When the pandemic pushed staff away from offices and back into their homes, the traditional line between ‘work’ and ‘family life’ began to blur. But for Neil Lofthouse and Steph Cooper, it was already like that.
In Autumn 2020, these two siblings decided to go into business together – launching an events brand called Square Fish that combined Neil’s hospitality sector experience with Steph’s management expertise.
It was an idea everyone could really root for: A brother and sister teaming up to help get Manchester’s events sector back on its feet after being bordered up for most of the year.
“It was a ‘now or never’ moment,” Neil remembers.
“Owning a family business had always been a dream and something we talked about for many years. When COVID hit, and with time on our hands, we decided to make the dream a reality.”
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Those early days felt like a thrilling adventure. Neil and Steph got Square Fish off the ground in October 2020, and within a matter of weeks they had bagged their first client.
But then, things took a turn. COVID cases spiralled, another national lockdown was declared, and the events sector was suddenly, somehow, in deeper peril than before. Mass gatherings were forbidden, venues had to pull their curtains shut, and hundreds of thousands of industry personnel were left without work. Square Fish appeared to have been a cruel victim of circumstance: They’d only just gotten started, and already the company was facing an impossible hurdle.
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On the surface, the obvious option was to throw in the towel. But Neil and Steph were actually in a more privileged position than most. After all, when your back is against the wall, the people you can rely on are family.
“Like any bro and sis, we can have our moments, but when it comes to business, it’s the best team you can have,” Neil clarifies.
“We support each other, have each other’s back, pick each other up when feeling low, and most of all, trust each other completely. No agenda, just love and support. That’s what makes Square Fish so special.”
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Putting their heads together, the duo acted swiftly to switch up their business model, putting all the necessary plans in place to create a new concept that would support the provision of virtual entertainment. They called their creation Boxspoke – enabling companies to provide bespoke, branded engagement boxes that ranged from branded keepsakes and delicious gourmet treats to beverages, goodies and live interactive experiences.
Neil explains: “We wanted to find a way to keep pushing forward and adapt our offering so we all could come out of the other side.
“We soon found that lots of businesses still needed to focus on engagement, especially with staff and their clients. The way we communicated day to day suddenly changed overnight – and our new business model and service was there to support that.”
The whole thing was a rousing success. So much so, that when the world finally opened up again, Square Fish had built the reputation required to strike partnerships with big brands and create the kind of live events Manchester had been missing so much.
Today, Square Fish is working with worldwide promotion Bongo’s Bingo to bring its barnstorming events into workplaces, whilst also offering a wide range of events services such as venue finding, production, concept design, lineup curation, and general support and guidance for showrunners.
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Work has been diverse – including a festival for taxi hire software provider Autocab (which Square Fish designed and created from scratch; supplying stages, sports pitches and key speakers) and an interactive chocolate workshop for employees of Infinity Finance.
Neil and Steph’s team also hosted a fun-filled and highly-memorable summer party for Lounge fashion earlier this year – arranging a champagne reception, live fire dancers, sax performances and a DJ set.
One year on from launch, Square Fish has expanded its staff roster and turned into one of the most dependable, ambitious and creative events companies across Greater Manchester.
Neil believes the supportive nature of the city has played a pivotal role in making Square Fish the firm it is today – and what it is going to become in future.
“Manchester is a city like no other, the industry and people that support it are incredible,” he states.
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“Manchester offers it all, from fresh and creative concepts, incredible music, and club scene to a thriving event sector.
“We are constantly evolving and offering something new, attracting more and more businesses and events to the city – it’s all about the people for us, and we are a resilient bunch, especially with what we have had to overcome in the last two years.”
Throughout the past couple of difficult years, it’s often felt like one step forward, two steps back. This goes doubly for events and hospitality – a sector which is always first on the chopping block in the scenario of pandemic restrictions.
But Square Fish has already shown its capability to withstand and even thrive during the most testing environments. And Neil has plenty of hope for 2022.
“The future is bright, we are resilient, creative and support each other like no other city does,” he beams.
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“With more and more events coming to Manchester and an increase in demand for live events, we will come back stronger.
“There is still a challenging road ahead, however I have no doubt we will overcome it!”
Find out more about the amazing events Square Fish is hosting via the official website.
Gigs & Nightlife
One of Manchester’s newest arts venues to host brand-new comedy festival this summer
Emily Sergeant
A brand-new comedy festival is set to take over one of the city centre’s newest arts venues this summer.
That’s right… some of the UK’s best comedy names are coming to Manchester.
That’s because renowned production company, A Lovely Time, has put together an absolutely jam-packed lineup of television names, internet sensations, and hotly-tipped newcomers, for a weekend full of comedy shows in the heart of the city centre at the exciting new arts venue Fairfield Social Club – which is tucked away down at the Green Quarter.
The exciting new festival, which is called A Lovely Weekend, will kick off on Friday 7 June with a gala show hosted by the company’s very-own Amy Gledhill, who comedy fans may recognise from appearances on BBC‘s Would I Lie To You, and more.
Then, across the rest of the three-day long weekend lineup, you can expect to catch comedy sets and work-in-progress performances from the likes of Edinburgh Comedy Award nominees Phil Ellis (Icklewick FM on BBC Radio 4), and Olga Koch (Live at The Apollo on BBC One), Paddy Young, who recently won the BBC New Comedy Award, Chris Cantrill (Avoidance on BBC One), and Blackpool’s-finest Tom Lawrinson.
Internet sensations such as Stevie Martin and Abi Clarke are also on the lineup, as well as hotly-tipped Edinburgh debutante, Hannah Platt, and Geordie sketch supergroup, Metroland.
You can even catch something a little bit different from Poppy Hillstead too, who’s set to transfer her popular podcast to the stage.
Split across two venues over three days, A Lovely Weekend is all looking set to be the largest undertaking from comedy production super-duo, A Lovely Time, which was created by promoter John Stansfield and comedian Chris Cantrill, and, as mentioned, it will take over the newly-opened Fairfield Social Club – a venue which has already hosted brilliant shows from the likes of Josie Long, Three Bean Salad, Ashley Gavin, and Nick Helm since opening back in March.
“We’re so excited to be bringing A Lovely Weekend to Manchester,” commented founder, John Stansfield.
“The city is long overdue a proper comedy festival, and across the three days at Fairfield Social Club, we’ve programmed some of our absolute favourites to ensure a lovely time for all.”
Tickets to A Lovely Weekend have just gone on sale yesterday (Wednesday 1 November), and are already selling fast – with both day and full weekend passes available from £20, and individual show tickets up for grabs from £6 each too.
‘Disappointed’ Olivia Rodrigo issues statement to Manchester fans after Co-op Live postpones gigs
Emily Sergeant
Olivia Rodrigo has issued a statement to her Manchester fans after her run of gigs at Co-op Live have been postponed.
The US singer-songwriter was due to perform two massive sold-out shows tomorrow and Saturday (3 and 4 May 2024) here in Manchester at the city’s newest venue, the now-troubled Co-op Live, as part of her GUTS world tour – but, due to what has been referred to as “ongoing venue-related technical issues”, these gigs are now the latest in a long line of postponements.
New dates will be announced as soon as they’re confirmed, Co-op Live assured ticket-holders.
Co-op Live said in a statement: “Due to an ongoing venue-related technical issue, the scheduled performances of Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS World Tour on 3rd and 4th May are being postponed. Ticket holders can either hold onto their tickets or obtain a refund from their point of purchase.
“We deeply apologise for the significant inconvenience this will cause for many.”
We deeply apologise for the significant inconvenience this will cause for many.
The Drivers License singer also took a moment to assure her presumably-disappointed attending fans that she too was “disappointed” by the situation.
In a statement shared to her 37.2 million followers on Instagram yesterday, Olivia wrote on her Story: “Hello! I’ve been having such a great time in Europe so far and I’m soooooo disappointed that we’re unable to perform in Manchester due to ongoing venue-related technical issues.”
The 21-year-old told Manchester fans that “we’re doing our best to reschedule” the shows.
Olivia Rodrigo has issued a statement to Manchester fans after Co-op Live postpones her gigs / Credit: Olivia Rodrigo (via Instagram) | The Manc Group
Her statement continued: “You can hold onto your tickets for further info or request a refund at your point of purchase. More info will be sent directly to ticketholders.
“I’m so bummed and I really hope to see you all soon.”
As previously mentioned, the massive arena was supposed to open for the first time to the public last night with a performance by US rapper, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, but it was called off at the eleventh hour and fans were turned away from the doors just minutes before they were meant to open.
Co-op Live has now confirmed that the reason for the cancellation was due to a piece of the HVAC (air conditioning) system having “separated from the ductwork”.
Because of this, rigorous testing on the rest of the system now needs to take place before fans can safely be welcomed inside.
The next expected show on the Co-op Live schedule is Keane on Sunday 5 May, before beloved Manchester boyband, Take That, play a massive run of shows from 7-11 May and extra dates on 11 and 12 June.