The Virgin Fast Track awards were celebrated last night, 13th May at Sir Richard Branson’s home. We got all the inside scoop from our CEO Rob Hill and director Nick Shuff, who were invited to attend and proudly receive the 100’s award for the fastest growing event company in the UK. This award is extremely important to our company; it shows that hard work certainly comes with achievement. I managed to have a quick chat to our director Nick Shuff (positioned on the right in the photo) and get some first-hand information about the evening.
Both Rob and Nick have been working together for many years, building The Eventa Group and Fizzbox and coming up with exciting ideas for growth. They are both extremely down to earth people, so when you read his answers, you'll understand why we say this.
Nick, what does this mean for the business?
Nick: It meant a day away from the office, which made me very nervous. I suppose it’s an acknowledgement, a fairly noted achievement; there have been some great companies receiving this award. Rob and I however, don’t really get caught up in this kind of stuff. I mean, you go to these kinds of celebrations and people are basically massaging your ego, it’s not really what we are into, we would rather be at work.
Have you met somebody or heard something throughout the evening which inspired you or stood out the most?
Nick: There were some good themes across the day; what is good about these gatherings is that there is no business handbook to doing what we do. How we got to where we are across ten years has been based a lot on common sense and mutual decision making; so going to an event like this is, makes it more reassuring because you meet individuals who have experienced exactly the same thing. We picked up on a lot of good things like leading a team well and having a good management team, leading by example; which I think Rob and I do fairly well, I mean we work hard so we expect everyone else to work hard.
Are you happy with where the company is at the moment and the success it has had throughout the years?
Nick: I am satisfied but not enough. I never think we have done enough, I always think we have to do more. I don’t really care about what people think in the sense that I am not much for show. I like to work hard.
Do you enjoy what you are doing?
Nick: I don’t know anything else anymore. This business is like a lifestyle. It’s like your family, you know. I love it.
What do you think of Richard Branson’s success?
Nick: He is very successful, I mean, you almost cannot comprehend how successful he is; you can’t even relate to where he is at. His empire is so vast that I can’t even workout how you would manage that in your head.
Was there an after party?
Nick: Rob and I drank all day; that was our strategy. I am a believer in enjoying yourself and this day was about celebrating an achievement, and there was a free bar so of course we would drink. A lot of people take themselves very seriously and that’s a bit boring, but it’s good to just have a laugh.
I think it’s interviews like these which always tend to inspire me. We sort of get to a level of success in our lives and then we tend to think, we made it, that we achieved what we were meant to achieve, that finally all our hard work has paid off and now we can just relax. Finding a job which we love and appreciate will open us to continuously push ourselves; because when there is hard work, passion and laughter, success just follows.
