Reworked portal sees event company on line to hit profits peak

Published on 21/03/2006 14:22

E-BUSINESS WINNER - MAXIMILLION

MAXIMILLION, one of Scotland's most successful event organising companies, based at Kirknewton Stables outside Edinburgh, has shown that it knows a thing or two about special occasions, with a splendid pattern of growth since it was founded in 1989. The firm is now aiming to boost last year's 1 million turnover by 25 per cent.

The company has also shown that it knows a considerable amount about websites, and founder John Strachan says that without a shadow of doubt the company portal will play an even more important part in Maximillion's future growth.

He explains that two years ago the company had a strong website which really operated as an online brochure rather than a marketing tool.

"Then we decided to optimise it," he says. "That process meant finding a company which could do just that, then a company which could design it and to get them talking together. We have invested a lot of time and money into the website and have managed to optimise it very successfully, to the extent that last year it brought us in about 350,000 worth of business."

The aim this year is to make that 500,000 and it is on target. Strachan states that the website has a flexibility which means that if the company wants, for example, to target businesses in London, the site can be adapted to do this.

The judges said they were impressed with the Maximillion business development statistics attributable to web development. In its submission the company had outlined a business model heavily based on e-business, and how the web site had been key in the expansion of the business.

Maximillion was founded by Strachan after he had served five years in the Royal Highland Fusiliers and decided that the army was not going to be his career. So he started his own business at Kirknewton Stables, originally built to service Kirknewton House, a private home built in the 18th century.

It now stages events throughout the UK and in Europe with the core business of team events having been expanded to include conferences, incentives, training and development.

About 70 per cent of the business is done in Scotland and 20 per cent around London with a full-time staff of 13 and 30 part-time event staff.

In its time it has delivered 2,500 events for more than 100,000 guests, the longest event lasting 10 days, the shortest 10 minutes and the biggest single contract was worth 225,000.