Welcome to another edition of our “Spotlight On” series. This week, we’re highlighting the incredible work of Smart Works.

Smart Works is a charity dedicated to empowering women by providing high-quality interview clothing and coaching. Their services are designed to boost confidence and self-belief, helping women succeed in job interviews and break the cycle of unemployment. Since its founding in 2013 in London, Smart Works has expanded to 11 centres across the UK, supporting over 35,000 women. Their holistic approach combines practical tools with compassionate support to create lasting positive change. For more details, visit their website.

Hotline recently collaborated with Smart Works at their Smart Works Fashion Sale in London, which drew over 5,000 attendees. This incredible event raised £50,000, with 100% of the proceeds going directly to support Smart Works’ mission. This funding helps ensure they can assist every woman who needs support, bringing them closer to their goal of supporting 10,000 women by the end of 2025.

Smart Works chose classic printed tote bags for attendees, allowing them to reuse the bags at future events and continue showing their support. We caught up with Ilana and had a chat about the success of the event…

 

#1. Can you take us on a journey through your event, sharing its mission and the impact you aimed to achieve?

Here at Smart Works Charity, we use Fashion as a Force for Good and we try to exemplify this through our fundraising events – which include our quarterly Fashion Sales at The Truman Brewery. The mission of these events is to sell stock kindly donated by our generous partners at heavily discounted prices to our supporters, helping us to create a fun shopping event as well as raise vital funds for our services supporting women into work. We aim to both raise awareness of Smart Works  services by chatting to customers and raise money at our Fashion Sales.

 

#2. What were the key benchmarks you aimed for to declare your event a roaring success?

We have a few key benchmarks that help us to determine the success of our Fashion Sales. For our most recent May Fashion Sale, raising as much as possible, by selling as much as possible, was our biggest aim. This is because the proceeds of each and every sale go directly towards our services, making each purchase incredibly special. We also aim to have a strong volunteer network over the weekend (the more, the merrier!) as quite literally cannot run an event of this calibre without our wonderful volunteers – they are extremely generous with their time and a great help during the set up and the shopping sessions.

 

#3. How did you forge a connection with the Hotline, making them the perfect match to support your event through promotional items?

We reached out to Hotline as we were looking for great quality tote bags to provide our shoppers with once they had completed their purchases at the Fashion Sales. To be as sustainable as possible, we wanted to find bags that can be used over and over again, and we knew that Hotline could be trusted with the quality of their products.

 

#4. What inspired you to choose tote bags as your primary promotional product, and what features did you find most appealing about them?

We chose tote bags to be our primary promotional product. This is because quite often, our shoppers will make multiple purchases, and they need something to take these home in. We know that if they are walking around with multiple Smart Works branded bags around The Truman Brewery, this will likely attract attention from others and more footfall into the Fashion Sale.

 

#5. Share your experience with the promotional products received and how smooth the ordering process was.

We can only use positive words to describe our experience with using Hotline and liaising with the team. Everything was smooth from the initial outreach, the ordering process through to the clear communications throughout and the delivery. Hotline was a delight to work with.

 

#6. Now that the event curtains have closed, what key insights have you gathered that could pave the way for future endeavours?

Now that our most recent Fashion Sale has wrapped up, we are looking forward to planning our next already! Some key insights that we gathered included maximizing our social media presence ahead of the event to push it out and reach a new target audience, as well as making sure we have another in the Summer months – the warmth and sun = more footfall into the event!

 

A Hotline Insight…

The printed tote bag from Hotline is the ideal promotional product for events! Its durable 5oz cotton material ensures it can handle whatever your attendees throw into it, while the large print area showcases your logo beautifully. Not only are these bags practical for carrying event goodies, but their reusable nature means your brand will be remembered long after the event ends. Plus, they promote eco-friendliness, making them a hit with environmentally conscious attendees. It’s a win-win for both your brand and your guests!

 

A HUGE Thank You from the Hotline Team.

We wanted to extend a massive thank you to Ilana from Smart Works for reaching out to us and letting us be a part of your journey. We’re thrilled to hear about your satisfaction with the printed bags and their valuable purpose within your organisation. Please know that the pleasure has been all ours, and we look forward to the possibility of working together again in the future. Don’t hesitate to reach out – we’re always here to help!

 

Team Up with Us for Your Next Event!

If you’re gearing up for an event, exhibition, or celebration, we’re here to make it even more special with our sponsorship support. Submit your sponsorship request here. Let’s collaborate to create unforgettable memories together!

Stay tuned for more exciting episodes of “Spotlight On…” and let’s make your next event extraordinary!

 

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