Anyone who has ever been involved in an event organised by Faiza Shafeek will testify that she is a one-woman dynamo, determinedly taking the event from its inception right through to the post-show publicity. For the last six years she was running the Johnston Press business and community awards, business network meetings and exhibitions, but now she has launched Carrot Events.
“It was a wonderful six years and I had the good fortune to work with some wonderful people within JP and the event industry, but it was time to move on as I wanted to expand into other areas. It was very sad to leave.
Carrot Events will run events that can be rolled out into other counties and regions. It will also produce events for other companies plus totally new events, the types of events that have never been held in the region.
“Carrot Events intends to make the events it will be launching fresh and innovative in every aspect and will engage some very well-known keynote speakers, making each event a must for the business community to be involved in, that is the point of launching Carrot Events.”
Faiza always likes to think big, a result perhaps of her colourful upbringing. Born and educated in Egypt and later in the UK, her family was from a high-ranking background in her birth country, and her grandfather was the Royal gynaecologist during the King Farouk era. “He was always telling me amazing stories which I still recall so well today,” says Faiza. “I am blessed to be able to speak many languages and have had the good fortune to have lived in many countries in my life so far.
“For many years, my job entailed me working all over the world, which allowed me see and visit many countries, though due to the nature of my work at the time, it was often during times of natural disasters or wars, which were quite horrible.
“I then set up and owned my own destination management and VIP travel company based in Barcelona, covering destinations all over the East and West Mediterranean. The company organised tailor-made travel itineraries for discerning travellers, setting up incentive travel programmes, product launch events, exhibitions and conferences. Our clients included Nokia and other major international companies.”
With such extensive experience in event management, Faiza is well versed in the processes involved. “When we think about creating an event, the first part of the process is to research; working out if there is a demand for the event and if it will actually work. We then contact potential partners, businesses and sponsors as we need to find out from them if they see it as being a viable proposition. Then there is the marketing of the event, building media partnerships, encouraging entries and selling tables, before we get to the event itself.
“Awards nights are wonderful networking opportunities for companies. The events have to run smoothly and the host has to captivate the audience. We have to ensure that recipients of the awards stay to the point and keep their acceptance speeches brief. People want to hear from the winners but the event has to flow as well.
“We work very closely with Identity Group; an amazing company and they provide every aspect of what I require to get the event off the grounds. They excel at the marketing and promotion aspect, right through to the wonderful backdrops and lighting on the night. They are an exceptionally hard working group and always achieve a high level of quality. It means that I have the peace of mind knowing that the event will always look professional and I can get on with putting the awards on without any unnecessary worries about how glamorous the room will look on the night.”
2016 will see Carrot Events launching a number of business awards and exhibitions cover the county as a whole to include new ventures which are in the pipeline. “We are currently talking to politicians and business leaders for a conference that will take place in Brighton next year,” says Faiza. “It will be unlike any event the city has seen so far. Watch this space.”
“One thing is certain we are extremely proud to have Platinum Business Magazine as our valued media sponsors for all the business events that we will be running. It is the most uplifting business magazine in the region, and each edition has me enthralled. I believe in the magazine and every business should have a copy.
“This week I was at a well-known construction company in Eastbourne and the owner told me that he never throws a copy away and he has
a library of Platinum magazines, which he always gets out and refers to. This is not an unusual story. I see the magazine wherever I go in the county.”
Thank you for the kind words, Faiza. At PBM, we all wish Faiza the best of luck in her new venture, but we suspect luck won’t come into it. We know for certain that Faiza’s work ethic and innovation will ensure that all Carrot events will be unmissable dates for the diary.
Faiza is dedicated to putting on great events for businesses in Sussex providing them with solution for incentives, team building and annual conferences taken the burden from internal teams and applying nearly three decades of experience. One of Carrot’s ambitions is to be putting on several awards this year with independent judging panels in Sussex, so watch out for our up and coming features showcasing these new events.
