Case Study - Kina Events

Kina Events Management was founded back in 2016 and is based in London. Kina Events successfully design and manage bespoke corporate events, handling all the moving parts in order to allow organisations to focus on driving forward the event that they really want.

Alex Palmer, Founder of Kina Events Management, has a background is in events management and financial services marketing. She has over 13 years of event management experience and has planned more than 1,000 successful events.

We spoke to Alex to see just how Joanne Manville Virtual Assistance has helped her business go from strength to strength.

Understandably, Alex’s focus is on her clients and their requirements, which leaves little time or headspace to organise her personal schedule as well as other necessary time-consuming business tasks. As a multi-faceted industry, events management requires superb organisational abilities and a broad skillset, both of which Alex has in droves. However, when your business is your passion and joy, all forms of admin can easily become deprioritised and/or overwhelming.

Alex was extremely busy running every aspect of her business. She got chatting to a business colleague and they discussed business mindset and what options were out there to facilitate growth. Alex was questioning whether she was making the most efficient use of her time, what with arranging her diary, back and forth emails, meetings etc. She asked herself why she was spending all this time on the day-to-day rather than doing revenue generating work and the stuff that she loves doing.

So, this became the catalyst that set Alex on the hunt for a fantastic VA.

And that’s where we come in.

Alex found Joanne ‘back in the day’, via an online VA directory. Joanne stood out to Alex as she had a professional website, email address, logo and suchlike so Alex knew Joanne was legitimate. Alex’s first impression was that Joanne appeared capable, and if she was capable of creating such a good impression for her own business, Alex thought she would have no trouble in creating a good impression of hers.

After having spoken to Joanne, Alex said she was confident Joanne knew what she was talking about and had great reviews, and this gave her the encouragement to move forward, as she had been tentative about outsourcing previously.

The team at JMVA are passionate about supporting our clients, on every level.  Since working with us, Alex has found her work/life balance restored and no longer needs to worry about what’s potentially slipping through the net, allowing her to focus solely on her clients.

Alex says she has been over the moon having found headspace, less overwhelm, and confidence that if something needs to be done it gets done. Value for money and a team that is intelligent and intuitive and uses their own initiative has been an amazing aspect for Alex. She added that she trusts Joanne fully with the delegation process and there’s no need to micromanage which means Alex’s desk is free from distraction.

Another aspect Alex enjoys is the team spirit between herself, Joanne and the team members she works with. The team at JMVA are tight knit, and Joanne manages the team in a way that works and doesn’t feel like outsourcing, in fact Alex said she feels like the team are an extension of her own business. The team is fluid and connected – not disjointed. The skillsets on offer are complimentary.

Alex also mentioned she is impressed with how supportive the team is in a real sense, and she knows we genuinely care, we’re keen, and enthusiastic. Alex sees her VAs as an investment and one that’s added huge value to her business.

Alex admitted that the temptation to do everything herself was based on the fact it costs money to outsource. But, as Alex points out, the issue is that you end up focussing your time as a business owner on the wrong things.

“I decided to look for a Virtual Assistant as I had been struggling to find enough time to manage my diary and carry out other admin tasks. I have found it invaluable to free up this time to allow me to work on other things essential to my events business and since working with Joanne, I feel less stressed out, and am no longer worrying that I might have missed something. I would have no hesitation in recommending Joanne’s services to other entrepreneurs”

Alex knows she can trust Joanne and the team to deliver on their promises and understands that Joanne creates an environment where the team are accountable. This added trust really means a lot to Alex as it gives her peace of mind.

Alex mentioned that she had initially underestimated the team’s capabilities, and what tasks she could get off her desk. As she got better at letting go of other stuff, and her trust in the team developed, Alex delegated more and more!  She now says she has no hesitation is delegating anything she needs.