A conversation with Bea Grabazyte of Big Global Events in London
In this episode I have a conversation with Beatrice (Bea) Grabazyte, founder of London-based boutique agency Big Global Events. What we talk about Transparent event agency pricing How to build budgets for international events Net supplier costs vs hidden markups Contingency, estimates and financial risk How much unpaid work agencies do when pitching Rising event costs and tighter client budgets The changing role of DMCs and event agencies Why agencies need to become strategic partners How AI could change venue and supplier sourcing What it takes to succeed in the events industry Event horror stories and behind-the-scenes problem solving Bea’s favourite event venue: St Paul’s Cathedral We speak about how she approaches the business of producing international corporate events. A large part of our conversation became a deep dive into something I was personally very curious about: how an event agency like hers actually builds budgets, prices its own work and manages financial risk when producing events around the world. Bea explains why she believes transparent pricing is becoming increasingly important and how she separates agency fees from supplier costs rather than hiding margins throughout the budget. We also talk about rising event costs, changing client expectations and whether the traditional middleman model still works. From there, the conversation moves into the future role of agencies and why their value increasingly needs to come from strategy rather than simply sourcing hotels, venues and suppliers. Bea also shares her thoughts on building a career in events, why being easy to work with matters enormously, and a few stories from life behind the scenes at major events. We finish with her favourite venue of all: St Paul’s Cathedral in London.