At Home With …Penny Seymour
EL Hong Kong|February 2017 - March 2017

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 
At Home With …Penny Seymour

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!

Denne historien er fra February 2017 - March 2017-utgaven av EL Hong Kong.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra February 2017 - March 2017-utgaven av EL Hong Kong.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

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