Case Study - Small Firms Association
Event Type: Awards and Gala Dinner
Attendees: 296
Duration: since 2015
The Event
The Small Firms Association (SFA) is the national organisation representing the needs of small enterprises (those employing less than 50 employees) in Ireland. The SFA is a one stop shop for all business queries for its members. The SFA National Small Business Awards Ceremony is an annual event which has taken place at the RDS Venue since 2015. The gala dinner and awards ceremony is a flagship event for the association.
The Brief
This annual event requires two event spaces to facilitate up to 300 people for a drinks reception followed by a gala dinner and awards ceremony. Therefore, adjoining spaces were required to facilitate this. It was important that the chosen venue was accessible for attendees travelling nationwide with good public transport links and ample parking. The organiser was looking for a space to wow their members, a space with unrivalled elegance, grandeur and atmosphere. Working closely with the RDS team, the organiser found that perfect space to host their flagship event, Hall 7 - the RDS Concert Hall and the RDS Members’ Club Library.
However, it wasn’t just the location, space and facilities that fulfilled the brief alone. The SFA’s initial attraction to the RDS Venue, was the overall mission of the RDS (Royal Dublin Society) which is to positively impact on the cultural and economic development of Ireland by nurturing ideas and people in the areas of arts, agriculture, science, enterprise, and equestrianism through a variety of work programs. It was therefore fitting for the SFA to hold their event at the RDS Venue and therefore contribute towards the RDS work program.
The Set Up
To provide a ‘wow-factor’ and to set the tone for the rest of the evening, the event hosted its drinks reception in the exclusive RDS Members’ Club Library followed by the gala dinner & awards ceremony in the RDS Concert Hall. Invited guests arrived to the RDS Members’ Club entrance on Merrion Road and were invited through to the intimate drinks reception to network before continuing into the atmospheric RDS Concert Hall for the awards and gala dinner. The use of these two spaces in the RDS Venue complement each other very well and allow for a smooth transition between different stages of the night.
RDS Venue catering partner, RDS Hospitality, looked after all aspects of food & beverage for the event. Working closely with the client, RDS Hospitality created a bespoke menu for the event which included the very finest Irish produce, sourced from specialist suppliers and artisan producers, to serve to their guests on the night.
Food service times are built around the event schedule. This facilitates award presentations between courses while maintaining the expected levels of food quality delivered to the tables. The attention to detail and level of service provided by RDS Hospitality reflect their passion for what they do.
CT Ireland provided event staging services and AV support on the night. The content of this event is crucial to its success with nomination videos, winner videos and walk up award stings run between each award category. Therefore it was vital that the CT technician was responsive and reactive to facilitate this.
CT Ireland patched into the RDS in-house PA and projector & screen and compliment these with additional speakers, comfort monitors for the MC to see content and a Pulse Swither to allow seamless switching between video and slides. A lighting technician was on hand to patch into the RDS in-house stage wash and supplement this with uplighters on the pillars in the room and across the stage. This was all monitored and operated from the lighting control desk throughout the evening so lighting can be adjusted to compliment the atmosphere of the event.
Results
In 2019, the SFA National Small Business Awards saw the highest number of finalists attend the event with 296 people travelling to the heart of Ballsbridge to partake in the awards. It is evident the RDS Venue adds to the success of this event as the flexibility of the RDS Concert Hall allows for its continued growth and development while maintaining the authentic atmosphere of the event.
“In all aspects the team are an absolute pleasure to work with and extremely responsive to requests and suggestions, which is why we continue to return year after year. In both preparation and in delivery, we had an extremely positive experience and I look forward to working with the RDS again for our next event.”
