PARTY ANIMAL
A blow-the-budget party is the stuff of dreams. But just who to call when you need the ultimate in sparkly dancefloors or a metre-wide glitterball? Gary Nicholson’s your man. He has a finger on the party pulse of the best events in the North East, be they celeb weddings like Declan Donnelly’s wedding to Ali Astill, lavish launches or even full-on funerals. He is the glue that holds together events ranging from the glossiest weddings to the launch of a Royal Auxiliary Fleet ship. Gary is the Managing Director of Signature One and Rock Warehouse; two prominent event and music companies in the North East providing every aspect of event management from concept to completion. What he doesn’t know about throwing a luxurious party, probably isn’t worth knowing and he has the testimonial from Declan Donnelly to prove it. He has worked with the likes of Virgin Money, Worldpay, and John Lewis to name but a few. Together with his team he has organised every type of party imaginable from awards dinners to lavish birthday bashes, weddings, graduations and even funerals. They have supported Micheal Kors product launches and organised fashion shows for many well-known brands.
you could spend a fortune on an event but you still need to think about what distinguishes it and makes it special
He doesn’t get much sleep – and thinks nothing of flying in a shed-load of new stock overnight if something isn’t quite right. Gary was part of the team behind Declan Donnelly’s stunning 2015 wedding reception at Short Flatt Tower in Northumberland. “We organised the staging and lighting which included designing bespoke candlelight-style lighting, flying a gold sparkly dancefloor in from Switzerland and sourcing a 1m wide disco ball to ensure the guests had a perfect time whilst DJ Marvin Humes took over the decks”, he says. “There were large TV screens at the wedding to show a best man’s speech which included videos from Robbie Williams and Simon Cowell.” Dec sent a card to Gary after the wedding which read: “We, and our guests had the most amazing time thanks to all the hard work that went on behind the scenes.” Gary was also there when the champagne was smashing on the side of the Largs Bay Ship, part of the Royal Auxiliary Fleet, it was the last ship to be made by Swan Hunter and launched on the Tyne. Fair to say, no day is ever the same in his business and that is exactly what keeps him motivated. Clients who come to him often have impressive budgets, where the imagination can be let loose to create the perfect event. “Often when people are planning a special event it is the only time in their life that they will do it. It is about making the event memorable and gradually unveiling each element of the party.” For a recent joint birthday party for two 18-year-olds, the team organised a white party which took place in a giant white padded cube marquee complete with a silent disco, two DJs and large plasma >>
“Now that’s a Wood
Idea”
A WOOD IDEA GREAT IDEAS IN WOOD FLOORING & DOORS
WOOD FLOORING DOORS S T U N N I N G S TA I R C A S E S Unit 4, Blaydon Trade Park, Toll Bridge Road, Blaydon, Tyne & Wear. NE21 5TR T: 0191 414 1300 F: 0191 414 1306 Visit: www.awoodidea.com NOV/DEC16
91