At Home With …Penny Seymour

We sit down with the British expat in her Sheung Wan apartment to discuss everything from cooking in castles to celebrity antics at parties.

- Tara Jenkins 

As an event management specialist, you’re in the right place: this city has a reputation for hosting great parties. Is that why you originally came?

I’d reached a crossroads in 2011, and a friend suggested I rent out my house in Sussex and go travelling. So I put my UK party-planning business on hold, bought an airline ticket, and pitched up to stay with a friend in Hong Kong. Two weeks in, I thought: this is amazing! There’s something special about this city that makes you feel alive, and the expat community is so friendly and eager to help in every way. I explored several job avenues, but in the end decided to open a HK branch of my company, Gusto Events.

How did it go?

It was quite tricky negotiating the administration, but in the end the visa came through, and I was in business. Lots of people told me it was a brave thing to do, but actually it didn’t feel courageous, just like I was having a lot of fun – and working at the same time, of course! I do remember being nervous at the beginning, though: if someone asked me about venues, I’d have no idea. But then a client engaged me to organise a wedding at the Hong Kong Club and One Thirty-One in Sai Kung; I researched the best florists in the city, and my knowledge base grew and expanded from there.

Four years ago, I began working as a consultant to Ironmonger Events for the Rugby Sevens, and I ended up working for them full time for a while. It was great fun, although dealing with drunk rugby fans was quite a change from the upscale celebrity events I organised in London!

Celebrities, you say? Tell us more!