At Square Events, we can introduce to each other Lodges that are looking to hold events in the same area, harnessing the power of 2 or more events combined. We can help remove the uncertainty and share the organisation to deliver a wonderful event for all Lodges involved.
With the cost-of-living crisis replacing people's COVID nervousness, we are seeing a greater reluctance for Lodges to commit to a hotel contract due to the uncertainty over being able to guarantee a certain number of guests. At Square Events, we have several solutions to provide for those Lodges keen to celebrate their Ladies and attend these wonderful events.
Join-a-Lodge – We speak to a lot of Lodges keen to hold a Ladies' Weekend but without enough members or support to make their event viable. We also get regular calls from brethren wanting to attend events organised by others. To solve these issues, we have set up a 'Join-a-Lodge' service. The benefits of this are to provide support to booked events that are struggling for numbers; to provide Lodges that aren't large enough to host their own events an opportunity to join with similar sized Lodges for joint events; and to allow individuals, couples or small groups from a Lodge to 'make a table' and support other Lodges. We can pair you up with another Lodge based on your desired date or location and put you in touch with worshipful masters who are grateful for your support. We are in the process of setting up a web page to keep those interested up to date with events happening around the country.
Contract negotiation – Hotels are often so busy following COVID lockdowns that negotiating loose contracts has become tougher. However, there is always a way to find some middle ground when it comes to numbers. Contracting for absolute minimums and adding a separate allocation of bedrooms with a long release (3 months, for example) gives the Lodge the opportunity to grow the event but also gives the hotel a decent amount of time to resell any bedrooms not required. Contract negotiation has become our most important service provision here at Square Events.
Pre-confirmation mail-out – Having an idea of levels of support is important to know before making any decisions on hosting an event. The questions are simple: are you interested in attending a ladies' festival/weekend? How many people can you bring? Most Lodges have set up a WhatsApp group to get a quick response to such questions. In addition to this, we can provide an online questionnaire with a link that can be emailed/messaged to all brethren.
Focus on events – We had the pleasure of managing an event recently for Pro Deo Et Patria Lodge No 4425. They were celebrating their centenary ladies' festival and therefore they wanted to make this one extra special. The Lodge spoiled their guests with tea/coffee and cake on arrival, entertainment throughout the weekend, a drinks reception, wine on the table and a cheese buffet complete with port. The reason we've singled this event out is that over the course of the weekend, the 66 guests raised a staggering £6,229 for their chosen youth organisation charities, which are the Boys Brigade, Church Lads Brigade, The Scouts, and The Army Cadets. A few days after the event, we were delighted to receive the following from the festival secretary Andy Brennan: "Your service was top class, and Matt/Liz bent over backwards to ensure the planning was seamless."
Pro Deo members and distinguished guests attending a special meeting at the Knole Masonic Hall, Bournemouth
This article is part of the Arena Magazine, Issue 50 December 2022 edition.
Arena Magazine is the official magazine of the London Freemasons – Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Metropolitan Grand Chapter of London.
Read more articles in the Arena Issue 50 here.