Five minutes with Sticky Fingers

From time to time we do a Q&A session with our suppliers which really helps us get familiar with each business. Sticky Fingers Events in Gosport, Hampshire have been on Partycloud from it's inception in March 2018 and supply amazing event decor, balloons, candy carts and offer wedding and party planning too. So when Sally from Partycloud had a chat with Phil Western-Scott - owner of Sticky Fingers Events, this is what happened!

So Phil, when did you set up Sticky Fingers Events?

Sticky Fingers Events was originally started as Sticky Fingers Candy Carts, as we started with just one candy cart back in 2012 after we built our first Candy Cart for a family wedding. We were then asked to rent it out to other family and friends for their events. The business grew with adding other services such as balloons and events décor to the company we are today.

What made you choose events - tell us about your background?

From a child I always wanted to be a wedding planner as I love the whole opulence of weddings. Starting out doing the candy carts was a way to slowly build the business in the wedding and events industry.

How has lockdown affected Sticky Fingers Events?

Lockdown & Covid19 has had a massive impact on Sticky Fingers Events, as with most events and hire companies we still have a large amount of outgoings from the business even though the bookings and income had taken a massive hit with postponed weddings and cancelled parties. We have still taken bookings of balloon deliveries which is bringing in a small income to keep us out of the red but hopefully 2021 will be better and Sticky Fingers Events can grow some more.

What do you like most about running Sticky Fingers Events? 

We really love to see the end product, it is great to see an empty venue at the beginning and when we leave to see it totally transformed into the event the client wanted, it's a great sense of satisfaction.

What is the your favourite service you provide?

OHHHH as a whole I love doing wedding décor but to be more specific I love doing balloon décor for weddings as a lot of people think of balloons as just a trio of helium balloons on a cheap foil weight or a twisted balloon dog, but when you can provide 6ft balloon backdrops, balloon garlands and use the newest colours and styles of balloons its great to open the minds of clients as to what the balloon industry is currently doing and how it is growing.

What has been the most memorable event that you have dressed?

OH I am torn between Titchfield Community Centre where we draped the whole ballroom and made a winter wonderland wedding with frosted light trees and blue uplighters AND Tournerbury Woods Estate marquee for an Anglo-Indian wedding where we hung bunting throughout the marquee dressed the tables and chairs and provided everything on the tables from glassware and crockery to centrepieces, it was a long 18 hour day with an early dismantle the following morning but to be there and see 200+ guests enjoying themselves, eating candy floss and celebrating a marriage totally makes it worth it.

Which celebrity party would you most like to dress?

CHER ... Obviously.

OMG it would be a glamorous floral glitzy event, who wouldn’t want to work with such an amazing person as Cher.

Has Sticky Fingers Events got anything new coming for 2021? 

In 2021 it is my turn to get married, as it was moved due to Covid19 and the restrictions. If the restrictions are removed and weddings can go ahead as pre-Covid we have a large amount of weddings booked with us with a couple of new venues and a few larger items added to our hire range.

If you could have given yourself 1 piece of advice with starting up your own business - what would it be?

If I could give myself any advice when starting Sticky Fingers Events it would definitely be advertise more, although a large amount of our work is through word of mouth and recommendations it is always good to advertise in areas we are not hitting, be this geographical areas or target audiences.

If you weren’t owner/running Sticky Fingers Events what would your dream job be?

My dream job would be to have a large shop with everything we offer on display. Where the client can come in and look at everything and buy other items such as balloons and stationery from us. It would have a Rolls Royce on a turn table, large selection or wedding/Prom/Party dresses, a wall of artificial flowers were you can pick your own bouquet, we’d host DIY events where we show clients how to make events décor, bouquets, stationery etc.

If you could retire today what would you do with your spare time?

Honestly if I was to retire tomorrow I would still want to work in the wedding and events industry. Not sure doing what but I love a good party!