As the marketing director for the UK’s oldest restaurants and events catering company, no two days are the same for Anna Fenten.
Searcys hosts thousands of experiences and events every year across its 20-strong line-up of iconic venues, from the stunning Brasserie and Champagne bar at St Pancras Station to historic Blenheim Palace in Oxford. And 2022 has been a year like no other for the brand.
Between celebrating its 175th anniversary this year and gearing up for Christmas after two years of repressed celebrations, all while still figuring out how to navigate the events industry post-pandemic, managing the marketing team at Searcys has never been more exciting – or busy.
We caught up with Anna to find out what her role at Searcys actually entails, including where she finds her inspiration, how she kept an events brand afloat during Covid, and her take on what Christmas parties will look like this year.
Tell me about your career leading up to Searcys?
I started in events, dare I say it, 30 years ago. My first job was in corporate travel. It was before everyone had mobile phones and would require huge logistical planning skills because everything was planned on paper. It sounds ridiculous! That was my student job and it was absolutely amazing – the buzz you got from live events and seeing people’s faces was just incredible.
Then I went over to the venues side and joined Sodexo Prestige in the year 2000. I was looking after Bateaux London which was the moving restaurant fleet on the Thames. It was really interesting to see how venues operate, as I’d always seen it through the lens of an events organiser. I then did my post-graduate in marketing with The Chartered Institute of Marketing and helped develop and implement the brand guidelines for Levy.
I joined Searcys four years ago. What I thought was wonderful was the brand’s laser focus on quality. It’s a brand which has been around for almost 200 years, but to be so committed to its ethos, of kindness and focusing on people, is really interesting I think.
What is it that attracts you to hospitality?
I think I’m definitely a people person. I do need my downtime, but if I don’t see people I can become incredibly lonely. Also, talking to people helps to structure my thoughts. If you think about marketing, it’s an incredibly strategic role because what we plan gets implemented, sometimes, two years down the road. You need to have that clear strategic intent, but at the same time you cannot do it alone. So, taking people on the journey is very important.
I think Britian is probably one of the best countries to be in events. It’s incredibly competitive but that makes us very innovative. I think we are agile, as a country and a group of professionals.
What does the role of Marketing Director at Searcys look like?
As a marketeer, I am responsible for the brand. That includes the ethos and its core pillars, while always looking at what’s important to us as a business and what we need to deliver for our customers. I think marketing is firstly about the direction of its strategic pillars.
It’s also about storytelling. There are so many phenomenal stories across the business and the industry and it’s my job to unpick them and tell them. It’s also my job to make sure we visualise these stories now that content has become so visual - look and feel is very important.
Another part of my job is helping to bring products to market. We need to listen to our customer, whether it’s a bride or a conference organiser, and understand how we can make every touchpoint with us memorable, pleasant and, as is the Searcys way, deliverable with a touch of indulgence.
Where do you find your inspiration?
It’s definitely a team effort. Everybody in the company is a marketeer and everyone comes with ideas. I think we’re good comrades, good friends and that means no idea is singled out or squashed. We’re really focussed on how we can bring ideas to life!
We also work with such phenomenal venues that very often it’s the venues that give us our ideas. For example, at St Pancras we’ve been running an afternoon tea out of a suitcase. We just bought some suitcases on Amazon, created some food trays and off we went. But definitely, having your eyes and ears open to what London and the country has to offer is important.
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The stunning Searcy's Iris Bar at The Gherkin
Equally, it’s about going back to our heritage. I’ve been spending some time going back into our archives and looking at function sheets from the 19th and 20th centuries. It’s covered in dust! In 1953, Searcys had a ball during the coronation and we could see what people were ordering for various functions during that summer. We took their signature dishes, re-worked them and now they’re part of our menus. It’s just knowing how to find that hook I guess.
How do you measure the success of an event?
We always seek feedback from an event organiser. If it’s a consumer event, they’re slightly easier because we’ve got a management platform that allows us to trigger a feedback email to attendees after a ticketed event. There are five indicators in hospitality which are critical to understand: ambience, overall experience, food, drink and service.
And then, of course, repeat business is really important. It’s a huge part of Searcys success and of course with repeat business comes referrals. Creating that network of professionals who are very much in touch with each other all the time. This is what we measure – we measure referrals and we measure repeat business.
How did you cope with the challenges the pandemic threw up?
When the world was going down in March 2020, we made a conscious decision to continue conversations online. With a little bit of agility and by talking to our partners, we created new ideas online, such as recipes, that kept us going while the world was figuring out what would happen next.
Keeping people engaged, I think, was so, so important. We did this internally, too: I would hold a marketing meeting with my team every day, but this was implemented with all our wider teams in order to really celebrate their successes.
We had chefs who cooked for their neighbours and for soup kitchens. There was so much kindness from everyone that once we re-opened, we really started on a high.
Have you noticed a change in the events industry post-Covid?
Aside from all the obvious changes in health and safety requirements, there has been a pent-up demand for live events – that's for sure. It started with private events where people could celebrate – get-togethers, belated birthdays, weddings. But then it carried through and we started to see that theme of getting together flourishing in the corporate sector, too.
We've also noticed a lot more last-minute decision-making. We're seeing the numbers go up for those looking to book an event within a week or less. It does put pressure on us but we welcome everyone! I think the short lead time will probably continue.
Finally, I just want to come back to that point about indulgence. People are looking for that respite when they’re together and I’ve seen it time and time again while at awards ceremonies, dinners, afternoon teas and the like. It’s our responsibility to retain that Searcys spirit of hospitality and deliver indulgence via kindness and generosity.
How did you develop the marketing campaign for Searcys' 175th anniversary?
We looked at the archives to understand what our heritage is, and that's where we found inspiration for our recipes and special afternoon tea. Champagne, of course, has been Searcys signature for years.
Secondly, it was about looking at ourselves as a brand and what we want to stand for. We saw an opportunity to invest in Platinum Jubilee product development, in order to connect our history with events that are happening now.
We also were aware of the physicality of the product. Customers need to be able to see and touch it and this is why we put so much more effort into the actual product, like our Champagne, our English Sparkling wine, our afternoon tea, our Searcys china which you can buy. It has to be something that people can really take with them.
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Finally, we wanted it to be relevant to everyone, from our team to our customers.
What do you think Christmas parties are going to look like this year?
I think like anything in life it will be multi-faceted. There will be shorter lead times than what we’re used to, but we have been seeing a few larger bookings so we’re cautiously optimistic about Christmas.
A recent survey showed that there are a significant proportion of people who are indecisive and will be making their Christmas choices in September. I expect we’ll see more of that.
I think people will be after really strong hospitality because they haven’t been together for two years, so we just need to do a brilliant job.
Also, be memorable. This year, Searcys is collecting £175k for charity and I think there’s going to be this ‘act of kindness’ idea peppered around Christmas parties.
Are there any exciting projects you’re working on right now?
We’ve got Searcys Day coming up on the 15th September. I’m hoping we can grow it into an annual tradition like Champagne Day! This year we are sending three actors around our venues who will be giving out Searcys shillings. It’s a real shilling which allows the bearer to purchase a glass of Champagne at the Victorian price, which equates to about 5p. I think it will be a really fun activation!
What’s your favourite thing about your job?
People, people, people. And of course, the venues! I pinch myself, which I haven’t stopped doing for years, about the wealth of heritage, history, style and fashion this industry brings. It’s incredible – I can’t stop being amazed by it.
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