Why events star EPH Creative is top of the props
From a flat-packed James Bond car and 20-metre volcano to transforming game world environments by turning digital into reality for fans, the UK company is both a designer and fabricator, providing concept-to-completion rental solutions with bespoke props, furniture and foliage.
“We always say ‘yes’ and deliver beyond expectations – collaborative problem-solving is our ethos,” declare EPH’s founders and business partners Rosie Ellis and Matthew East who are forecasting a £10million turnover come 2026.
Supplying more than 3,000 events and projects a year, clients include London Zoo and Disney. Commissions range from intimate events to immersive arena show-stoppers and visitor attractions with prices spanning £1,000 to six figures plus.
While known as a go-to in the sector, next year EPH www.eventprophire.com plan
Started two decades ago by entertainment design graduates Ellis and East, they began by making themed bird tables for garden shows and then by developing their offering as the allure of themed events and immersive experiences grew and more opportunities unfolded.
Now EPH’s temple of wonders is housed in a 145,000sq ft site in Wetherby, West Yorkshire, backed by a London showroom.
In the warehouse and factory, the company’s extraordinary back catalogue – a veritable museum of changing styles – is cared for so it’s capable of being renewed, repaired or reimagined.
A sight to warm the hearts of hoarders everywhere, here single use is shunned.
Alongside that there’s continual investment in advanced production techniques such as EPH’s new 5-axis milling machine and a dedicated machinist as the business builds its 120-strong team.
“We have our own eco-system from software development for our products to tracking the process and ensuring updates are on target to delivery,” explains Ellis.
The majority of EPH’s customers are in the UK and Ireland with 50 per cent in the events industry. But as Ellis and East push for a higher, wider profile for the company, they confirm they “are open to more investment”, they say, from a partner with retail pop-up or immersive hospitality expertise.
With an “adapt and survive” strategy during lockdown, “that went from setting up a new service offering themed-gift-boxes for home workers to delivering hospital beds or house removals. We have come out of the pandemic stronger, with more focus,” adds East.
“We’re deeply committed to fostering and nurturing local talent and partnerships with institutions such as Leeds City College and the Northern School of Art in Hartlepool are a testament to this.”
The company featured its fabulous creations at The Big Christmas Press Show last October, an event giving brands and retailers an opportunity to showcase their products ahead of the crucial Christmas shopping season.
One of EPH’s recent mega crowd-pulling performances however was being a key part of the Enix XIV Final Fantasy gaming fanfest at London’s Excel in October, a project that took six months of planning and 13 delivery trucks.
Now soon to be revealed is a revolving carousel bar with horses. As the pair say: “Phew!”
www.eventprophire.com
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