Event Matters
Welcome to the Event Matters Podcast, a new podcast from Kershaw Partners about the realities of running, growing and scaling event businesses today.
Hosted by David Watt, each episode keeps things open, honest and practical so you walk away with ideas you can use the same week.
Expect straight-talking updates on the market, candid conversations with expert leaders from across venues, agencies, caterers and suppliers and the wider industry, plus valuable insights and advice you can implement within your own business.
Event Matters
How to Design Events That Make People Feel Something with Lucy Nicholls
In this episode of Event Matters, David Watt is joined by Lucy Nicholls, Founder and Creative Director of The PS Event Group - an imagination-led experience company known for blending theatre, psychology and commercial thinking to create live experiences that truly move people.
Lucy began her career on the West End and Broadway before turning her performer's instinct into the foundation of a business that has grown quietly, organically and entirely through reputation for more than 15 years. Today, PS Event Group is one of the industry’s best kept secrets - trusted by venues, agencies and global brands to help them reimagine what an experience can be.
Lucy shares how her theatrical roots shaped her philosophy on events - not as logistics or schedules, but as emotionally engineered journeys. She explains why the ability to read a room, react in real time and design for feeling is what distinguishes an impactful experience from a forgettable one.
The conversation explores how she built a culture based on integrity, emotional intelligence and craft. Lucy speaks candidly about learning to let go, building a senior leadership team to balance her creativity, and why protecting mental health and boundaries is essential for sustainable success in this industry.
Expect thoughtful insights on:
• Why designing events should start with emotion, not format
• The role of “performer’s intelligence” in delivering experiences that genuinely move people
• How to blend creativity, psychology, design and commercial strategy
• What it takes to build a business purely on reputation and trust
• Why wellbeing, boundaries and culture are non-negotiable in the events world
• How consultancy is helping venues and agencies reimagine the art of the possible
Lucy’s story reminds us that events are not just about production, tech or timelines - they are about understanding humans, crafting moments and making people feel something real.
Host: David Watt, Partner at Kershaw Partners
Guest: Lucy Nicholls, Founder & Creative Director, PS Event Group