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E
ven when Wes Britton
was in Spain, honing
his golf skills to achieve
Pro status, he would think
about furniture. Whilst golf
unfortunately didn’t pan
out, he was more than happy
to fall back on his first great
love: design.
Britton studied for an
Interior Design degree and
has a particular passion for
furniture.
He explained it: “I’m a bit
of a magpie. Since being
a kid, I have always loved
shiny things, colours, new
things and as I studied, all of
those things came together
in furniture.”
Britton noticed early on
that the UK’s furniture
offering seemed to fall
behind those of other
countries. Thinking he
could base a career on this,
he started to import design-
led furniture from overseas,
selling it to companies and
individuals.
Britton was always happy
to give an opinion about the
latest trend if a client asked
for his help. This turned the
business into a consultancy,
following repeated requests
to suggest designs and give
a view on a project, rather
than just simply provide the
goods.
As furniture is a core
requirement of exhibitions,
Britton started to work
with a number of event
companies as they sought
to up the ante on what was
being put out on the show
floor.
With his workload ever
increasing, in 2010 Britton
decided to launch Creative
Hire.
Let’s get creative
EN speaks to the MD and chief business officer of
Creative Hire, Wes Britton and Adam Aston.
Britton said: “10 years
ago, exhibitions looked
conventional. I was on
a mission to help steer
organisers think outside of
the box when it came to the
furniture at their shows.”
In the last 12 months,
Creative Hire has been
more focused than ever on
supplying a different kind
of service to the events
industry.
The firm has taken on
Adam Aston who has many
years of experience in
furniture contracting.
Aston and Britton have
known each other for
some time, having met in
the pub after an industry
do. They became friends.
“We realised we shared a
vision for a more design-
led approach to supplying
organisers,” says Aston.
“We both wanted to change
the traditional view of the
contractor as a supplier of
product only.”
As chief business officer,
Aston takes a more
consultative approach to
working with clients, and
brings his know-how to
every single aspect of the
company, from concept to
delivery.
“Wes and I came together
because of our love of
design, of stylish things,
of fashion and interiors,”
he says. “Combined with
our years of experience in
this industry, it means that
we can really be a force
for good when it comes
to reimagining the event
environment.”
Their hard work is paying
off as Creative Hire is
increasingly brought in
earlier in the event cycle.
They are increasingly being
asked to contribute to the
complete concept of the
show from the start, not just
“at the end when teams are
trying to fill up some space
with tables and chairs” as
Aston puts it.
Britton and Aston want
to work with organisers to
approach their events in a
way that will resonate with
the visitor.
Aston explains: “Everyone
who visits an event is
a consumer and will
experience that show
as such. Even at a trade
show, people will react in a
completely different way if
they are doing business in
an environment that appeals
to them.
“The marketing manager
in a business lounge likes to
sit in a plush, hotel-like area
and enjoy a stylish space
as much as the blogger at a
fashion event.
“We want to blur the
lines so that people can
appreciate and enjoy
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