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Case study: Party organiser

Case study: Party organiser

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"I love making parties happen, it's a fabulous job", Kim Einhorn, co-founder of Theme Traders

At 15 years old, Kim Einhorn said goodbye to her school (it's debatable who breathed the biggest sigh of relief at her early departure!) and went off to seek her fortune... and what a fortune that turned out to be as she now runs a top notch party and production company that turns over £2 million a year.

The early days

It's not easy being a teenage rebel without qualifications so she opted, as a stop gap, to work in her father's clothing shop, the fashionably trendy Laurence Corner army surplus store, beloved by the likes of Boy George.

Many years later she was still there. During an argument with her father in which she was overruled, she made the momentous decision that she wanted to be her own boss. That was the day Kim decided to leave and she has never looked back.

She had always loved amateur dramatics and knew she wanted to do something creative. As her brother David was also in a position to start a new career, she persuaded him to join her. Their bread and butter work became entertaining and helping to organise children's parties - she as the Red Elephant and he as Spaceman Sam.

Out of these roles they took on more and more prestigious jobs. The adults at the kids parties liked what they saw and bookings for their private parties and corporate events - including the glamorous TVAM awards - began to roll in.

Expanding the business

Very soon they had several lock up garages full of props and party paraphernalia and when this became 30 garages their current business was born and it was time to get really serious.

Theme Traders - the party, events and production company - began on a shoe string. Determined as ever, Kim borrowed £5,000 from her husband to purchase office equipment and props. Profit in the early days went back into buying costumes and equipment to help theme the parties the pair were organising.

The company now has a client list second to none, including the Bank of England, the London Stock Exchange and Big Brother, and they annually design and create a themed party for ten thousand children in Kensington Park Gardens for Great Ormond Street Hospital.

The company was also asked to Theme the children's party held at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the Queen's 80th birthday and have been the subject of a fly-on-the-wall documentary 'Now I'm the Boss'.

Theme Traders employs 25 permanent staff, and over 70 during peak season, and is now a market leader producing events all over the world.

Kim also recently wrote and published a book, 'Party', and holds away days and workshops for university students studying events and hospitality at Leeds Metropolitan and Thames Valley. These take place at the company's head quarters in North London - an exciting Aladdin's Cave filled with props and costumes collected from around the world.

Their dedicated props department has more than three thousand listed props, with images online. There is a full bespoke department for both costumes and model-making, and more than ten thousand costumes in stock, the largest props inventory in Europe.

To cap it all Theme Traders has a high-tech creative design and arts department and can produce anything in-house that anyone can imagine.

&Quot;Our mission is to give a personal and professional service to all, from conception to completion regardless of project size," says Kim. "To deliver a quality, creative tailor made solution within budget and to ensure complete satisfaction."

See more about Kate's work at www.themetraders.com

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