Every night is party night

Events organiser Theme Traders will pull out all the stops for its clients

Brother and sister duo David Jamilly and Kim Einhorn have colourful CVs. Their events management company, Theme Traders, grew out of their work as children's entertainers, when they began to receive requests from parents to organise entire parties. Despite never having done this before, they agreed. Before long, they found themselves also producing props and scenery for weddings and other functions.

Brother and sister duo David Jamilly and Kim Einhorn have colourful CVs. Their events management company, Theme Traders, grew out of their work as children's entertainers, when they began to receive requests from parents to organise entire parties. Despite never having done this before, they agreed. Before long, they found themselves also producing props and scenery for weddings and other functions.

Theme Traders was founded in 1989. Five years later, with 42 lock-up garages containing hundreds of costumes and props, David and Kim moved into the Stadium, a warehouse on a half-acre site in north London. It was then that they decided to focus on a more serious business route and employ people to help them.

Today the company boasts a workforce of over 30 and has a turnover in excess of £2m, a significant improvement on the £100 David and Kim started the business with.

Entering the Stadium you are greeted with an atmosphere that is as fun as the props surrounding you. Music plays in every room, and it is obvious the staff enjoy their work. David and Kim have a hands-on attitude to management, sitting in on every meeting, but at the same time they can confidently delegate to their project managers, whose dedication matches their own.

"With clientele ranging from pop stars to large corporations, knowing exactly what people want is important," says David. To name but a few, Theme Traders has been involved with the BBC, British Airways, the American Embassy, Nokia, George Harrison and the rock band Iron Maiden.

"Many people go into party planning and think it is just a life of glamour," David continues. "To some degree it is, but there is an awful lot of hard work tied to it. There are many nights when at three o'clock in the morning you are still climbing up ladders taking things down, when all you want to do is go home to bed."

"There are so many things to think about when arranging events," adds Kim. "As well as the creative side, there's also the logistics. The technical aspects are huge. You have to take into account things such as access to buildings, fire and safety regulations, how much time you have to set things up - it's endless. We once laid on a function at the National History Museum, where we were given one hour to unload and set up our equipment. But that's what makes the job fun."

The dynamic duo operate in a competitive market and have many plans for the future. Their eventual aim is to become involved in an increasing number of high-profile and national events - for example, the Bafta awards, which attract a huge television audience every year. To work on such a project would give them the chance to use their creative talents to the full, as well as generating publicity for Theme Traders itself.

David and Kim also hope to double their workforce in the next two years, and have just invested in additional premises. They plan to increase their turnover to £10m a year in the next five years.

Another ambition is to take the business further afield - for example to Turkey, where Theme Traders has already tried its hand successfully. The company organised the opening of a department store, bringing in acrobats, artists and bands as well as designing themed clothes appropriate to each section of the store.

Theme Traders doesn't just organise parties and themed events. It can also arrange roadshows, launches and promotions, and conferences, as well as hiring out parts of its own warehouse to clients. David and Kim boast that at the drop of a hat they will supply you with anything you require, be it props, backdrops or costumes. For one millennium ball, they even managed to churn out giant-sized bugs in a single afternoon.

The siblings have a "we can do" policy and thrive on new challenges. They also recognise exactly what the clients want and, since they are working in a young market, often send younger employees out to manage the events rather than going themselves.

Training and personal development are key issues for David and Kim. Having taught themselves about event management, they are happy to pass on their experiences and skills to both employees and students. They act as consultants to Leeds University, and regularly invite undergraduates to the warehouse to give them a taste of the practical side of the business.

Theme Traders also has its own staff training sessions running daily. All the employees have to work as a team, so it is important they understand each other's roles. To do that, one-day job swaps are arranged.

In recognition of the high training standards it offers, Theme Traders was recently presented with an Investors in People Award.

When a company that provides such a tailor-made service expands, the quality of that service can sometimes deteriorate. However, David Jamilly remains confident this will not happen with Theme Traders.

"When you're organising events, you only get one chance," he says. "You have to be the best every time."