Happy New Year! January is upon us and I can’t wait to see what the year ahead has in store for me. Whilst 2025 was full of amazing travel opportunities and happy memories with family and friends, it certainly came with a number of unexpected challenges and heartbreaking moments. Yet it taught me to never take life for granted as you don’t know what’s around the corner. It showed me how resilient and brave I can in fact be when faced with some of the scariest and upsetting of situations. Life is not perfect and we cannot control that, but it’s how we deal with the unknown that builds our strength and character.
My resolutions list from last year was fairly generic as I was unsure of where the year was going to take me. Turns out it was full of difficult bumps in the road, so I’m proud of myself to have worked towards and improved on these small goals I set myself regardless.
Looking forward to 2026, I am feeling a pull towards a shift in my energy and I can see myself this time next year being in a more rewarding place creatively and professionally. With it being the year of the rare Fire Horse, according to Chinese astrology this signifies intense ambition, a powerful drive for success and leveraging natural strength for achievement. Therefore I have more direction for my 2026 resolutions with some more specific goals which I will hold myself accountable to reaching.
Lest we forget our lessons from last year though, life’s path is not linear and we should never take it for granted. I aim to work towards and achieve my goals throughout the year as and when the time is right, removing the perfectionist within for this to become just another checklist.
I move forward into 2026 with intention and purpose behind my actions, allowing me to be more present in each moment instead of rushing through life and constantly thinking about the next thing.
Happy Sunday! I’ve had a super chilled weekend following a busy few days hosting an event in Manchester last week. Whilst working in events certainly is good fun and very rewarding, there’s a huge amount of careful planning and prep which goes into pulling them off as seamlessly as possible.
My week started with a long road trip up to Manchester with my colleagues to setup at the venue the afternoon before. We finally checked into our hotel at 6:30pm that evening and I opted to stay in and order Uber Eats to my hotel room.
I ordered a feast from Itsu of miso soup, a veggie gyoza noodle bowl, crispy seaweed thins, chilli prawn crackers and a refreshing peach lychee zen water. It was a much needed cosy night in ahead of the event day enjoying my noodles and watching some YouTube on my iPad.
We stayed at The Alan Hotel which I booked for the team upon recommendation from my friend as a newly renovated space, featuring art deco style interiors with an industrial, urban edge.
The next morning we were back bright and early at the venue to setup for our showcase and meet with the 12 suppliers who had stands too. We had exclusive use of the National Football Museum located in the heart of Manchester, the perfect space for our Innovation Showcase.
Registration setup, 150 goodie bags packed, supplier stands in situ, and AV tested ready for the showcase, it was all systems go awaiting our guests to arrive from 9am. This Xite natural energy drink from one of the supplier entries, fuelled me for a morning of running around as the event got underway.
There are always last minute changes and issues potentially arising on the day which comes hand in hand with event management, but it’s all about being prepared for everything and calling on experience to come up with a solution whatever the situation.
An example of this was when one of our suppliers couldn’t make it to the event on the day, but their products and stand were still delivered to the venue. So me and the team worked together to get their many Twirl Extra bars out on display ready for guests to grab their sweet treat freebie.
After lunch at the National Football Museum, we walked over to the next venue to setup for our Hosted 121s session, during which retailers and suppliers get the opportunity to meet one on one in quick 10 minute meetings, much like speed dating but for business.
I booked a fun bar called BLVD where again, we had the entire venue as our event had grown so big this year, we were at double the numbers to what we usually have for our 121s! The venue was perfect with a casual yet buzzing atmosphere, as our members met and discussed all things business.
My fit for the event day was a pair of navy chinos from Next paired with this matching Zara navy waistcoat, a white Topshop polo neck worn beneath, my trusty flat black chelsea boots and a black velvet headband to complete the look. As the mirror says, it’s giving ‘Girl Boss’ vibes ready for a long day of hard work!
To finish the day, we hosted a Networking Dinner for 120 of our guests at James Martin’s Restaurant within the 235 Casino in central Manchester.
Me and my colleague made the short 10 minute walk over from the bar at 5:30pm to get everything setup and before we knew it, guests were arriving at 6pm.
This ‘Let’s Party’ prosecco wall was a fabulous welcome for our guests to the reception drinks.
At 6:45pm, we took our guests through to seat for dinner and we could finally enjoy and celebrate the success of our event, over a delicious three course meal.
To start was a cauliflower veloute served with focaccia bread and it was divine.
For main course I had the vegetarian option of BBQ curried cauliflower with a lentil dahl, coriander yoghurt and fermented potato flat bread.
To finish was a dessert of hot sticky toffee pudding, toffee sauce and salted caramel ice cream, the ultimate sweet treat, everything was exquisite.
On the whole, a hugely successful event which we organised with precision, resulting in a very seamless execution on the day and a well deserved evening of celebrations with my colleagues that night; life is never boring working in events!
Dani Aneka 