The Contemporary Flag Makers
I love it when we get an enquiry that starts pretty vague, but the client (or events company working for the client) knows they want to make a big impression: they need to create a huge, colourful ‘wow’ impact but are not set on specific ideas. The best approach is to begin with a good chat on the phone, sharing venue plans (ideally aerial photos, maps and general shots) and disclosure of a rough budget.
I then share visuals of decor and hopefully, the client gets enthusiastic! Then ideally they give me a wishlist, which I work with to get the most out of their budget.
As long as not everyone asks for bespoke items simultaneously, in the middle of summer, we LOVE bespoke orders: they keep us on our toes!
Recent examples of bespoke commissions:
Bamboo teepee created with woven fabric in brand colours
This was done and luckily, the client had a beautiful colour sequence to work with, which made our life much more joyful.
Giant hula hoops with Summer colour ribbons
This was for a music festival and the colours were totally gorgeous – zingy pinks, oranges and greens.
Massive laser cut ‘bunting’ for an opera
This project was during Covid when Alexandra Palace had a huge stage so that people could attend open-air events in their cars. Think giant bunting with frilly edges, which was used as a prop during the opera. You can imagine how massive the string had to be to stretch the width of the stage! We have a very patient and creative laser cutter who enjoyed the challenge.
Huge ‘wings’ for an opening ceremony
This was for a large-scale event in Azerbaijan. It involved a lot of prototyping to ensure the client was happy. This then led to the production of a whole string of projects with them, including the countdown kites. It helped that they had a bigger budget than the Olympics.
We also often combine our rental items with printed flags. By offering the same size flags for rental and for printing means that corporate events can look more ‘festivaly’. We can print on either recycled vegan polyester silk (which is the same material that our festival flags are made of) or the more sturdy knitted polyester.
Our secret weapon
One tool we use for every job is Trello: its especially vital for multitasking in a business like ours, as you can customise the platform to suit your projects / events / everything! It is a game-changer. We use it to log all our jobs and nominate crew, its such a brilliant platform.
On the job: It’s common that things have shuffled around a lot when you arrive at a venue. As long as we come in last to dress the space, its fine, as we can install flags and decor around everything else! The most important thing for event organisers is to be flexible which is easier said than done (hence Trello!)