Aberdeen-based events company Dunbar Events and Marketing is celebrating its latest success after being appointed to the Events framework for the Scottish Government. This latest achievement for Dunbar Events and Marketing follows the company’s most successful year to date, which saw it deliver a wide range of exciting and diverse projects both at home and abroad in 2017.
Director Katrina Dunbar described the appointment as a ‘great achievement and opportunity for growth’, which marks the beginning of another exciting and busy year for her company.
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Dunbar Events and Marketing – which offers experienced freelance support to companies who need to outsource projects on either a short or long-term basis – successfully delivered a large number of projects last year, most notably the unveiling in July of the newest section of Scotland’s historic Forth & Clyde Canal, which was named in honour of Her Majesty the Queen.
The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh attended the event, leading a flotilla of barges along the new section built as part of the £43m Helix project which features the internationally-acclaimed Kelpies sculptures, before unveiling a plaque officially naming the new section the Queen Elizabeth II Canal.
Other events included the Scottish Government’s Arctic Circle Forum, which was attended by 400 delegates at the Assembly Rooms in Scotland and featured more than 60 speakers; the launch of the Oil and Gas Technology Centre (OGTC) in Aberdeen attended by both the UK and Scottish Energy Ministers, and a Joint Technology Forum for the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) and OGTC.
The company also managed a VIP visit for a Saudi client and 20 guests over Halloween weekend at the prestigious Candacraig Estate in Strathdon, provided support to the Aberdeen Festivals campaign on a year long project with VisitScotland, and delivered a number of conferences in Aberdeen and Stavanger.
Katrina, who has more than 20 years’ experience delivering events, exhibition and marketing projects across the UK and overseas,began her events career in 1997, with Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce, going from events assistant to team manager in less than two years. Various in-house and consultancy roles followed before she was appointed Events Director at BIG Partnership, managing its events portfolio across their offices for 9 years.
She set up Dunbar Events and Marketing in 2013, and now has a strong network of reliable and trusted suppliers, as well as fellow freelancers who offer web and design work, social media and PR services, which allows her to deliver larger projects.
“I have been very lucky to work on and deliver some amazing projects over the past three and a half years in a range of sectors including oil and gas, property, food and drink, pharmaceuticals, tourism and government organisations, both in the UK and internationally including Frankfurt, Stavanger, Berlin, Abu Dhabi and Tenerife,” said Katrina.
“In the current climate, organisations are paying closer attention to the bottom line and the trend appears to be moving more towards small consultancies, who are able to upsize in terms of partnership agreements rather than the traditional agency. We can offer a dedicated and personal service at lower cost due to lower overheads but with a huge amount of experience behind us.
“It’s encouraging to see that there are increasingly positive signs for the North-east – oil and gas companies appear to be adjusting to the ongoing lower price of oil and there is a growing air of optimism. Tourism and the food and drink industries in this area are also booming. We certainly have a lot to shout about and it’s an exciting time to be working in event management.”
