Get to know 1331 Events

1331 Events is a small UK-based events agency run by two sisters, Liv and Amy. Both Liv and Amy have spent their careers in the events space. When they both found themselves working as freelance event planners, they decided it was the perfect time to team up and start an event planning agency of their own. In 2018, by combining their birth dates – 13 and 31 – 1331 Events was born.

Initially, 1331 Events supported a wide variety of corporate and private events including weddings, but over time Liv and Amy found their niche in B2B incentives events and corporate conferences both in the UK and overseas.

Amy and Liv, Co-founders of 1331 Events

“Incentive events are driven by the need to be unique, special and very bespoke. In this respect they are not only challenging each and every time, but are also really interesting and enjoyable to organize,” Liv says. “And the objectives behind today’s corporate conferences go way beyond pure communication of business strategy to include motivation, networking, relationship-building. This variation keeps them interesting to plan in line with our clients’ differing objectives year-on-year.”  

Taking a modern approach to in-person events

Part of what makes Liv and Amy so skilled at their jobs is their willingness to think outside the box. When they noticed that the manual ways of managing and launching their events was slowing processes down, they knew they had to make a change. 

Relying on PDFs and emails to share event information with attendees had become tedious and time-consuming. There was too much opportunity for information to fall through the cracks. 1331 Events suggested that their client move away from updating and sharing event information through manual processes and instead leverage a mobile event app.

“We thought it was a more high-tech and convenient way to share and communicate information with delegates,” Liv says. 

1331 Events was looking for a platform that could support four key criteria:

  • Ease of use for attendees 
  • The ability to communicate with attendees in real-time
  • Competitive pricing 
  • Gamification elements for team building purposes 

After reviewing several platforms, they selected Webex Events (formerly Socio), noting that the user-friendly platform was a major factor in their decision. Liv and Amy wanted to get their clients’ events up and running as quickly as possible and wanted easy-to-use and efficient technology. 

Equipped with an end-to-end event management platform, 1331 Events was prepared to take on a new chapter as a modern event-planning agency.

Pausing in-person events, preparing for the next chapter of 1331 Events

In March 2020, it became clear that 1331 Events’ next phase would look much different than expected. Before Liv and Amy could launch their first event using the mobile event app, they were forced to pause their events as the COVID-19 pandemic spread around the world. 

“We had quite a lot of momentum going in 2019. We started in 2018, we were kind of finding our feet, and then 2019 was a really good year, so 2020 should have been a brilliant year in terms of agency growth but COVID put a halt to that,” Liv says. 

During this time, 1331 Events helped clients host virtual holiday parties and networking events, but Liv was eager to start planning in-person events again. 

In terms of events, we think that face-to-face communication and meeting people face-to-face is super important, and we’ve always loved that part of any of our jobs.”
Liv LabreyCo-founder, 1331 Events

Despite the challenges 1331 Events faced in 2020, including several in-person event cancellations later in the year due to new COVID-19 variants, they didn’t lose hope. As a new year ramped up, so did opportunities to host events that would change the trajectory of 1331 Events for the better. 

“In terms of events, we think that face-to-face communication and meeting people face-to-face is super important, and we’ve always loved that part of any of our jobs,” Liv says.

Return to in-person – an unforgettable and engaging corporate team-building conference in Ibiza

In September 2021, in-person events were finally back. After having to reschedule multiple times, 1331 Events could finally launch a client’s annual conference in Ibiza. 

This particular client has 15 offices spread across Europe and hosts an annual event where their teams come together for an all-company meeting. This time, the event would take place on the tropical island of Ibiza. 1331 Events was tasked with heading up planning which included a major team-building component. 

To build excitement, collect information, and boost user adoption ahead of the event, 1331 Events leveraged the app and its gamification capabilities to enhance the in-person experience with a fun virtual element. 

Gamification drives user adoption, collects feedback, and increases session attendance

1331 Events launched the in-app game a few weeks before the event started. Liv and Amy needed to collect attendee information and feedback leading up to the event, including team names and which activities teams wanted to participate in during the event. The game feature was a great way to do this as it streamlined their collection of this pre-event information and made it fun for attendees, too!

“Attendees were engaged in the event before they even arrived. It meant that by the time they landed in Ibiza, they were really familiar with the app, how it works, and its content. It drives them to look at the app and then look through all the information that they might otherwise miss if they were just receiving a PDF in an email,” Liv says. 

Attendees were engaged in the event before they even arrived. It meant that by the time they landed in Ibiza, they were really familiar with the app, how it works, and its content…”
Liv LabreyCo-founder, 1331 Events

1331 Events also needed a way to ask questions of attendees throughout the event. They incentivized attendees to provide their feedback by asking them to post about their experience on the social wall. The first 10 to respond were awarded additional points. 

It was important to the 1331 Events team that they could leverage creative ways to encourage attendees to attend required sessions during the conference. 

“[Attendees] were given a code once the conference started, and anyone who wasn’t at the [opening] session, didn’t get to put the code in the app and score points,” Liv says. 

With 197 game participants, 1,123 challenges were completed, and a total of 27,690 points were awarded. 

Attendees also participated in a variety of activities on the island including a wine tasting, beach sports, and dinners with entertainment such as light dancers, fortune tellers, and glitter tattoo artists. 

Eliminating unnecessary printing 

Liv and Amy are both familiar with the large amounts of paper and printing associated with in-person events. Instead of printing floor plans, maps, and the agenda, they simply housed that information in the event app. 

“We find it’s often the first time that people have been to an event where there’s been an app rather than lots of paperwork to print out. It creates a really good experience because they’ve got everything on their phone… even if they leave something in their room, it doesn’t matter because they’ve always got their phone on them, they’ve always got the information,” Liv says.

1331 Events has fully embraced the power of event tech to keep attendees informed of important event information. Plus, this modern approach to event management also limits the agency’s environmental impact. 

“I think from both sides, it makes information sharing a lot easier, a lot more straightforward and quicker, and there’s obviously a good environmental impact to it. No one’s doing loads of printing and walking around with big reams of paper.”

Leveraging announcements to keep the event running smoothly

After years of planning events, Liv and Amy know that efficient communication is essential to a successful event. 

1331 Events leveraged the announcements feature to: 

  • Notify attendees when sessions were about to begin
  • Communicate when attendees needed to depart for specific elements of their day
  • Show attendees where particular sessions were hosted
  • Reunite attendees with lost property
  • Encourage attendees to post on the social wall about their team building activities 
  • Let attendees know which gate to go to at the airport
  • Send out reminders for transportation between various activities throughout the event 
  • Share attendee images from the event
  • Collect feedback via an online survey once the event was over
… Having the ability to drip-feed communications with delegates there and then so they know what’s going on, and if there are any changes, is invaluable from an organizer’s point of view.”
Liv LabreyCo-founder, 1331 Events

“I think as event organizers, we all know that however much information you send out, all of your delegates are never going to read all of it. Having the ability to drip-feed communications with delegates there and then so they know what’s going on, and if there are any changes, is invaluable from an organizer’s point of view,” Liv says. 

Next stop: launching an immersive incentive experience in Monaco

This specific 1331 Events client hosts an annual incentive event for their highly-valued reseller network. 

“The key to generating excitement and buy-in from attendees is to create an experience that is unlike any trip an attendee would plan themselves. If there’s already excitement brewing about an existing event, this is a great opportunity to make a connection between the two experiences,” Liv says.

For this year’s event, the client wanted to anchor the experience around the iconic Monaco Grand Prix, a Formula One racing event where drivers compete by racing through the narrow streets of the Circuit de Monaco. 

The event attracts thousands of spectators every year, including celebrities and high-profile sponsors who host and attend glamorous after-hours parties.

In 2022, the live telecast averaged over 2 million viewers from around the world. 

Not only did the trip take place on the exquisite French riviera, but the agenda was jam-packed with activities to keep attendees engaged and having tons of fun. Once attendees were picked up from the airport by vintage cars, they were treated to a trip full of specially curated experiences including: 

  • An exclusive Chateau for the group’s private use throughout the weekend
  • Wine and cigar tastings 
  • Spa treatments
  • Helicopter rides
  • A private yacht in the harbor for three days featuring high-end catering and entertainment 
  • A unique magician who surprised attendees upon their return to their hotel
  • A French quartet playing dinner in the evenings

Liv notes that most of the activities were optional, giving attendees the chance to build their own event experience tailored to their interests. 

Making information sharing seamless with the mobile event app

Organizing an incentive event overseas is no small feat. Between managing travel logistics and ensuring activities are running on time, 1331 Events is tasked with ensuring everyone has a flawless experience and that they have the right event information, at the right time. Not only do they plan the experience from beginning to end which includes coordinating hotel accommodation, air travel, and on-site activities, they are also the main points of contact for attendees. 

“For the Monaco event, [the app] was much more of an information portal…but again really useful throughout the event, just to keep everyone informed as to where they needed to be when and where things were happening,” Liv says. 

Once attendees arrived at the airport, they needed a code to access the parking lot and terminal building. While the 1331 Events team sent out reminders leading up to departure, they wanted to ensure that attendees weren’t waiting around or confused when they arrived. Before attendees arrived at the airport, Liv and Amy sent the code through the app, ensuring everyone’s arrival ran smoothly. 

“We try to personalize it as much as we can, and the app helped with that massively in terms of not only bringing the brand of the event through onto people’s mobiles, but also just the way we could communicate with them ahead of the event and put all of the information they need in the palm of their hand. It makes life very easy for attendees,” Liv says.

Webex Events mobile event app: an event organizer’s must-have 

After planning four events with the Webex Events mobile event app, the platform has almost become a member of the 1331 Events team, helping them keep event information organized, attendees informed, and their events connected.

“From an organizer’s perspective, we put everything [on the app]. If anyone’s got a question – even when you’ve got 300 people at an event – one of them can come up and ask, ‘What time is my taxi leaving for the airport?’ and we’ve just got all the information there for immediate access. It’s easy to find, and it’s always on there for [attendees] as well,” Liv says. 

…When we first launched it for the incentive group, I had an email from someone saying, ‘I’m really impressed with the app and it’s great to have all the information in one place.’ A lot of attendees like that they’re not having to print off loads of information.”
Liv LabreyCo-founder, 1331 Events

Liv has also received positive feedback from attendees on how the app keeps attendees up to date on key event information.

“Everyone seems to love the app. When we first launched it for the incentive group, I had an email from someone saying, ‘I’m really impressed with the app and it’s great to have all the information in one place.’ A lot of attendees like that they’re not having to print off loads of information.”

Liv and Amy continue to see how the app enhances their clients’ events and makes event coordination seamless. 

“The more often we use the app, the easier and quicker it becomes to use, and the more functionality we can see as being useful for future events. We also share it with suppliers we work with who can see the benefit for them and how they work with other clients,” Liv says. 

1331 Events wins Conference & Incentive Travel Award

1331 Events’ story is a true example of what it means to weather tough times and come back even stronger. After four years of building their events agency, 1331 Events has won the Team Building Event of the Year award at the 2022 Conference and Incentive Travel Awards for their Ibiza event.

“We’re so excited. We’re four years in and earlier this year we felt that we had some really strong events that we could enter. The fact that we were even shortlisted was super exciting for us because one of our goals was to be nominated for an award. But to be shortlisted for two and to win one is just amazing,” Liv says. 

As for the future of 1331 Events and the events industry as a whole, Liv feels optimistic about where the industry is headed. 

“Things seem to be getting back to normal after a very long time, and I think people are super keen to just get back out there. The pandemic proved to everyone that seeing people face to face is really important, so I think it’s a really good time for the industry.”

1331 Events is currently undergoing a full rebrand and is preparing for a series of new events for 2023! 1331 Events will certainly be leveraging the mobile event app again to keep their events organized, streamlined, and tons of fun.