GIRLBOSSES OF
GREAT BRITAIN: THE
ONE THAT DOES EPIC
EVENTS WITH JENNY
STANIFORTH
Interview featured in House of Coco.
Tell us the story that led you to launching your brand, JS Events…
JS Events has always been my end goal. I had always planned on starting my own luxury wedding and events agency so I had been working on my company products, vision and values for what seems like forever.
I knew the events industry was the field I wanted to work in from a young age, in reality however I knew that without gaining some valuable experience I wouldn’t know how to start an events company, so that’s exactly what I did, I went to university and after graduating swiftly moved to London where I gained 7 years of valuable experience. My husband and I then decided to move out of London and move closer to our families in the midlands, this move gave me the perfect opportunity to start my own company, whereas before I had always been pursuing my career within other agencies it suddenly felt like the right time to go solo.
Although this has been a somewhat daunting decision it is one that I have been preparing for, for years with the reward of working with individuals and facilitating my clients as I see fit and to my high standards. It is a decision I am glad I made!
Looking back since launching the brand, is there anything you would do differently?
Not really, it has been my dream for a long time and I was just waiting for the opportune moment to branch out on my own, it feels good to have finally done it, I am sure in years to come I will look back and be able to recount a million things I would have done differently but right now I am just proud that I have taken that leap and that it is working.
To date, what has been your proudest event and why?
I think my proudest event is actually an early event that I ran around the Monaco Grand Prix. My agency decided to go bigger and better in the second year of me running the event and I have to say I was insanely proud of myself for pulling off the race weekend. It really cemented the fact that I was in the right field as it didn’t feel like work, I just loved it. Of course there were stressful hair raising moments but a solution was always found and we pushed on. It was great!
Where do you get your creative ideas from and how do you stay on trend?
I stay on trend by researching, reading blogs and seeing what my suppliers are posting on social media. These ideas then spark me and together with my suppliers I create something very personal for my couples/clients. It is very rewarding when everything comes together on the day and you see the vision that we all had in our heads come to life.
Talk us through an average day in your life?
I don’t have set hours, I am on call for my clients 24 hours a day so an average day in my world ranges quite dramatically, however I would say that I spend the majority of my time negotiating, talking and meeting with suppliers. I like to be out and about so where I can I will go to the venue or supplier to discuss a client’s needs. I also spend time with my clients on site visits, food tastings etc. The rest of my time is ideally spent outside walking our dog or with my husband.
The events industry was hit hard due to Covid, how did you pivot to make sure you survived?
Having recently launched JS Events prior to COVID, COVID was a bit of a tough blow, however it did allow me to spend quality time on my website, social media and brand presence in general. I also spent a lot of time creating a strong marketing strategy to ensure that I could hit the ground running once we returned to a sense of normality, ensuring that I could recoup the costs that I had lost in the postponed & cancelled events that I had committed to in 2020. This appears to have worked with enquiries, weddings and events now picking up. 2021 and 2022 look like they are going to be very busy!
What motivational quote do you like to read when you are lacking motivation?
I don’t really have a motivational quote that I read, but if I am feeling low I like to think about all the positive things in my life, of which I am very lucky and there are many. This normally picks me back up again and relights my motivation.
How do you see the business evolving over the next 5 years?
In the next 5 years I would hope that JS Events is a highly trusted and award winning agency that has cemented itself within the industry both nationally and internationally.
What does self care mean to you?
Having suffered with mental health in the past, self care is very important to me. To me self care means finding time for yourself, switching off and de-stressing, putting down your phone and any other distractions and relaxing, spending time with loved ones and making sure you actually make the time to do the things you enjoy. if you can establish a good work/life balance, then hopefully happiness will follow.