Smart Group · Monday 8 June 2026

Welcome to Walk in My Shoes!

Walk In My Shoes, an initiative set up by our CEO Greg Lawson, provides each Smartie with the opportunity to spend a day in a different role.

Walk In My Shoes

Our internal initiative, Walk In My Shoes, was originally established by our CEO, Greg Lawson, pre-COVID, allowing every Smartie to step outside their usual role and experience a day in the life of a colleague from another department.

Following a pause, the initiative was brought back in 2024, reflecting how much Smart Group had grown and evolved. Now firmly part of life at Smart, Walk In My Shoes continues into 2026, creating opportunities for our teams to connect, collaborate and gain a better understanding of the people and departments that make the Group tick.

Whether it’s joining the kitchen team to prep canapés and desserts, shadowing Operations as they deliver a major sporting event, spending time with our sales teams, or getting behind the scenes with Marketing, Walk In My Shoes gives Smarties the chance to experience a completely different side of the business.

With more sessions taking place throughout 2026, we’re taking a look at what our Smarties have been getting up to outside of their day jobs – and what they’ve learned along the way.

Greg Joined the Logistics Team!

Our CEO, Greg Lawson, recently took the opportunity to spend a morning fully immersed in the day-to-day operation of our logistics team. From organising the cellar and event design, to tackling the less glamorous task of sorting the dirty laundry, Greg got a firsthand look at the critical, behind-the-scenes work that keeps our catering running seamlessly. His hands-on experience has provided him with a deeper appreciation and dedication and hard work that goes into ensuring every event is a success, from start to finish.

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‘Joining the team in the warehouse for Walk in my Shoes was a real eye opener. To say they work hard, is an understatement. It was interesting to better understand the systems they use, and the challenges they face, particularly at peak times. I have great respect for every department across the group and the work that they do, but it was great to be reminded of just how hard our Smarties graft, and to be a part of the team on the ground.’

Greg Lawson, CEO, Smart Group

PRAWEEN JOINED THE KITCHEN TEAMS!

Praween spent time with both our Bermondsey kitchen and Deptford pastry teams, getting hands-on with the food preparation and learning more about the work that goes on behind the scenes. It was also a chance to understand the journey of a dish from kitchen to event, while getting to know the teams and their different ways of working.

At Bermondsey, Praween got involved in preparing canapés, starters, and main courses, while also learning more about the planning and processes behind each service. Over in Deptford, he joined the pastry team to discover the intricacy and technique behind our desserts – even making his very own apple tarte tatin from scratch. However, photographic evidence was almost lost when Praween ate his first attempt before anyone could get a picture!

The experience gave Praween a greater understanding of the work, skill and collaboration behind our menus – knowledge he can now take back into tastings, events and conversations with clients.

“Spending time in both the Bermondsey and Deptford kitchens gave me a much deeper understanding of how our menus come together. Seeing the preparation, planning and teamwork behind each dish has given me more confidence when running tastings, delivering events and presenting menus to clients. From canapés and main courses to making my own apple tarte tatin, it gave me a real appreciation for the skill, collaboration and attention to detail across both teams.”

Praween, Moving Venue Operations

NINA STEPPED BEHIND THE SCENES!

As a Moving Venue Event Planner, Nina is usually focused on the food and drink side of an event, but she was keen to learn more about the production and logistics happening around it. For her Walk In My Shoes experience, she joined Annabel and the Evolution London team behind the scenes of Christmas at Evolution.

Just days before the first event, Nina saw the venue in full build mode, from bars being painted and dancers rehearsing to technicians completing their final preparations. She also got stuck in herself, editing silent auction scripts and learning how to create a cue-to-cue document detailing everything needed to bring each moment of the show together.

A few weeks later, Nina returned to see the event live – swapping her usual catering radio channel for production and hearing first-hand how the show caller, choreographers and wider team coordinated each act behind the scenes.

‘It was brilliant to experience a completely different side of event delivery and understand the level of planning that goes into every moment of the show. Creating the cue-to-cue document felt surprisingly familiar to writing a function sheet, and then coming back to see it all working live was incredibly rewarding. I loved working with Annabel and the Evolution team, and there are definitely lessons I’ll carry into my own events!’

Nina, Senior Event Planner, Moving Venue

LAURA JOINED LAST SUPPER AT THE BAFTAS!

Swapping spreadsheets for the red carpet, Laura joined the Last Supper team at the BAFTAs to experience a very different side of the business.

Shadowing Patsy throughout the day, Laura got a first-hand look at what goes into delivering such a high-profile event. From helping distribute staff uniforms to greeting guests as they arrived, she was able to get stuck into the operation and see the Last Supper team in action.

‘I had a fabulous time going to the BAFTAs and seeing what Last Supper do. I spent most of the day shadowing Patsy, greeting guests and helping distribute uniforms to the team. It was great to experience an event from a completely different perspective and see first-hand what goes on behind the scenes.’

Laura, Management Accountant, Smart Group

AMY JOINED LAST SUPPER AT THE SPANISH EMBASSY!

Amy from Marketing joined the Last Supper team for a private event at the Spanish Embassy, getting the opportunity to experience both front- and back-of-house.

Arriving alongside the team, Amy got involved from set-up through to pack-down – learning the art of the canapé in the kitchen before heading front of house to help ensure the room was being serviced smoothly throughout the evening. The menu took inspiration from Spanish flavours and included Last Supper signatures such as the Pea Snap with Lemon & Mint Aioli and Summer Truffle.

From seeing how canapés are prepared and circulated to sitting in on the client debrief – which came with glowing feedback – it was an opportunity to see the full event journey and the attention to detail behind Group’s more intimate events.

‘It was really interesting to experience how Last Supper operate and to see both sides of an event, from the preparation in the kitchen to how the room is managed front of house. Being there from set-up right through to pack-down gave me a much better understanding of the team, the food and the level of detail that goes into delivering such an intimate event.’

Amy, Senior Marketing Manager, Smart Group

Frieda holding bowl of eggs in Moving Venue Kithcen

Frieda and Samantha Joined the Pastry Team!

Our first WIMS session saw Frieda from Smart Live, and Samantha from Story Events step into the shoes of our Pastry team. Starting the day in our pastry kitchen in Deptford, they delved into the intricacies of the craft, observing everything from preparation to packaging, and, of course, the essential tasks such as maintaining the cleanliness of the workspace. As a surprise, they even whipped up some delicious cookies for the Smart AGM! In the afternoon, in an impromptu twist, they made their way to Last Supper, where they witnessed the behind-the-scenes of a major event tasting.

“Thank you so much for letting us participate in WIMS yesterday – it was such a great experience, honestly.

Sarah, you taught us a lot, your team were phenomenal and I can’t wait to have the chance to join you in the kitchen again soon. Please send our thanks to the guys and I really hope the guests at Evolution enjoyed their desserts last night 😊 Thanks again for this wonderful opportunity”

Samantha Holman, Story Events

SERENA SUPPORTS LAST SUPPER AT CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW!

Senior Event Planner Serena joined Patsy and the Last Supper team for a prestigious private garden party at the Royal Hospital Chelsea during the Chelsea Flower Show.

Working front of house alongside Patsy, Serena supported the Last Supper catering team throughout service, experiencing first-hand the detail and coordination that goes into delivering an intimate event for a high-profile client.

“It was a great opportunity to work alongside Patsy and the Last Supper team and experience how they deliver an event from a front-of-house perspective. The setting was incredible, and it was really interesting to see the level of detail and service that goes into such a prestigious and intimate garden party.”

Serena, Senior Event Planner, Moving Venue

Annabel Joined the Kitchen Team!

Annabel, Managing Director of Smart Live, immersed herself in the life of the Kitchen team over at our Bermondsey site, learning all about event preparation and the processes it takes to bring an event together. Annabel ended the day over at Kensington Palace, where she supported the chefs on the relaunch event for The Orangery!

It was a great day! Thank you so much Alistair for taking the time to talk me through everything you and the team do to prepare for an event and the processes it takes. I always had huge respect for the chefs but the level of detail it takes to get it right, totally amazing. Being both over at Bermondsey and then over at Kensington Palace, it was great to see everything from (almost) start to finish.

Annabel De Souza, Smart Live

Becs joined the Evolution London team!

Becs from Smart Live spent the day over at Evolution London experiencing all that’s involved in a build day for the Sports Industry Awards, an annual fixture in our calendar! Her day involved overseeing the build, from setting up stages and lighting rigs to ensuring every detail aligned with the vision of the event. Although Becs is already accustomed to witnessing the transformation of venues for events such as this, she learnt all about the nuances of our flagship venue, Evolution London, and the behind-the-scenes magic of bringing such a blank canvas venue to life.

Thanks so much for organising this – I had such a great day and learned loads!

Becs Stitt, Smart Live

Liv Joined the Story Team!

Last week Liv Parrott our Senior Venue Sales Manager, had a busy day with the Story Events team. Starting off the day with a client site visit at Old Billingsgate, Liv then got to join a briefing call with a designer for a new pitch, proofread some proposals, and work on a venue search for an exciting new brief!

A jam-packed day! It was so fab, and the Story team looked after me very well and created a fantastic itinerary. Thank you, team Story; for letting me walk in your shoes💗

Liv Parrott, Senior Venue Sales Manager

Elaine Joined The Moving Venue Sales Team!

Elaine, our Group Commercial and Compliance Director, recently joined the MV sales team for the afternoon, intending to better understand their quoting process, gain experience building proposals and understand the smooth handover process from sales to planning. Towards the end of the day, Elaine joined the team at a live event at the Tower of London, witnessing how the team liaised with the client on the night.

Despite working in close proximity to each other at Deptford, it was really useful to get a more in-depth look at how the team work across MV sales, and the challenges and the processes they have in place – it was beneficial to spend that time understanding their day-to-day.

Elaine Sawford, Group Commercial and Compliance Director

Adrienn Joined the Last Supper Team!

Adrienn, our Management Accountant, joined the Last Supper team for an event at the V&A! To start the day, she visited the Last Supper offices, where she began with reviewing the event schedule with Patsy, the Head of Operations, and learnt how to create a packing list for an event. Adri and the team then headed over to the venue, where she assisted with creating the stunning set-up for this exciting event, including everything from tables and chairs, to linens and plates.

It was nice to see how organised everything was. Everybody knew what to do, and the set up went really well. The room became stunning within a short period of time!

Adrienn Kaszas, Management Accountant

Nina Joined the Story Team!

Nina, one of our Event Planners from Moving Venue, recently joined the Story Events team, working on a live event! The event itself was a takeover across three levels of Building 7 at Chiswick Business Park, with a live broadcast from some of the CEOs, and workshops for the guests to take part in the afternoon. The workshops provided opportunities for delegates to donate their crafts and designs to charity at the end of the day. Nina’s day began with registration, telling the guests what sessions and levels they were going to ahead of the live broadcast for the event before overseeing one of the broadcasting sessions on her designated level and the cocktail-making workshop at the end of the day.

I thoroughly enjoyed my day with Story Events because as a planner I mainly focus on looking after clients (such as Story) with anything they may need with regards to catering. It was very interesting seeing exactly what they do on an event and the similarities there were between what they do and what my clients do!

Nina Calvert, Event Planner