Party Planners in Richmond

Pep & Bear is a unique children's party company specialising in stunning, creative design. All their bespoke parties are tailored to your little one's imagination, giving them a day they will never forget. They provide hand-made invitations to sublime catering and everything in between plus here some advice on what to check when choosing a similar provider for your party.

What do you need to know from an organiser in order to provide a comprehensive quote?

We like to create parties that are completely unique to the client and the picture they have in their head of the sort of event they'd like to hold. After the initial key questions such as the date of the event, the venue, the number of guests and the services required, we like to know if they have a theme in mind, what elements of the event are particularly important to them eg. the catering or the decor and styling and most importantly, if they have a particular budget they'd like to work towards. The beauty of offering a bespoke service is that we're able to tailor our services to suit how much the client is looking to spend.

What advice would you give to a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?

Firstly I would look at their level of experience. There are many different elements involved in creating a successful event and therefore more opportunities for things to go wrong, an experienced events company will be able to deal with any unexpected surprises without your stress levels needing to rise. I would also be wary of companies quoting far below the market average. Although it's important to stick to a budget you're comfortable with, most event professionals are in the industry as they have a genuine passion for creating memorable occasions, not to become millionaires, so what you'll find is that you usually get what you pay for. Lastly, I'd say look at the company's communication skills. Organisation and communication are two of the most important attributes an event company needs so if you're getting delayed responses in the initial stages, chances are that will continue throughout, leaving you feeling anxious over whether everything is in hand.

Please tell us a little bit about how and why you started the business.

After working for other events companies for the last 20 years, my husband and I decided the time had come to join forces, take the leap, and set up our own. We had our two boys (Pep and Bear) and knew we wanted a flexible work-life to enable us to both to spend as much time with them as possible so it seemed like a perfect time to set up on our own, specialising in fantastic events for little people. With the many contacts we'd made throughout our time in the industry, it wasn't long before the booking sheet began to fill. We recruited a small but hugely talented team to help us create unique and imaginative events and we haven't looked back.

Please tell us about a booking you've had through Add to Event, how did it go? Would you recommend us to others?

Our very first booking after forming our company stemmed from an enquiry on the Add to Event platform. It was quite a challenging brief as the client had hired the entire ground floor of a top London nightclub and they wanted a large balloon installation to cover every square inch of the walls - over 900 balloons were needed. To get 900 inflated balloons into a venue which had no parking and no loading area was tricky but we managed it and I have wonderful memories of my husband and I marching through Belgravia with bags and bags of balloons. We have had many bookings from Add to Event since then and think it is the most wonderful resource - especially if you are just starting in the industry and are yet to build up a customer base. The amount of enquiries generated per day is astounding and you get a really good mix of both private and corporate customers. Would highly recommend.