“That’s going to be one hell of an event!”
… a phrase uttered by our friends and family when we announced we were getting married, and one that got us thinking.
Over the years we’d built successful event management and marketing careers, but very independently. Combining our skills? We could just be onto something!
You see, often in the world of events, organisers fit into two camps: ‘ideas’ and ‘organisation’. With Justin’s abundance of creativity and ‘let’s get it done’ attitude, and Jemma’s planned approach and obsession with detail, we realised that together our offering is really rather rare.
So, always tickled by a good pun, we founded The Crane Event and fused our many years of experience together to deliver truly memorable events.
Justin Crane - Event Management Director
Whether it’s tour-managing a band as they open Glastonbury festival, working with the Ministry of Sound in producing an exclusive party for more than 1,500 students, or providing first-class hospitality at world-famous sporting tournaments, events aren’t just a way of life for Justin, they are his life.
During his early days of being a wannabe rockstar, Justin was deeply involved with releasing records, touring Europe and the logistics that it all brings. It wasn’t long before he made events his career.
This was cemented by his role as a Private Events Manager for two of Cambridge’s largest venues, project managing the delivery of services at several festivals, and leading a team of 17 staff as head of events at an international company.
Expanding upon this experience, he has also provided top-notch hospitality at events such as Wimbledon, The Open, and NFL, meaning his knowledge is extensive yet not exhaustive.
Always keen to give back, Justin’s career has resulted in regular lectures to the students at Anglia Ruskin University. He’s a seasoned speaker on event production and team integration, and has created a network for event professionals to come together to gain insights and share experiences.
Justin’s years of experience, knowledge, and expertise will guarantee your event isn’t the stress-fest you might be fearing. There will be a calm, relaxed, and friendly face behind it all, taking the weight off your shoulders and guaranteeing that, from start to finish, the whole process will be far more enjoyable.
Jemma Crane - Event Marketing Director
Jumping aboard the marketing train back in 2005, she was gripped by the impact an event can have and quickly shaped her specialism.
Fresh to the working world, Jemma began her career in the hotel industry and took on the challenge of launching a successful series of restaurants and accommodation around the city of Norwich.
Moving to award-winning experiential marketing agency TRO, Jemma worked on major national events including WTCC, the Vauxhall Insignia launch, and the Saab Salomon trail running series.
Next stop was event marketing specialist at the Royal Society of Chemistry where she held the lead role in promoting scientific conferences, large-scale exhibitions and University roadshows around the globe.
More recently Jemma has worked with Cambridge Film Festival and marketed events such as FutureFest, Earth Optimism, UX Cambridge, the Amazon Growing Business Awards and the Employee Wellbeing Congress.
Jemma has a degree in Management and diploma from the Chartered Institute of Marketing. She gives back through mentoring Marketing Managers studying for their CIM qualifications and is a member of charity support network Jo’s Voices. She’s uber nerdy about setting objectives and measuring results, so you can be certain that your marketing campaign will stay on track and make an impact.
Ludo Crane
Needing to expand the team, Justin and Jemma welcomed Ludo in 2014 to take on the very important role of Office Junior.
He does a lot of snoozing on the job, gets extremely distracted by sandwiches, and his doggyspondences never seem to get completed. Despite this, his crazed enthusiasm for meeting people (particularly if they are behind a door), loyalty to his colleagues, and overall love of life make him an irreplaceable member of the team.
You’ll be sure to meet him at all outdoor events where he will no doubt give you a big, very unprofessional smooch.