I could get my teeth into, and have more of an impact on the brand I worked with. I wanted to work globally and with M-IS agency, I got a chance as the senior account manager on the RAF account, leaning into my passion for aviation within a very different landscape. I loved being the nature of lead on one client, able to grow and invest in their success over a series of marketing campaigns. I also learned a lot about myself, and that to be happy as an event professional, you need to push the boundaries of your own learning.

With the RAF, I realised the untapped scope for innovation offered great opportunity, especially for live events. The RAF VR experience was one of the first big tech innovations I delivered at scale.  12 concurrent participants could explore the world of RAF, from the edge of space to the cockpit of an F35. The quality of the content and storytelling improved recruitment through inspiration and became an award winning campaign for the RAF with over 600 going through the experience daily. I loved working alongside this government institution, understanding how contracting with MOD and crown commercial service works, learning how an event professional needs a solid team to run big multinational contracts.

My career has been full of highlights and I recognise I’ve also enjoyed some amazing experiences. When I needed to understand what a Chinook was like while building the sensory experience, I went to RAF Odiham and flew on the helicopter. I visited the typhoon sections in Coningsby, always on alert and took a full-scale Hawk jet facsimile though Central London to position outside of No 10 for the RAF 100 event. I’ve worked for the Department for International Trade, delivering business forums in China as part of the Great Campaign, looking after the Prime Minister of Uk and President of China and their entourages. The wonderful thing about being an event professional is that you never know what the next day will bring.

And now I am here with 2Heads, having delivered the cross-agency, three year international Customer Innovation Center programme for Belden. This might be the most exciting time yet as expanded and evolve into a completely new world, outside of exhibitions and events. Working with large corps in tech, I found I have become more connected to their business than their individuals as most don’t have true global insight I’ve been afforded. We are involved with lots of stakeholders and are bridging the information gap between departments. I’ve had to upskill quick, becoming a specialist in lasting and consistent experiences with a beating heart of the very latest technologies. Everything I have learned to date has prepared me for delivering such a large and complex project globally, I realised to be successful, every event professional should be on a constant learning curve.

Here are my guiding principles behind achieving success both personally and in events. 

About Tom

Tom is a Global Client Account Director, responsible for key accounts across the globe. An expert in experiential technology and innovation, Tom is also the key stakeholder for the our creative technology departmenrs. Partnering with brands like Belden, Nikon and Qualcomm, he has been responsible for creating some of our most cutting-edge, award-winning events and experience of recent years.

The 2Heads team raised money for charity by walking over 500 miles along the scenic Thames Path.

At 2Heads, we believe in pushing boundaries, not just in the work we do for our clients but also in the ways we give back to the community. This year, our UK team took on an incredible challenge to walk from Streatley to Marlow, a distance of 30 miles, within 12 hours. This ambitious endeavour not only tested our endurance and determination but also brought us together.

The Journey

Our journey began in the early hours of the morning, with the majority of our team starting their 30-mile journey from Streatley at 4am. The crisp morning air and the rising sun set the scene for what would become an unforgettable day.

Along the route, we had designated meeting points where additional colleagues joined us. These stops not only provided much-needed encouragement and support but also allowed each group to rest, recover, and share their experiences before embarking on the next leg of the journey.

After hours of walking and countless steps, we finally reached our destination in Marlow. To celebrate this incredible achievement, we were greeted by our family and friends with a joyous picnic in the park. The festive atmosphere, complete with laughter, stories, and delicious food, was the perfect way to cap off such an inspiring and challenging journey.

The Impact

While the primary goal was to complete the walk within 12 hours, the collective effort of our team far exceeded this. Altogether, our agency walked over 800 miles, a testament to the commitment and spirit of every individual involved. More importantly, this challenge was undertaken to support three incredible charities: BBC Children in Need, Macmillan Cancer Support, and Dementia UK. Through our combined efforts, we are proud to announce that we raised over £10,000.

We look forward to how we can raise the bar next year!

Following the success of Paul’s fireside chat with Maria Olivas De Crombag, VP, Trade Engagement & Brand Experience at De Beers Group, our MD sums up his key take-aways for being a sustainability pioneer.

Paul Godwin | MD | 2Heads

This April saw my first visit to the EventMarketer Experiential Summit, a moment of significant pride for me for many reasons. Not only were 2Heads amongst their peers as one of the Top 100 IT List event agencies, I was also joined by a very special guest for an all-important fireside chat during the conference.

The team has worked with Maria, and the De Beers Group, for a number of years now and the journey we’ve been on together is one of note. From the start, the challenge was how to take a bold stance on sustainability, and the approach was rigorous and uncompromising, proving that events can be eco-conscious at their very core.

To set the scene, De Beers is known around the world for its diamond jewelry, but after nearly 2 years spent curating award-winning events and brand experiences in Las Vegas and Hong Kong, their event organization is also gaining recognition for a brave vision on sustainability.  Our fireside chat aimed to share that brand vision for a more considered future, reviewing challenges and opportunities, and providing tips on internal stakeholder engagement, experience design, material use and carbon measurement.

The Vision

During EMS 2024, sustainability was one of the main talking points and the general consensus was that the industry has a long way to go to understanding what a carbon-conscious event actually looks like. The general trend between event professionals was a desire to know more and do better, a perfect forum for Maria and De Beers to answer the industry’s questions.

Maria is a great advocate for a sustainable solution that can’t be accused of green-washing. De Beers has set the bar higher than most brands, and those looking to emulate their success need to start with the parameters set around their vision, find a partner who shares their aims and avoid compromise as the first response when challenges arise

The De Beers group has gone through a significant evolution as a company. 15% owned by the Botswanan government, the De Beers group live and breathe their ‘Building Forever’ promise. Founded around 4 core pillars; leading ethical practices, partnering for thriving communities, protecting the natural world and accelerating equal opportunity, these goals are actively marketed at their events, and experience design begins with the essence of communicating these. 

Maria’s advice during the chat was to keep true to vision. Make your company’s CSR vitally important not only to our business, but also to your employees and communities. Make sure your events do not compromise, and be proud of your company’s stance when crafting your brand experience.

The Challenges

From a macro level, the challenges facing event professionals on creating eco-conscious experiences are many, and far too varied for us to cover in one session. It is worth considering however, how understanding the main challenges for De Beers Group provide visibility and became the area where solutions were most innovative:

What Does Good Look Like

For Maria and the De Beers Group, the success of their switch to sustainable events can be measured by three key factors:

Physical – By using materials not commonly employed by the industry, and seeking to locally resource, we are collectively make the supply chain adapt and consider new ways of working that are better for all, with a view to bringing costs down on new approaches. Environment design was considered beyond aesthetics; red lines on carbon impact were discussed from day one and materials used were as important as what they looked like.  Considering what happens when elements reach end of life was a key consideration.We took on the practical challenge of creating uniformity of image worldwide, making continuity an important KPI.

Delegate Experience – Defining red lines did not mean the delegate experience design had to be compromised. Clever event technology and narrative-led content can showcase a brand story as well, if not better than physical experiences. There is certainly a need to keep innovating in this area.

Leadership-The De Beers Group attend these events to lead. For them, the most amazing side effect was that other site- holders didn’t just congratulate them on what the events had achieved, but how they could get involved and learn from the De Beers program. The ability to hold meaningful conversations with guests over their community/society awarenesand commitment, was of huge importance to the De Beers team. For me, a key takeaway was that; if the pandemic showed us anything, it is the importance of face to face communications between people, communities and business, and how the subtle interactions between people can make all the difference. 

When considering sustainability, the obvious question is do we need to travel? On a societal level, as long as the benefit of face to face interactions exist, we have to work within that desire and minimize the impact whilst not compromising on brand experience. We need to keep pushing innovation to allow the brands we work with to get the messaging they need to come across whilst giving back to the societies in which they thrive.

Following a momentous fundraiser last year with the Three Peaks in 24 Hours, our 2Heads team are no strangers to a challenge. This year, our team will walk 500 miles!

SPONSOR US NOW – https://www.givewheel.com/fundraising/2895/2heads-walk-500-miles/

This year, our team at 2Heads is embarking on a remarkable journey to support three incredible charities: Dementia UK, BBC Children in Need, and Macmillan Cancer Support. We are thrilled to announce our 500-mile walk along the picturesque Thames Path, starting from Streatley and ending in Marlow. This adventure, filled with scenic beauty and a profound purpose, is more than just a physical challenge—it’s a heartfelt commitment to making a difference.

Why are we walking?

At 2Heads, we believe in the power of community and the importance of giving back. Our charity fundraiser is a testament to our dedication to supporting causes that touch the lives of many. Each step we take is a step towards raising awareness and funds for these vital organisations.

The challenge

We wanted to make this challenge as inclusive as possible so we’ve designed this walk where people can join at any distance and do their part.

The challenge is to walk the Thames path in a 12 hour window with some starting at the crack of dawn to start their 30 miles whilst others get involved later on in the day with whatever distance suits them.

At the end of it, the team will be joined by their family and friends in a celebratory picnic to commemorate the teams efforts.

Who are we doing it for?

We’ve chosen three charities that are close to our hearts.

Dementia UK provides specialist dementia support for families through their Admiral Nurse service. These nurses offer expert guidance and practical solutions, helping families face dementia with more confidence and less fear.

BBC Children in Need works tirelessly to change the lives of disadvantaged children and young people in the UK. By funding thousands of projects, they ensure that every child has the opportunity to thrive and achieve their potential.

Macmillan Cancer Support offers essential support to people living with cancer and their families. From financial advice to emotional support, Macmillan’s services are a lifeline for many during their toughest times.

Please sponsor our amazing team as they take on this challenge and help make a change today by clicking here.

Solving Sustainability; 2Heads review and showcase some of the innovative companies that help you make a difference.

Trees 4 Travel – A New Era of Mindful Travel Technology

We have all been there. The carbon cost of an event has been carefully tallied, considered and reduced where possible. Then someone (rightly) asks about the cost of travel for delegates. What if there was a United Nations (CER) certified company that focused on just that?

Meet Trees4Travel! An award winning environmental ‘Tech For Good’ company that works with the world’s main travel brand in the business & leisure sectors to provide FREE carbon management technology to calculate & help reduce emissions impact. What we love is how Trees4Travel use a simple way to make positive climate contributions through direct integrations into booking systems, API or simple file uploads. They help educate in-house event teams & provide the necessary transitionary tools to get us all, brands, agency and contractors, to our net zero targets in the future – making travel & events more ethical & more sustainable.

Not Your Every Day – Beautiful, Sustainable Furniture for Your Creative Spaces.

Our Creative Team are always looking for sustainability with substance, whether they are designing networking spaces for the De Beers Group or the VIP suites for Bombardier. A recent favourite, Not Your Every Day, create amazing furniture that is either plant-based, biological, biodegradable, and recyclable. Their range of sustainable furniture includes pieces produced entirely from post-consumer plastic waste, some made from hemp, used cooking oil, reclaimed fishing nets and even used Carlsberg kegs.

Not only is their furniture beautiful to the eye, Not Your Every Day is sustainable from start to finish. From the pallet wrap they use, the protective coverings on their furniture, to the electricity that powers their building and cars, they’re committed to ensuring every detail is considered throughout their business. What we love is their refusal to box tick and their desire to create the world’s most sustainably produced furniture, without ever compromising on design.

GreenCollect – Helps you put the Circular Economy into Action

We would all like to live in a world without waste. For those of us in the events and experience industry, the generation of waste is a challenge we are constantly facing and it’s great to see some companies out there actively rising to the challenge with organisational solutions.

Green Collect are specialists in finding the best environmental outcome for a wide variety of surplus and discarded items. They focus on innovative solutions to the problem of waste, and are dedicated to keeping office items out of landfill, keeping them in the circular economy through reuse, repurpose, and by dismantling into materials. We love how Green Collect ensure that resources are used to their full potential, finding ways to reuse items in the community or make them into other products.

If you would like to join a complimentary SOS Lab or find out more about our work producing sustainable events and exhibitions, drop us a line: hello@2Heads.com 

James Simpkins, Global CGO, talks from personal experience about the challenge of onboarding a team on the sustainability journey and how his learnings can help others with this important task.

“It feels like we’ve already been on our sustainability journey for an eternity. Have we made progress, yes. Could we be doing more, absolutely. Is the pace of progress frustrating, yes of course it is!

I tell myself, and I know I must keep encouraging those around me to step out of their comfort zone, not to fear the change and to push the boundaries. There is a true opportunity to learn from implementing sustainable working and design practices. It teaches people to deal with the challenges and problems they face daily. It helps people to acquire new skills and before too long, makes it a natural extension of their expertise.

In my opinion however, it really does require the collaboration of all parties to measure and improve the environmental impact of experiential events. It works so much better when you have clients and stakeholders that are truly passionate about making positive change. This usually is driven by their personal beliefs and backed by their brands corporate policies. But of course, not everybody is in the same place and is operating at the same pace. As an agency, we believe we can help drive the change and support our clients on their journey but of course, we need people to be willing and able to help us, help them, make it happen.

What do we do to create momentum within the agency? It is easy to put a document out, load them up to the Intranet, brief teams in focused sessions and think that’s it. Repetition of course serves as a brilliant reminder of what best practice looks like, but as a growing agency, we’ve a duty to ensure the newest members of our team have the foundations to contribute and add value at the earliest opportunity. 

As part of new team member’s onboarding programme, we hold an initial focused session on environmental sustainability, rather than attempting to also address financial and social sustainability. These highly important and interlinked elements form part of our wider agency strategy and stakeholder reporting but are also addressed in our vision and values. We’ve found, even though sessions are narrowed down, there’s still a lot to take on board. We start by sharing stories of where sustainable strategies have been implemented, if they were successful, or not, and what the outcomes and learnings were.

Owing to the diverse experience of new team members, brilliant stories are shared, and they help us all carry new perspectives. One example, told of an experience working at a much sought after events and wedding venue. The venue deployed a strategy not to cut the grass in the grounds of the venue with the right intention of improving the ecosystem and protecting the wildlife. However, the bridal parties that arrived for their big day were surprised that the venue they’d bought into, now had grounds resembling a scruffy recreational park. The venue got the ‘why’ part right, but missed the ‘what and how.’ We agreed the venue could’ve invested in a wildflower meadow which would be amazing on the eye, fabulous in photos and would improve the ecosystem a step further. Learnings often lead to the same conclusion, doing the minimum for the right reasons doesn’t always deliver a satisfying result and happy customers. Stretching beyond this is important.

Having broken the ice, but not melted it, we cover the agencies Sustainability Commitment and how we all need to play our part in making proactive change happen. Our approach guides us in the way we do business and how the decisions we take today contribute to a better tomorrow. Through transparency, training, and robust measurement tools, we can assess and improve our impact at a project and business level. We then frame our net zero goals, discuss how actioning small things can make a significant difference. This includes reducing reusing and recycling waste, reducing carbon footprint, utilising green power sources, mindful travel, greener offices and supporting our local communities.

As a creative agency it’s natural that we will focus in on biophilic design where appropriate and the use of sustainable materials. Our teams have worked hard to research, discover, and catalogue a huge range of sustainable materials to inform and fuel our Sustainable Event Design Approach. Based on the circular economy framework and using the principles of eliminating waste and pollution from the outset, we share how we keep products and materials in use and recycle wherever we can. By minimising material use and selecting materials with a lower or even beneficial impact on the environment, we can create better solutions for clients and more importantly the planet.

To conclude the initial onboarding session, we work through our Sustainability Measurement Charter. We review how utilising measurement tools to record and report the carbon impact of our projects enables us to make informed choices and better decisions with our clients. We also discuss why increasing levels of measurement data in a uniform and consistent manner is of vital importance. With this, we can work from a consistent baseline and seek to reduce the impact of our work from project to project. We offer Sustainability Measurement Reporting to all our clients, on all our projects because we know it works better when you have clients and stakeholders that are truly passionate about making positive change.

Our agency teams are ready and are serious on sustainability, are you?

To see sustainability work in award-winning fashion, check out our work with the De Beers Group.

Pippa Laxton | Account Director

Like so many people, my career in events has been a roller-coaster of ups and downs, learning curves and cherished achievements, none more so than my time in Hong Kong where it all began.

I actually went to Hong Kong on a whim. Buying a one way ticket for £180 (an RAF flight from Dad), and running away from a broken relationship, I cried the entire thirteen hour flight. Arriving in a typhoon, my auspicious start went from bad to worse when I had my first shower from a plastic pipe out of a toilet cistern and went to sleep in a 16 person dorm on the sixteenth floor to the sound of rats scuttling around me.

Chung King Mansions was an interesting place, where every walk of life came and went 24/7 and my first job in Mad Dogs – a bar named after the famous Noel Coward song – did not fill me with enthusiasm. I hated the first three weeks but safe to say it knocked all the corners off me. 

Working in a bar was not my path and I could barely afford the £2.50 a night rent so when I was offered a job in a commodities futures trading company with Japanese style management, I took it! It was like working on Wall Street, high-pressured, but I thrived and even the Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Hong Kong Police Force became a client. Sadly I learned some investors were having complications exiting their funds. I immediately approached my clients to instruct them to withdraw their investments and i left the same day.

Back to the bar! But not for long this time. I then ran marketing for a local property contractor who wanted to expand into the international commercial real estate market and was subsequently headhunted by Savills. This was where, as Savills Marketing Director for 5 years, I discovered my passion for running events. At 27 I became engaged to my husband who I had met at the airport in Hong Kong 6 years before. At 29, heavily pregnant with the first of my 3 sons I resigned to set up my own events business. Savills were so supportive and they became my first client and outsourced their annual Rugby Charity event to me for more than a dozen years – along side loving playing rugby myself.

My client portfolio grew with a range of international brands including HSBC, JPMorgan, Philips and Morgan Stanley, running their events in Hong Kong. This growth lead to the opening of my second office in Singapore and a JV in Sydney.

I was lucky to have such a great business but the success came with some key learnings;

So what’s next? I moved back to the UK for my sons’ education and my husband’s work. I ran the business remotely for the next 3 years but the commute took its toll. Post covid, I wanted to get back into event management. The role with 2Heads was the first job that stood out for me – my first interview in the UK and hopefully the last I ever have to do! 

What would your advice be to a budding event manager? Always be authentic. Always listen. Always learn. Knowledge never ends, the Event Management business changes at lightning speed so it’s important to be able to adapt and pivot to new trends and behaviours.

About Pippa

Pippa is one of our senior Account Directors, an expert in planning and staging events across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the US. In recent years, Pippa has been instrumental in improving sustainability of her client events. Partnering with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the De Beers Group we have been responsible for winning multiple client awards for sustainable brand experience programmes and corporate social responsibility events.

WBCSD Conference key note speaker in front of large AV screen

2Heads counted down all the reasons 2023 has been our best year since the agency began back in 1983, and they are not always what you expect!

We Climbed Mountains

Twenty intrepid 2Headers took on the 24 hour three peaks challenge to raise over £15,000 for our 2023 charities; YoungMinds, Great Ormond Street and Freely Fruity.

We Turned 40

The agency celebrated it’s 40th birthday with a special party and retrospective on four decades of events and experiences.

2Heads team at three peaks challenge

We Launched Films

From London Screenings to the MIPCOM markets, we partnered with some of the best media brands in the world as they showcased their thrilling new content for 2024.

We Took to the Skies

Not literally, but figuratively as we partnered with aviation greats at this year’s airshows. From Paris Air Show to NBAA, and then over to Dubai Air Show , we used local suppliers to support our client’s vision for a more sustainable future.

We were Top 100 (again)

The whole team were thrilled to be recognised by EventMarketer’s Top 100 IT List of experiential agencies for the 2nd year running.

We Won Awards

The honors continued with acolades from EventMarketer & Campaign, including three silver Experience Design & Technology Awards for Best Consumer Environment, Best Sustainability Strategy and Best Tradeshow transformation for our clients Disney, De Beers and Sega respectively.

We counted Carbon

We rolled out use of the Trace and Event Decision carbon calculators across more events than ever, setting benchmarks for carbon tracking that support sustainability reports and strategies in line with our eco-conscious event agenda

We Got into Anime

We entered the exciting world of Anime, one of the world’s fastest growing content markets supported by some of the most enthusiastic fans. Partnering with new clients Sega and Hulu, we had a lot of fun bringing fan favourites to life.

Coaplay at SEGA Anime Expo

We Made Some Cool S&*T

From launching Belden’s Customer Innovation Center’s around the world to creating parties for the Oscars, 2Heads had the best year creating amazing brand experiences and event activations. Our creative studio has generated some of the most fantastic work the agency has seen, every time evolving our live events, brand experience environments and innovation technologies.

We have the Best Clients #powerof2

Without doubt, the main reason 2023 has been not only successful but thoroughly enjoyable has been the wonderful clients we’ve partnered with. A massive thank you to our awesome clients all around the world for your energy, trust and enthusiasm. Here’s to a huge 2024!

WBCSD Conference key note speaker in front of large AV screen
2Heads Team in Pub in the Park 2023
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