It might be the buzzword of 2018, but sustainability has been at the heart of Kate Jones’ business ethos since she launched At Liberty creative consultancy in 2009, and Get.Give, an eco-conscious luxury gifting service, in 2015. Working between Shanghai and Hong Kong, Kate’s attention to bespoke details, long-term solutions and innovative solutions has made her the go-to event organiser and strategist for brands like Net-a-Porter, Lane Crawford and Landmark. Compare Retreats sits down with Kate to chat sustainable events, what makes a great party host, and perfect (reusable!) party favours.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into the world of events? I came to Hong Kong about thirteen years ago, working in the sports industry, before I began working for Ellermann Flower Boutique. That introduced me to a whole world of events, from huge large scale weddings to smaller intimate birthday parties. I started really learning the ins and outs of being a hostess. The most important thing when you’re hosting an event is: what you want people to walk away feeling? That launched me into creating events, and taking that further on a more commercial level.
What do your companies At Liberty and Get Give, do? At Liberty is a creative business that works with customers to launch their brand ideas, whether it is through an event, creating content, doing photo shoots. It encompasses everything, from styling with Lane Crawford to coming up with Thank You Party themes each year with Net-A-Porter. We see things through from the idea generation right through to the conception to the aftermath.
Get.Give was born from this idea of trying to put thought into how we gift, and how we do nice things for people. There is this huge gifting culture in Asia but I find that a lot of it is just done for the sake of it because we feel we have to, and there’s not a lot of heart put into it. Gifting should be about adding value to someone’s life, so Get.Give looks at every detail, down to how we present it with wrapping paper, how we write our notes, even how we send it to someone. We don’t want to create waste or clutter physically or mentally for people.
How can you create a sustainable and beautiful event in Hong Kong? The word sustainable is thrown around a lot, but when you really look deeply into this, we’re talking about longevity. My number one thing to do when I’m doing events is to embrace the space. Choose a space that works with your theme that you don’t have to do a lot with. Collaborate with that space and try and work out solutions that can be working with what they already have and can just build upon it, and maybe arrange it in a certain way or add one element which gives it a newness and a freshness. Make sure that the things you are creating can maybe be reused by that space as well. So it takes a little bit more effort, but in the end, you’re able to save money and build upon the legacy of a space as well. I think this is really really important: not everything needs to be new all the time.
What are some rules you try to stick by to make events sustainable? I try to be really true to the process. For example, when we talk about compostable products as a sustainable alternative to single-use plastics, it only works if you put it through the correct composting procedures. If you can’t do that, you should be renting dishes: there are beautiful crockery and prop rental companies, and I actually collect a lot of stuff in my studio that I reuse all the time. I encourage brands that I’m working with to do this too: we create different signature pieces that they can reuse at their events which reinforces the brand. It’s investing in something long-term and building a collection of key pieces that can tell a story.
Where should people in Hong Kong go to rent party equipment? For high-end party equipment rental, The 8th Plate: they have great dinnerware. If you’re working with fantastic caterers, like Butlers, they’ve invested in all their stemware and plating, and then you actually don’t have to clean up, either. When you’re working with florists, I always try and make sure people take the flowers home: I think it’s super important that they’re arranged in a way that people can easily take them away, without lots of mess or packaging.
What are the best ways to decorate an event sustainably and consciously? Whatever you can do to make it more interactive, so guests actually engage with the table decoration is important. For a kid’s party, forget the balloons—I know they’re popular, but look for something that you can create a connection with instead. Think about creating bunting together, or turning their artwork into a feature photo wall. Flowers are another popular decoration, but be careful how you use them. They’re often imported, or from places that use a lot of pesticides, so you have to work with sustainable growers. Try to minimise the amount of flower-foam, wire and extra tools with plastic that you have with creating floral arrangements. Less is more—you could even use a live potted plant which will have a life afterwards.
What are the overall secrets to a great event? You have to create personal moments for people, so it’s about being a great host or hostess. It’s the little things: making sure you have time to greet your guests, remembering names, soft-drinks in wine-glasses for non-drinkers so they can be part of the toast, personalised gifts and individual notes. Even within the space, consider the music you’re choosing, the dance space, the toast… if the host and the hostess are having fun and actually engaging with everything they’ve organised, then you create a nostalgic event.
What are some of your favourite party favours? When we worked with Net-A-Porter on their party, they gave out vouchers which I loved—let people choose themselves, there’s not going to be any waste. It’s really generous and it’s a really smart way of doing things. Otherwise, with favours, it usually it comes down to the note that I’m given: maybe three days later and someone’s taken the time to say, ‘I really appreciate it that you’ve made it to this event and I really enjoyed talking about this with you,’ and following up on conversations that we had—like making an introduction that they said they would make, or sharing the name of a designer that they think I would appreciate, or a store from their travels. If you can find time to do that, that’s more important than even giving gifts at a party.
If people were to take three things away for their next event to be more friendly to the earth, what would they be? First, embrace the space: choose a space that works with your budget and your theme and doesn’t require you to create a whole lot of stuff that you’re not going to reuse. Second, invest in your signature pieces that you can continue to keep using and create like a legacy with your hosting style. Last, enjoy the process of putting on an event: all the details help, but it’s not about spending a lot on over-the-top things. It’s about making sure you have the time to have personal connections and people are invited there for the right reasons.
Find out more about At Liberty or Get.Give
