Local business Events Under Canvas received the Growth Business of the Year award, sponsored by Ashtons Legal, at this year's EADT Business Awards.

Based in Capel St Mary, Events Under Canvas is an outdoor events business that supplies unique event tents with all the flooring, lighting and furniture required to create a full outdoor venue for weddings, parties, festivals, corporate events and more.

The company employs 18 year-round staff, plus an additional 60-70 seasonal employees in the summer when it builds around 20 events per weekend.

Its integrity and can-do attitude have seen the team work on several high-profile events, including A-lister parties, charity galas for royalty, RHS flower shows, Glastonbury, V&A museum for Dior, and even an event village on Mount Etna in Sicily. 

During Covid, the business found ways to generate income by working with hospitality venues to create outdoor dining spaces, with some of this business continuing post-pandemic.

In 2022, Events Under Canvas undertook 416 events with sales of over £2 million, generating profits of over £400,000.

The judges were impressed with the “considerable growth” the company has seen since 2017, and during arguably the most difficult period for the hospitality and leisure sector in 2020-21.

They also praised the “clear strategy, defined vision and values and continued investment in both employees and equipment”, which has enabled the business to thrive.

They concluded that Events Under Canvas is “a really impressive business” which “deserved to win the crown of Growth Business of the Year.”

Founder and managing director of Events Under Canvas Jenna Ackerley said that winning Growth Business of the Year “means a lot”.

“It’s our 10-year anniversary this year, and a lot of people have been here pretty much from the start,” she said.

“It’s been a pretty rough ride through Covid, but we’ve got through the end of it and people are still smiling and most people are still here. 

“We’ve been through the highs and the lows and it was great to celebrate here tonight.”

About the sponsor

Ashtons Legal is delighted to have sponsored the awards for the seventh consecutive year, and once again sponsored the Growth Business of the Year category.

Ashtons’ vision is to be “an exceptional professional service provider putting its clients at the centre of everything it does”. Whether a commercial or an individual client, whatever the legal needs, Ashtons’ focus is on always delivering first-class legal advice with exceptional service.

With over 400 staff across six offices, Ashtons has many clients in East Anglia but helps people in other parts of the country and internationally.

The finalists

BA Boyle & Son

Founded in April 2020, BA Boyle & Son is an Ipswichbased construction company whose founders were formerly from BA Boyle Carpentry and Joinery.

The judges said the business “goes a long way in terms of creating a team culture where everyone feels valued and respected”, which contributes to its high employee retention in a high turnover industry.

Seatrium Offshore Renewable Services

Based in Lowestoft, Seatrium Offshore Renewable Services recently completed a significant transformation from fabricator to support services provider for the offshore renewables industry.

The judges were very impressed with the way Seatrium had “scaled back to scale up after identifying their current business model was not sustainable”.

X-on Health

X-on Health is a Woodbridge-based cloud-hosted telephony systems provider that mainly serves the primary care health sector.

The judges commended the business for “continually pushing the boundaries, listening and making developments based on customer feedback”.

They also praised the company’s continued growth and plan to continue scaling.

To find out more about all the winners, please click here.

For more on the EADT Business Awards, please visit the website.