Cashing in on the wealth of nations

“We decided to link with an existing umbrella brand who could pass on new clients,” Ms Hurley added.

With a full business plan and three-year set of financial forecasts they convinced the management board to create Quintessentially Events, of which Ms Fielding and Ms Hurley own half.

With a strong foundation of corporate clients they didn’t need to raise much capital or hire lots of staff. The co-founders did everything from answering the phones themselves to seeking out new business and delivering events.

And then the recession hit. “It was more a series of punches than a full body blow,” said Ms Fielding, “but we scaled right back, corporate work dropped off and we focused on private events, such as weddings and 40th birthdays. We opened an office in New York pretty much the day Lehman Brothers went bust.”

However, old clients such as Gucci and YSL started to return in 2010 and the company now boasts a 50-strong global workforce.

The pair recently delivered the launch party for the new Ritz Carlton hotel in Almaty, in Kazakhstan, flying Will.i.am in to DJ. "We also do a lot of social activation events in London as overseas speculators buy in the capital, seen as a safe haven for investment, and want to announce their arrival and integrate," added Ms Hurley.

Corporate trade is coming back in a different way with the large scale productions making way for personalisation, as brands familiarise themselves with key groups of clients.

“Brands are very active once again and although banks no longer do jollies, there are a lot of internal leadership conferences in that sector,” said Ms Hurley.

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