TV Wan’s role in events firm
HE shot to fame presenting a television programme that gave people the confidence to strip off before the camera. Now Gok Wan, the TV personality and fashion consultant, is moving into the Scottish business scene.
He has expanded his burgeoning business interests by launching an events company with Peter Ferguson, the Edinburgh-based entrepreneur.
Beautiful Events and Productions, which officially opens for business today, aims to provide a world class service to companies, networking events and awards ceremonies, with an initial focus on the Scottish market. And it has already secured high-profile clients, with Microsoft, the Scottish Hotel Awards and the Celebration of Sports Awards already on its roster.
The partnership came about after Mr Ferguson’s PDF Productions, which he has run for more than a decade, handled production duties for Wan’s Fashion Brunch Clubs Tour when it came to Scotland last year. Speaking to The Herald, the celebrity said he and the 42-year-old Scot hit it off straight away, quickly discovering they share similar philosophies when it comes to business.
So much so they took the step to effectively merge PDF with Wan’s own events business to “create a much bigger, much stronger, much more comprehensive production company”.
Wan said: “It has kind of happened all very organically, it was never set out this way. Often in business when you meet someone with the same values as you, the same kind of energy, it is a real shame not to put those two together.”
Wan noted he and Mr Ferguson had brought clients to the merged entity, which blends his wider UK presence with the Scot’s strong links around Scotland. And, chiefly through word of mouth, the enquiries have been flooding in. “As a result of that, we’re booking a lot of work at the
moment, which is brilliant. It’s amazing, especially in this climate. We couldn’t have asked to be this busy to begin with. We have a very, very strong 12 months.”
He added: “We’re not looking to book lots and lots and lots of events and find ourselves run off our feet. What we want to do is the work we have brought in, and really concentrate on the quality of what we are doing.”
Wan might be famous for his television work, but he received a grounding in business from an early age, having grown up in and around the restaurants owned by his father.
With the new venture, Wan said he will lead on the creative, financial and development side, with Mr Ferguson overseeing the production of the events. The pair have brought on board a managing director, Natalie Sturge, who “marries the two us together”.
Wan said: “Because Peter is based in Scotland and I’m based in London it works really well. It means we are not sitting in each other’s pockets.
“We also know our strengths. From a running the company point of view, it’s myself and Natalie, but when the events come in that’s Peter’s forte. He gets heavily involved, rolls up his sleeves and makes sure it all happens.”
Asked whether he had any concerns about Brexit, Wan said that while he was “worried and nervous... we cannot live in fear. We have not forgotten about it and we are respecting it. But we are not going to let it hold us back either.”
Mr Ferguson said: “Merging my company, PDF Productions, with the Fashion Brunch Clubs has cemented the partnership with Gok, who brings his unquestionable flair and expertise to the business. This will really offer added value and, dare we say, a little star quality to our events.”