Member News
BEACONHOUSE EVENTS, a leading events agency headquartered in Newcastle upon Tyne, is celebrating a decade in business by launching a campaign to support ten local charities and community initiatives over the next twelve months.
From launching as a team of two back in 2014, BeaconHouse Events has now delivered over 1000 events over its decade in business, and today employs a talented team of experts to bring events to live for a high-profile client portfolio which stretches across the UK.
Despite the global pandemic delivering a major blow to the global events sector, the agency is thriving; reporting a 25% increase in turnover in 2023/24 through a mix of in-person, digital, and hybrid events for their national client portfolio. Co-founders Catherine Duhaut and Sarah Thackray are keen to invest their success back into the local community by supporting initiatives that contribute to creating a thriving North East economy for the people who live and work here in the region.
BeaconHouse Events was established in 2014 to design environments and experiences that bring people and ideas together; creating space for conversations that could change the world. After careers in media, linguistics, HR services and events, co-founders Catherine Duhaut and Sarah Thackray joined forces to create an organisation that delivered brilliant events through clever thinking, sustainable solutions, and exceptional customer service – and BeaconHouse Events was born.
Co-founder and director Catherine Duhaut said, “We have been reflecting on the past ten years and while there have been some major achievements, including national award wins and our largest capacity event which welcomed over 24,000 attendees, there have been some turbulent times to navigate too. In 2020 the future of events looked bleak, but with the support and dedication of our incredible team, we were able to pivot the business and invest in technology solutions that still allowed people to connect when they needed it most. Since then, we have continued to evolve the experiences that we create to better suit today’s working patterns and global teams, but our vision remains to drive lasting, positive impact with every event that we deliver, whether it be a conference, exhibition, membership, awards ceremony, celebration, virtual, hybrid, outdoor event, or festival.
“It feels like only yesterday that Sarah and I decided to embark on this journey together. We wanted to take the learnings from our individual career experiences and use them to create something better than what the sector was doing already; something that had a positive impact on the people working to deliver the events, that offered a great experience to clients and that fitted with our joint and individual ambitions for the future. One major driver was being able to partner with clients who were delivering great work that we believed in to allow us to have a positive impact on our team and the communities around us.
Co-founder and director Sarah Thackray continued, “While our client portfolio has taken us around the world over the past 10 years, we are proud to call the North East home. Events are ultimately about people, and we would like to mark this milestone year by partnering with charities and community groups who are working hard to raise aspirations and create opportunities for people who live and work in our region. This forms a key part of our ESG strategy which aims to position us as a leading voice when it comes to driving positive change across the event sector, It includes a considered and consistent commitment to support projects focused on health and wellbeing, quality education, and climate action in the North East.
“Our ESG strategy is based on key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, otherwise known as the Global Goals, which look to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. Our strategy particularly focuses on Climate Action, Responsible Consumption and Production, Quality Education, and Good Health and Wellbeing; all areas where we can have an authentic and lasting impact both in the North East and across the events sector as a whole. We have already partnered with The Children’s Foundation, Groundwork NE & Cumbria, and a grassroots football team and we are working with our team to identify local initiatives that they are passionate to support.
“Financial resilience has formed an important part of our strategy over the past ten years. Without a robust business model, you simply don’t have the capacity, skills, or resources to invest back into the wider community. Everything that we have planned works in tandem with our growth plans for the coming years and allows us to support our clients to achieve both their business ambitions while supporting them to reach their own ESG goals too.”
“We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported us and believed in the power of events over the last ten years. We have some big plans for the next decade so watch this space!”
For more information on BeaconHouse Events visit www.beaconhouse-events.co.uk
