Working in the grey
Neil Woodward , founder and CEO of Dancing Squirrel
phase them ,” Clay explains .
With all the added complications , four days pre-production have turned into eight .
Post-Brexit regulations also mean that when Dancing Squirrel uses UK suppliers , they have to prove that no European providers were available . But UK companies are often much cheaper to employ than foreign firms – particularly multinationals . Choosing a big multinational company to supply an LED screen for one European event would have cost the organiser € 98,000 . Dancing Squirrel quoted them € 14,000 .
When speaking to clients , the agency is keeping its problems hidden . “ Most clients don ’ t even know we face these challenges ,” Clay says . “ We ’ re problem solvers – we say ‘ yes ’ to the client and figure out the details later .” This problem-solving has led the agency to open a branch in Barcelona . VAT was proving to be a major issue ; if the client is in Spain , for example , Dancing Squirrel can ’ t charge VAT , because it can ’ t be claimed back . However , they will be charged VAT themselves . The agency solved the problem by opening a Spanish company with a Spanish VAT number so they can reclaim it .
Clay Robinson , chief operations officer at Dancing Squirrel
Despite the challenges of bureaucracy , increased cost and legal uncertainty , Dancing Squirrel is growing substantially and has just recorded its best year yet . I ask Neil why . He tells me that Brexit costs aren ’ t enough to push his clients away . “ The relationships we have built over the years are very strong ,” he says .
To illustrate the point , he tells the story of when Dancing Squirrel was delivering the Manhattan Associates EMEA Conference – an event it has run for years . Neil knows CEO Eddie Capel well . He knows , for example , that
Eddie ’ s eyesight isn ’ t what it used to be . During a tech rehearsal Neil noticed Eddie moving closer to the 40-inch monitors . So he went away and replaced them with 50-inch monitors .
Later , Eddie was working with a European AV supplier . He made his eyesight issues known to them , requesting big screens . They gave him 24-inch monitors . “ From that point , we had all of Manhattan ’ s European business ,” Neil says .
Clay elaborates : “ One of the reasons we ’ re popular with clients is that we ’ re efficient . If they ask us to set up a stage in six and a half hours , it will get done .”
Clients , it seems , are willing to stomach a heftier bill in order to get the level of service that Neil and his team provide . Many of Dancing Squirrel ’ s employees are poached from the UK creative industry , which Neil tells me is a rich pool of talent .
Their sound technician , Al , for example , has a background of working with bands like AC / DC , Iron Maiden , Kylie Minogue and Duran Duran . He decided he ’ s too old to tour and has come back to work in the UK .
What ’ s more , even with the added costs , Dancing Squirrel is often undercutting the competition . Against major global companies , they ’ re confident they ’ ll win the business . When competing with companies based locally , however , they ’ re increasingly in trouble .
Dancing Squirrel is a case study of how to vault the hurdles of Brexit – provide the best service possible . However , without the decades-long relationships the agency has established , working in the EU as an UK-based events company is now fraught with difficulties . The industry needs to pressure the British government to take their plight seriously , or more companies will fall through the cracks of Brexit . n
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