PEACH 20/20 LEADERS SUMMIT & HERO & ICON AWARDS
Event Leadership | Event Delivery
Client
Peach 20/20
Sector
Hospitality
Services
Event Leadership + Delivery
Events
Annual Summit + Awards Dinner
overview
Peach 20/20 first brought McDonnell Marketing into its event delivery in November 2024, providing additional onsite operations resource for its Leaders Summit and Hero & Icon Awards.
Following successful events together, Peach returned to Natalie in 2025 with a significantly expanded remit. With limited internal operational resource, Natalie was asked to take ownership of the pre-event operations as well as the onsite delivery of the Leaders Summit and Hero & Icon Awards.
Working directly with the Peach team, Natalie put the operational structure in place from the outset, creating the project plans and trackers needed to manage deadlines, partner deliverables, supplier requirements and event readiness across both events.
Natalie remained responsible for the operational workstream through to live delivery, supported onsite by an additional Event Manager brought into the project through McDonnell Marketing.
the challenge
The Leaders Summit and Hero & Icon Awards bring together senior leaders from across the hospitality industry, with two distinct event experiences delivered across the same day.
The event involved a large number of commercial partners, suppliers, hospitality activations and venue requirements, all of which needed to come together around a tightly managed schedule.
Peach had an experienced internal team focused on content, speakers, brand and commercial relationships, but limited resource to manage the detailed event operations.
Having worked successfully with Natalie on previous Peach events, the team expanded her remit for 2025, giving her responsibility for the operational planning and delivery across the venue, partners, suppliers, registration and onsite teams.
Results That Matter
The 2025 Leaders Summit and Hero & Icon Awards were successfully delivered as two joined-up event experiences across the same day, with the operational detail managed from the planning stage through to final breakdown.
By taking ownership of the event operations, Natalie gave Peach the additional senior event resource needed to manage the project, while allowing the internal team to remain focused on the programme, speakers, members and commercial relationships.
Seamless venue operations and logistics, enabling the event to run smoothly from start to finish
Strong sponsor and exhibitor presence, with high visibility and well-supported engagement
Increased event revenue through targeted sponsor sales and efficient onboarding
Effective onboarding and support of new sponsors brought in through proactive sales efforts
Sustainable catering that aligned with the ethos and values of the summit
Efficient troubleshooting and on-site coordination, ensuring minimal disruption
Timely setup and breakdown, with all operational details delivered on schedule
Our role: Event Leadership, Operations & Delivery
Following previous successful event delivery with Peach, McDonnell Marketing was appointed to provide the operational leadership and additional event resource required for the 2025 Leaders Summit and Hero & Icon Awards.
Natalie took responsibility for the pre-event operational planning and remained the central point of ownership through to onsite delivery, supported by an additional Event Manager from McDonnell Marketing for the live events.
Pre-Event Planning and Management
Natalie took ownership of the pre-event operations, creating the structure and oversight needed to bring together the venue, commercial partners, suppliers and Peach’s internal team across both events.
Working directly with Peach’s Head of Brand & Marketing, Natalie maintained oversight of the commitments made across each bespoke partnership, ensuring agreed partner entitlements, brand exposure and activation requirements were carried through from the commercial agreement into the wider event plan.
This included coordinating the partner inputs needed for Peach’s pre-event marketing and communications, from social campaigns and event promotion through to digital and printed collateral, ensuring the correct brand assets, messaging and agreed visibility were delivered in line with each partnership.
Alongside this, Natalie led the operational planning with the venue, bringing together the requirements for the Leaders Summit and Hero & Icon Awards to create a joined-up approach across the guest journey, hospitality, partner experience, event flow and live activations.
With multiple stakeholders and workstreams involved, Natalie provided Peach with clear visibility of progress, priorities and key decisions throughout, while retaining overall responsibility for driving the operational delivery forward.
Partner onboarding & activation management
Once partnerships were confirmed, Natalie took ownership of the operational relationship with Peach’s event partners, ensuring the commitments made to each brand translated into a high-quality partner experience.
With each partnership individually tailored, the focus was on maintaining oversight of agreed deliverables, managing expectations and working collaboratively with partners, Peach and the venue to ensure those commitments could be delivered to the expected standard.
Partner requirements were considered within the wider event experience, ensuring branded activations felt integrated into the event while still delivering the visibility, hospitality and engagement opportunities agreed as part of each partnership.
From pre-event planning through to live delivery, partners had a clear operational point of contact and Peach had confidence that its commercial commitments and partner relationships were being well managed throughout.
Supplier & Delivery Management
Natalie maintained oversight of the wider supplier network across both events, working closely with the venue and specialist partners to ensure each element of the delivery came together against the overall event plan.
Rather than individual suppliers working in isolation, Natalie acted as the central operational lead, managing dependencies, timings and expectations across the different teams and ensuring each element supported the wider guest and partner experience.
On the day, Natalie was supported by an Event Operations Manager brought into the project through McDonnell Marketing. Together, they led the operational delivery across both events, coordinating suppliers, venue teams and partner activations through setup, live delivery and breakdown.
This additional resource gave Peach experienced operational coverage across the venue while Natalie retained overall responsibility for the event delivery.
on-site event delivery
Natalie led the onsite operations across both the Leaders Summit and Hero & Icon Awards, with overall responsibility for the live delivery, guest experience and operational team.
With multiple workstreams running simultaneously, clear operational leads were put in place across the event. An Event Operations Manager brought in through McDonnell Marketing took ownership of the partner bars and activations, while the appointed registration supplier provided a dedicated lead for guest registration.
This structure allowed Natalie to retain senior oversight across the venue, food and beverage, guest experience, partners, suppliers and live schedule, working directly with each lead to manage priorities, maintain standards and resolve issues as the events progressed.
From the daytime Summit and networking through to the transition into the evening awards, the focus was on keeping the different teams, suppliers and venue operation working together as one coordinated live event.
The Leaders Summit and Hero & Icon Awards were successfully delivered as two distinct event experiences across one day, bringing together Peach’s guests, partners and wider hospitality community.
With the operational planning and live delivery managed by McDonnell Marketing, Peach had the additional senior event resource and onsite team needed to deliver the events without expanding its internal team.
The successful delivery continued a relationship that had grown from onsite operational support in 2024 to full pre-event and live operational management in 2025.
What they had to say
“Working with Natalie & McDonnell Marketing on our recent conference was an absolute pleasure.
They picked up a wide-ranging brief from event management to sponsorship sales and marketing – and I couldn’t be happier with their performance.
Super organised, on top of every detail, and totally professional. They felt like a seamless extension of our team – easy to work with, calm under pressure, and full of great ideas. They didn’t just help us deliver the event; they made it better.
A fantastic partner for anyone looking to deliver successful, high-quality events.”
Why They Chose us
Peach 20/20 partnered with us for our:
- Expertise across venue operations and partner delivery
- Professionalism and attention to detail in every stage of event planning and execution
- Flexibility to integrate seamlessly with their internal team and take full ownership of delivery
We Offer More Value
At McDonnell Marketing, we partner with our clients to deliver events that leave a lasting impact. For the inclusion in Awards 2024, we acted as:
- Advisors: Shaping the event’s strategy and setting it up for scalable success.
- Consultants: Sharing innovative ideas to elevate the guest experience and optimise event processes.
- Event Delivery Experts: Managing every element to ensure a seamless and exceptional outcome.
Our Way of Working
- Collaborative Approach: Building strong relationships with clients, suppliers, and partners for smooth delivery.
- Flexibility: Adapting to the unique needs of each event to maximise results.
- Strategic Focus: Combining clear planning, regular communication, and proactive problem-solving to achieve outstanding outcomes.
By utilising our expertise in event management, sponsorship sales, and partner support, we helped deliver a sustainability summit that was as well-organised as it was impactful, and we’re now looking forward to working on the next Peach event!