Agency Awards Approved puts the spotlight on this year’s Conference News Agency Awards winners – the teams, campaigns and ideas that rose above the rest. This series goes beyond the trophies to explore what set these agencies apart, from the strategies that delivered results to the decisions that defined their success, alongside insight from the judges on why these entries stood out. Each feature dives into the work that earned industry recognition, offering a closer look at what it really takes to win.
In this edition, we speak to Lily Jones and Phoebe Cherry, co-founders of Strive Events Agency, winner of this year’s David and Goliath Award. The award recognises agencies that achieve exceptional results despite being smaller than many of their competitors, celebrating those that punch above their weight through creativity, resilience, innovation and client impact.
Fo Lily and Phoebe, winning the award felt particularly meaningful as the agency was approaching its fifth anniversary at the time of the awards. Lily said: “It was an incredibly exciting and proud moment for Phoebe and I. We were just approaching Strive’s five-year anniversary at the time of winning that award, so for us it’s such a reflection of the major journey we’ve been on in such a short space of time.”
Phoebe added: “Winning the David and Goliath Award, in particular, is such a title that really reflects how we feel in our business journey. We’re a small, young agency trying to make our mark against the big guys in the industry and to be recognised for doing that was just fantastic. It was a really relevant award.”
The pair first met while working together at a previous agency in 2016. After pursuing separate career paths, they reunited to launch Strive. Lily said: “We always knew there was an alignment between Phoebe and I from the very early days. We both knew that if we were ever going to do something, it would be together. We were on the same wavelength from very early days, but it was years later that we came together to intentionally build Strive. We’re very much business partners, but also great friends, and I think that’s meant we’ve been on a really great journey together over the years.”
Launched in 2021, Strive entered the market at a time when much of the events industry was still grappling with the aftermath of Covid-19. Phoebe said: “When we first launched, it was into a period of uncertainty and some people thought we were mad for starting an events company then. But we knew exactly what we were doing. Our purpose as an agency is to bring employees together and create meaningful moments, and they needed it more than ever after the pandemic. It was a scary but fantastic time to start the business.”
Since launching as a two-person agency, Strive has grown into a team of nine full-time employees. Phoebe said: “We put a lot of focus into hiring for culture fit and values. We’ve grown very organically over the years, focusing on relationship-building with our clients and network. It’s felt like an organic but intentional journey since those early days of uncertainty. Now, five years in, we’re really clear on what our goals are, what our mission is and how we serve our customers.”
In just five years, the agency has grown from a start-up to a £3m business, delivering 59 projects across Europe for more than 43,000 attendees while maintaining a client retention rate of 95%.
Lily attributes the agency’s 95% client retention rate to one of its core values: “confident ownership”. She said: “One of our values is confident ownership and that’s something that we instil in all of our team. We take on our clients’ events, brands and people with so much care and commitment, and we own every single part of their event for them.
“We never let anything slip through the net. We really support them in all areas and that’s because we live and breathe that value of confident ownership. I think our clients feel that when they work with us. They’ve told us that they do and they really value having that direct relationship with us as founders.”
The founders believe that long-term relationships are built on a deep understanding of each client’s business and culture. Phoebe said: “Once you get to know the company and its culture, clients don’t want to lose that knowledge. They like to keep working with us, but we don’t take it for granted. It’s important that we’re always nurturing those relationships and continually deepening our understanding of our clients’ so that we can keep strengthening those partnerships year after year.”
One of the agency’s defining moments came early in its journey when just four team members delivered an event for over 46,000 attendees. Phoebe said: “That event was in our early days, it was a huge one and we’re really proud of it. Nowadays we can staff with slightly more than four people, but the same principles apply. It’s about creating a culture where everyone’s on their A-game and having really strong teamwork.”
The judges praised Strive not only for its commercial growth but also for the culture underpinning its success. One judge said: “Strive Events Agency has experienced impressive growth and is now building from the market opportunity it identified to bring people back together post-Covid. Its metrics for staff engagement demonstrate a team that is committed to going places.”
Another added: “This submission shows how a dedicated and goal-oriented organisation can quickly grow and make a big difference while staying true to its principles. The mix of business success, unique creativity and real care for people’s wellbeing makes this a very impressive and praiseworthy example.”
Employee engagement sits at the heart of Strive’s business model. Lily said: “Employee engagement is a niche in the agency world, which we have harnessed at Strive in order to be the go-to agency that is dedicated to delivering incredible employee engagement experiences for our clients.”
As well as helping clients create stronger workplace cultures, the founders apply the same principles within their own business. Lily said: “We’re not going to go into other organisations and show them how to do it without doing it ourselves. So we hold ourselves to a really high standard of that employee experience at Strive.”
The agency runs twice-yearly retreats and monthly socials organised by a different team member each month, allowing employees to share their own interests and passions with colleagues. Lily said: “It’s a really great way to get to know what people are passionate about, and talented in and interested in outside of their day jobs.”
Employee wellbeing is also embedded into the company’s policies.Lily added: “We also think about the general wellbeing of people. We have health insurance, flexible working and unlimited holiday. All of these policies we have built into Strive from the ground up from day one.”
“I would also add that we’re two females running a full-on agency and we know what we want for ourselves, so why wouldn’t we want that for our people? We want flexibility. We want to be given ownership. We want to be given freedom and trust.”
Phoebe added: “We give trust from day one and we hire on values. It’s all about finding the right people that thrive in that environment.”
As a smaller agency, Strive has focused on finding different ways to stand out. The approach has helped the agency secure a pitch success rate of nine wins from every 10 opportunities. Rather than relying solely on traditional pitch documents, Strive creates bespoke video presentations that showcase both its ideas and the people behind them. Phoebe explains: “Ultimately, so much of the working world and so many meetings have now become virtual. It’s hard to get in-person time with people these days, and so in lieu of being able to meet in person, we still want to be able to bring our story to life.”
She added: “As the David, we don’t have megabucks to be spending on the things that go into pitches, but our videos really help to show how we are as people. It’s a really cost-effective tool that’s been working really well for us to build those relationships when we can’t meet in person.”
Lily added: “We’ve had a lot of good feedback from clients that it’s respectful of their time. It’s a great way to put your foot in the door without needing to take their time over a coffee.
She continued: “We don’t have in-house designers at this time and we can’t compete with the bigger agencies, so we have to do things differently. That’s not just video proposals and sales decks – it’s the way we approach all our marketing, trying to be savvy and open doors in ways that other agencies aren’t. It makes us challenge ourselves and think differently. We’re experience-obsessed, so we always think about how things are received by people and how that impacts them and their time.”
The journey of building an agency such has Strive has been full of both highs and lows. Alongside navigating the pressures of running a growing agency, both founders experienced significant personal milestones, including marriage and starting families, while managing the demands of a small team.Lily said: “Some years have been more challenging than others. There was one particular year where, between Phoebe got married and I had a baby. We had a team of four and one of the team left at that time, so it was hard.”
She added: “Getting through those days shows that we have resilience and we are now in a more secure position, but being David means there are a lot of hard days. We’re working really hard and pushing all the time and I don’t think we necessarily portrayed that in our entry, but it’s the reality and honesty of the situation.”
Five years after launching during one of the most uncertain periods the events industry has faced, Strive has grown into a £3m business with a loyal client base, an engaged team and a clear sense of purpose.
For the team, winning the David and Goliath Award is not only recognition of that growth, but of the resilience, creativity and determination that helped them achieve it.
