What
FinTech Awards Wales 2019
Who
270 people from the Welsh FinTech community
Where
Tramshed, Cardiff
Why
To recognise, attract and invest in the talented FinTech companies & professionals working in Wales.
Client
Wired Management
Photography by - Tim Bishop Photography
Background
As an emerging tech region, Wales has the fastest growing digital economy outside of London and with solid growth of the financial and professional sector in Wales, the platform is set to support the country’s digital revolution. The FinTech Awards Wales were established to recognise the achievements of the thriving FinTech sector across the country.
Objective
To organise an awards ceremony away from the norm for 270 FinTech professionals at the Tramshed, Cardiff. The client wanted to move away from the traditional black-tie approach to business awards and hold the event in an informal setting, where street food and craft beer from a Welsh enterprise would be served.
Before the Awards
Having worked closely with Wired Management for the last two years on the Finance Awards Wales, Grapevine already had a well-established relationship with the client.
From the launch of the awards, Grapevine’s role was predominately to liaise with suppliers, the venue, maintain entries and to keep guests updated with information regarding the night itself.
Once the shortlist for the inaugural FinTech Awards Wales was decided, Grapevine contacted all finalists to arrange their interview date and time. A total of 40 interviews were conducted over 2 days by a panel of judges.
Other roles included bringing together the event visuals such as, the printing of the trophies, certificates and programme book and the compilation of the award presentation for the night.
On the Night
Due to the sociability of the event, the format was less strict to that of a more formal ceremony, allowing guests to freely mingle and network with colleagues, clients and friends.
On arrival, guests received a voucher that allowed them to a meal from one of the street food vendors on site as well as a can of craft beer from Tiny Rebel, a South Wales based brewery.
Once guests had helped themselves to a choice of delicious burgers or homemade pizza in the courtyard, the night then moved to the awards presentation. The ceremony was hosted by comedian and impressionist, Lewis Macleod, who certainly got the audience’s attention with his opening act.
We were honoured to have, The First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford AM attend and open the awards with a short speech.
To end the night with a bang, Audiojaxx – a three-piece band – performed some timeless classics for people to party the night away too.
Result
Despite the weather, a successful, unique event was held where over 30 FinTech companies were celebrated for their contribution to the Welsh economy. 11 awards were presented on the night, with GoCo Group plc taking home the FinTech Company of the Year Award. Richard Theo was also awarded the Outstanding Contribution to FinTech in Wales award for his impact on this growing sector.
Future
It will be exciting to see where the winners and finalists of the FinTech Awards Wales 2019 will be in the next 12 months and as for the awards themselves, discussions are already in place for 2020.
We cannot wait to see what the future holds for these awards.
Testimonial
“The team at Grapevine are fantastic, they supported us through pre-event to post-event, managing the tight timelines, they are extremely thorough, with excellent attention to detail. Their knowledge is priceless and I cannot recommend Grapevine highly enough.”
Emma Peterson - Director FinTech Awards Wales
If you have an idea for a corporate celebration that you would like help with organising, contact us today to find out more on how we can turn your ideas into a reality.
