Born and bred in Birmingham and now living in Dubai, It’s been quite the journey for Laura Shepherd, Event Director at Couture Events Worldwide and Co-Founder of The WedEd. After spending 4 years studying for a double honours in Translation Studies in German, she spent a year working as a translator in Germany for a Nuclear Engineering company. During this time, she realised that life was too short to be doing something she was no longer passionate about. Germany and Nuclear Engineering can do that to a person!
The life that Laura had been creating for herself was no longer making her happy. Despite earning good money, and carving out a potentially lucrative career for herself, she decided that she couldn’t keep on doing something that wasn’t giving her satisfaction. It would have been the easiest thing in the world for her to stay in her comfort zone, and rest on her laurels. But that’s not who Laura is. She didn’t want to look back and regret what could have been.
Whilst still in her early 20s she decided to apply for work as a flight attendant in Dubai. This would allow her to embrace her passion for travel and would also give her a tax-free salary, enabling her to save up and focus on finding a career which would make her truly happy.
“After 3 years of travelling and enjoying my 20s a little too much I was ready to embark on the next step,” Laura tells us. “From a young age, I always had drive and knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur but was always searching for a product. I knew nothing was going to make me happy other than having my own schedule and my own business.”
It was this sheer single-mindedness, mixed with desire and determination that set Laura out on the path she had been searching for. “Networking is key in Dubai, so I knew I needed to be on top of my game and say yes to any opportunity that came my way.
“I was invited to work with a beauty brand in Dubai for a campaign, so I said yes, as you never know who you will meet – and I ended up meeting the owner of Couture Events Worldwide and my now business partner. We quickly realised how compatible we were as businesswomen, how we support and counteract each other’s ideas in the best way possible and it was only right that we worked together.”
Couture Events Worldwide is a brand that has become synonymous for its attention to detail, innovative concepts and expert planning. From high-profile corporate and large-scale productions to luxury weddings and social celebrations.
The reputation of the business is such that they have been entrusted by the likes of Emirates Airline to create and curate transformative events for them, and have partnered with The Atlantis Royal, Dubai’s newest luxurious experiential resort, which Beyonce recently helped to open.
Never one to sit still and always looking for further opportunities, Laura and her business partner have also set up a company called The WedEd, which is helping to educate people on the wedding industry. An industry that they believe is overlooked.
It is all a far cry from her days working as a translator in Germany. “Your comfort zone will kill you, and if you stick around the same people that always complain and want to drag you down, you will never grow,” Laura explains. And she’s right. Laura risked it all to travel the world to find her happiness. She could have waited for it to fall into her lap. Instead, she decided to go and grab life by the balls.
It was an absolute pleasure to sit down with Laura as we looked at her career so far, life in Dubai, weddings, events, the importance of supporting people in business and the best piece of advice she’s ever received.
You are in charge of how much or how little you earn, when you work, who you work with, what projects you work on.
I never considered working in events AT ALL. It never even crossed my mind. I actually always wanted to be an actress through my younger years, then of course, as you grow older your priorities and passions change. But all along I just knew I was going to end up having my own business, but I never knew what. I just couldn’t imagine myself working for someone my whole life, I couldn’t imagine having my schedule dictated to me, or my financial earnings to be capped.
So when I discovered Weddings and Events, I figured it was the “product” I was searching for the whole time. You are in charge of how much or how little you earn, when you work, who you work with, what projects you work on. You run your own business, your own marketing, everything about the entrepreneurial life you get, without having to invent a product. It’s so easy and I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before.
With this in mind, I decided to set up a company with my business partner called The WedEd (short for Wedding Education) we aim to teach people how they can transform their lives with this industry as it’s so overlooked. However, it’s really hard to succeed without the right knowledge, information and contacts. There are tonnes of event management resources on the internet and in colleges and universities, but you’re always left with unanswered questions.
It’s all good having tonnes of theory but you really need the practical experience. So we decided to change up the way people learn by creating a platform which gives you almost a virtual internship with us and some of the top planners around the world. We’ve started with a podcast on YouTube and have some really exciting projects moving into 2024 which we can’t wait to announce.
I fully believe we are about to disturb the events industry globally!
I am the Event Director at Couture Events Worldwide. I’m responsible for everything from A-Z, sourcing clients, vendors, venues, marketing our brand, attending industry events, and of course, we get involved in every stage of the event/wedding planning, from consultation to concept and design, budgeting and negotiation, planning and full event coordination.
It’s quite rare for a planner to be present at all stages of the process, but this is where we differentiate ourselves at Couture Events. Yes, we are a premium luxury event company, but that’s because we give you a bespoke, tailored and fully supported experience from the moment you meet us to the moment we turn off the lights at the end of the event.
Some of our biggest achievements in 2023 have been securing 2 events with Emirates Airline – Gala Dinner and the annual Crew Conference, both of which were held in the iconic Museum of the Future Dubai. We were also asked to partner with Atlantis the Royal – Dubai’s new luxurious experiential resort which Beyonce opened.
Some of the challenges for me personally have probably been that we’re growing our project (The WedEd) on the side of Couture Events, and we are winning some huge client accounts and things are going great, but we also have a really exciting plan for The WedEd so it’s been a solid few months of working non stop lately – but I am so excited and passionate for where things are heading and I fully believe we are about to disturb the events industry globally!
if I fancy a dip in my pool at lunchtime I absolutely can!
My days heavily depend on the time of year. My job is very seasonal – peak seasons for us in Dubai are October – April, so my days currently consist of back-to-back meetings (but that means I am hopping around the UAE’s most luxurious venues including Burj Al Arab, Armani Hotel, Bvlgari Resort, Atlantis the Royal and many more on a daily basis). Then a lot of designing, budgeting and Zoom meetings all around the clock, as many of my clients are destination clients, meaning we have to find suitable times to meet online.
But for the second part of the year, I focus on travelling for networking events, networking with new supplies and venues and staff changes, making a solid marketing plan for the next season, and updating our portfolio. In general, no day is the same, I get to work from wherever I want whenever I want. This means if I fancy a dip in my pool at lunchtime I absolutely can!
I am so grateful to live in Dubai where we have 365 days of sun and everything you could wish for on my doorstep. So my days away from work consist of sunning it up at the beach, hanging out at cool quirky cafes, shopping in the most incredible malls, trying different foods or simply just chilling out at home like any normal person.
I love exploring some of the natural parts of the UAE too where you can go hiking in the mountains or kayaking in the most beautiful natural lakes.
Aside from that, I will always have a travel bug, so where possible I like to jet off and explore new countries and cities. Next up is Thailand!!
I gave my Dad a call straight after to tell him how much I love him.
One of my most memorable weddings was actually planned in 9 days – can you believe it!! The wedding was held in Nurai Island – a private island resort off Abu Dhabi. The client approached us out of desperation as her Father was sick and she really wanted him to walk her down the aisle – the couple had already been together for 12 years and had 3 beautiful children.
In Dubai, there are many logistical aspects you need to take into consideration – e.g. event permits which can take up to 2 weeks to apply for. So it was already a question of ‘Could we pull this off even if we wanted to.’
Anyway – we managed to pull some strings (which is why I tell you networking is key!!) and made it happen for the client, and it will honestly stay in my heart forever. It was one of the most rewarding projects I’ve ever done, to not only celebrate love but to celebrate life and family. To see these people come together in these moments made me realise how much of an honour it is to work in this industry. I also gave my Dad a call straight after to tell him how much I love him.
every day is exciting, every day is different and you can truly dictate your path.
The benefits of my job are that you have your own schedule, you are in control of your own finances, you can decide if a client is right for you or not (business goes both ways!), your job consists of spending time in the most incredible places which people need to pay to attend or dream to visit.
But secondly, it’s the job satisfaction. I work in an industry where people are their happiest. Weddings are the best days of people’s lives. Whether it’s a corporate event celebrating the year’s success or an anniversary party celebrating 40 years of marriage, our clients are always such a pleasure to work with.
I also love how creative it can be, it challenges and stimulates the mind. You always need to be on top of your A-Game as it’s a competitive industry, but it means that every day is exciting, every day is different and you can truly dictate your own path.
I have a huge amount of respect for anyone willing to hustle
I think it’s important to support all people in business. We all have our own struggles, but I admire anyone willing to change their lives to go after their ambitions.
Everyone goes on about supporting small businesses, but without the right support and the right people around you, it can also be very lonely at the top.
I have a huge amount of respect for anyone willing to hustle, take risks and put themselves in uncomfortable situations – because believe me, this is where the real growth and success lies.
look after number 1 always and you will see the difference it makes in your business.
The best piece of advice I received in my life which has carried me through my entire career was from my grandad, who told me to always look after number one.
I’ve applied that to everything, not in a selfish way, but I prioritise my health, well-being, ambitions, brand, ideas and freedom before anything, and ironically, that is the secret to getting returning business.
Look at it this way: If you are unhealthy, you will lack the energy to work. If you are not in the right frame of mind, you will lack creativity. If you are not well rested, you will burn out and the quality of your work will be poor.
If you are not ambitious, you will never level up in your brand or your profile of clientele. If you do not protect your brand, clients will think you are desperate for money and you will lose credibility. Not to mention you will just blend in with all the other companies if you do not have a niche.
If you do not protect your ideas, there is no point in having your own brand. If you let the client take too much control over the work the quality could be affected and your reputation gets ruined. And if you do not protect your freedom by saying no to work when needed, you will resent whatever job you are in and there will be no time for growth.
So look after number one always and you will see the difference it makes in your business.
Your comfort zone will kill you.
I think my biggest learning curve is that your clients will become your friends quicker than your friends will become your clients. The lack of support I’ve had from people I considered to be my friends when I started my entrepreneurial journey was quite shocking. It’s a shame that people don’t want to see you doing well sometimes.
But I don’t ever begrudge people – at the end of the day, you outgrow people. And I know everybody says that you are a percentage of the people around you – but it’s true. Your comfort zone will kill you, and if you stick around the same people who always complain and want to drag you down you will never grow.
So yes, the journey has been a little bit lonely, but it takes perseverance and dedication and before you know it, you’ll be sat at tables with some of the most influential people, getting invited to incredible events and making friends who have the same mindset, that praise you, support you and get excited when you succeed.
With all our thanks to Laura Shepherd.
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