Latest / Wedding Pros who are ready to grow - with Becca Pountney / Making sustainability a priority - with RSA House

Transcript

Making sustainability a priority - with RSA House · Wedding Pros who are ready to grow - with Becca Pountney

0:00
Amanda: Obviously as a supplier, you come in, you kind of get your job done,
0:03
you know, and, and then you're off on your way, but just being communicative.
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Making sure that you get there on time and you collect, you know, if you are
0:12
coming in and collecting anything, you know, to do that when you say
0:15
you're gonna do it or by the the, in the timeframe that you know, we have.
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But those are really just the key things.
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Just like kind of be nice, like be nice person.
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Becca: I am Becca Pountney, wedding business marketing expert,
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speaker and blogger, and you are listening to The Wedding Pros
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who are Ready to Grow podcast.
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I'm here to share with you actionable tips, strategies, and real life
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examples to help you take your wedding business to the next level.
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If you are an ambitious wedding business owner that wants to take your passion
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and use it to build a profitable, sustainable business doing what you
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love, then you're in the right place.
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Let's get going with today's episode.
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Today I'm joined by Amanda Azarian the wedding sales and
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marketing executive RSA House.
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I met Amanda a showcase event earlier this year and got to experience her
1:03
lovely Georgian wedding venue for myself.
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Based in Central London, RSA house hosts beautiful and unique weddings, and as
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I found out at their event, they're also keen to work on ways to reduce
1:13
their carbon footprint by encouraging more sustainable wedding options.
1:17
Amanda, welcome to the podcast.
1:19
Hi.
1:20
Thanks for having me.
1:21
I am so happy to have you on the podcast.
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I had such a great time at your event.
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The Eaton Mess that they served downstairs in the vault was incredible.
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Amanda: Ah, wonderful.
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Yeah, we were really excited to show everyone that that's a new
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offering that we have, so, yep.
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I'm glad it turned out.
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As amazing as it looked.
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Becca: Yeah, it really was amazing.
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Now, before we talk a little bit more about the venue, I'd love to find out
1:47
a little bit more about you, because I was reading your bio before we
1:51
did the recording and it said your background was in the legal field.
1:55
So how on earth did you end up from working in legal to working in weddings?
1:59
Amanda: Yeah, it's, I took a very long route, long and expensive route
2:05
to get to the world of weddings.
2:07
So I, yeah, I mean, I went to law school right after I graduated from college, so
2:14
I was in law school for three years and then ended up working at a law firm for
2:18
seven years, which as you can probably tell from my accent, I'm not from the
2:23
uk, I'm from the US originally, but with my law firm, I was able to come over to
2:30
England and they had an office in London.
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And so I was practicing over here.
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In their office, and I kind of just reached the point where I think a lot
2:40
of people got to during the pandemic where they start to kind of reassess
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all the decisions they've made in their life and would've led them, you know,
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to the, to the point where they're at.
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And I basically made the decision that going forward I wanted to do
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something that truly made me happy.
3:00
And that wasn't practicing law.
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And so I just kind of started thinking, you know, what is it
3:08
that I actually enjoy doing?
3:10
And at the time I was planning my own wedding and I know that's.
3:16
That, you know, is probably a case for a lot of people who get into this career.
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They start planning their own wedding and fall in love with it and, you
3:23
know, end up in events somehow.
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But that's, that's what happened.
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I, I loved planning my own wedding and I, I mean, I've always loved weddings.
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Like that's, that's kind of been a thing of mine forever.
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But I never really thought of it as a career option.
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And so, you know, when I was trying to think, okay, what
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move am I gonna make that was.
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That was where I came out to every time.
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I just kept coming back to working in weddings and so last year I just decided
3:55
to, you know, jump ship and make the change and take risk and yeah, that's
4:01
what led me to, you know, this job.
4:04
Becca: I love that and the wedding industry is such a kind of dreamy option
4:08
for so many people, and you are right.
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The amount of people I speak to who started their business or
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started working weddings after planning their own wedding is huge.
4:17
So it's definitely a career path people take and we're glad to
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have you in the wedding industry.
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Now, I'm sure there are things from your legal background that have.
4:24
Put you in good stead.
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Now you are working in weddings and events, so how has some of that experience
4:30
helped you in your current role?
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Amanda: Yeah, I mean, I think there are so many skills that have, you
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know, transferred over seamlessly from working in the law to now
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working, you know, in weddings.
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And I mean, the main thing is that I am not a stranger to.
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Working very long hours and doing really hard work.
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I am very used to that and I'm used to kind of, you know, dealing
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with stressful situations and obviously working in events.
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It's, you know, it's a different kind of stress that I experience
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from this job than from, you know, working in the legal field, but I've.
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Kind of learned ways to be able to manage that and to be able to, you
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know, just keep going and, and deal with tricky situations on my feet.
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And so those things have, have helped, you know, quite a lot in terms of having.
5:29
Really good attention to detail.
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That's something that I, I kind of pride myself on.
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You know, I was the person who would sit and review an email
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for probably 30 minutes to make sure that it had absolutely no
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typos, no, you know, no issues.
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And I think when you're.
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You know, when you're working in events and planning and dealing with
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couples, you have to be super organized.
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You have to have every little detail accounted for.
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And so that's something that, that obviously has, has
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transferred over perfectly.
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And yeah, I mean, I think I've, I've also, I've been, you know, for the past
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seven, eight years working in a very high pressured, you know, profession and I'm.
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You know, I know how to deal with people.
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I've come across so many different types of personalities, and so that has
6:24
also really helped me with this job.
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Being able to just feel very confident in, you know, forming relationships
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with couples, getting to know them, and being just confident in, in kind
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of, you know, the abilities that I do have and that I can, you know, Can
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share with the couples in the planning.
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Obviously, you know, my background really didn't have, I didn't have
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much experience in the events industry at all coming into this, but I.
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I knew that I could handle it just because I felt like I have, you know,
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I've worked in, in a tough job for the past eight years, so, you know,
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that's, that's kind of been key as well.
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Becca: Attention to detail is a really great skill to have as well in the
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wedding industry, especially when the brides often are very detailed orientated
7:13
themselves, as well as the grooms too.
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So I can see that it's definitely gonna help you in your current.
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Role now, I know that quite a lot of venues have been struggling
7:23
since the pandemic with a variety of things from just getting the right
7:27
staff on board, all sorts of things.
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How have RSA House been dealing with the last couple of years since you've come in?
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What are your struggles and what's going well for you right now?
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Amanda: I mean, I think, obviously, you know, as a venue, An events space, RSA was
7:44
hit hard by the pandemic, just like, you know, all of the other event spaces were.
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And we had, you know, before the pandemic, one of my predecessors had
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really done an amazing job to start building the weddings here at RSA house.
8:01
And, you know, building some amazing connections with not
8:06
only couples but with suppliers.
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And then unfortunately, you know, the pandemic hit and kind of, not to say
8:13
that all of that work was completely lost, cuz it definitely wasn't.
8:17
But you know, it was hard.
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It was basically like having to start from, you know, The ground
8:24
up again in building it back.
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So my most recent predecessor kind of did an amazing job at that.
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I sort of took over once things were nice and settled.
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But yeah, I mean, I think.
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For us, it's, it's all about just really trying to promote the quality
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of this venue, the quality in the spaces, the quality in the staff, the
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quality in the food that we offer, and.
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From the many weddings now that we have had post pandemic, just really
9:00
relying on the, the feedback that we get from our couples to really
9:05
just build this business back again.
9:07
And I think we're doing a really good job.
9:09
We have, you know, we had our best year last year, which
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I think probably a lot of.
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You know, businesses had, because it was that, you know, everyone
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was excited to get back into the events world, to host events, but
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also a lot of weddings that had been postponed also happened last year.
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So we were kind of dealing with both, you know, some postponements
9:30
along with, with new weddings.
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And so, yeah, I mean, I think that.
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We continue to try and grow the business, but we've hit a really good point
9:41
now where we are, you know, we have quite a few weddings every year, and.
9:48
Yeah, I mean it's, we'll, we'll see what the next few years have to hold, but,
9:52
but business has been great and, and we continue to get a lot of inquiries
9:57
at Rs, a house, so, so hopefully next year it'll be more of the same
10:01
Becca: and it really is a hidden gem in the middle of London.
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When I came to visit, I couldn't believe like how central you are.
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How beautiful the building is and you just wouldn't know it
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was there from the outside.
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So you're definitely doing a good job of starting to put it on the map and
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I think the more people that know that you exist and come in through your doors
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and experience the venue, absolutely.
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The more people you are gonna have and the more your business is going to grow.
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And it's, it's great to see.
10:27
Now, one of the things you spoke about was relationships with suppliers and
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how your predecessors have kind of built up some of those relationships.
10:35
And I think the venue supply relationship can be a really funny one.
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I think a lot of people I work with, particularly florists photographers,
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they can feel a little bit intimidated about the venues and what the venues
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think of them and how they get on these elusive supplier lists.
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So they kind of hold you in this really high regard.
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How have you found that you build relationships with suppliers?
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What can suppliers do to build a good relationship with someone like you that's
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working in a venue day in and day out?
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Amanda: Yeah, I mean, I think first and foremost it's
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coming in and, and meeting us.
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The best way to do that obviously is to work at a wedding for me to kind of
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experience working with the supplier and kind of knowing, you know, their
11:21
quality of work and what they do.
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Obviously that can be tough.
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If you're trying to get your foot in the door, then you probably won't
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have already had a wedding here.
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So if you don't have.
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You know, a wedding already booked in.
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Then to just to make initial contact and to try and set up a meeting to showcase.
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You know, your, their portfolio.
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I think one of the things we are trying to do more so now is to make
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sure that all of the suppliers who we recommend align with our values, which
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I'm sure we'll touch on this more, but really comes down to sustainability.
12:02
So when I get emails or calls from suppliers looking to, you know, be
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one of our recommended suppliers.
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The first thing that I ask them is, you know, what are you doing
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in terms of sustainability?
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How is your business basically trying to, you know, be more sustainable?
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And you can tell right off the bat when someone hasn't really
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put much thought into that.
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And then you also have some suppliers who are like, absolutely, I'll
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send you my policy, da da, da.
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Which is really great.
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We, as a venue, we don't.
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Require our couples to use any particular supplier except for our in-house
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caterers, which is a company of cooks.
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But we obviously do send out lists of recommended suppliers.
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Now with our new sustainable package, which again, will, I'm sure we'll
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touch on this in a little bit.
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We have certain suppliers who we know, you know, are doing kind of above and
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beyond to make sure that their efforts.
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Towards a greener future, you know, are, are just highlighted
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across everything that they do.
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And so these suppliers are the ones that we are recommending kind of
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on in the first go round when we send out basically our packages.
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However, that's not to say that we wouldn't recommend others as well,
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and so over the next few months, we definitely will be reassessing
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our recommended supplier list.
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So it is a good time, you know, to get in touch if you do want
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to get in touch and become.
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One of our recommended suppliers because we will definitely be looking to kind of
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overhaul that list to make sure that the suppliers are, yeah, just aligning with,
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with, you know, our beliefs and values.
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Becca: I think as well, what's coming out of what you're saying
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that's really important for people listening is that they need to do
14:01
their research about various venues.
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If they wanna approach a venue, if they wanna work at a venue more, they
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really need to understand that venue, understand that venue's values, and not
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just send off an email to every single venue in London saying they wanna.
14:12
Work with you because you'll be able to spot that a mile off and you will know the
14:16
people that have either worked with you or have a genuine interest or have an a
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real understanding of what's what you are doing and how they can compliment that.
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Now, let's get real here because I know that often you are a wedding
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day and you see the supplies that are coming in and out of that
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wedding day, how they're serving.
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And we've all met some great suppliers and we've all met some terrible suppliers.
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So what are the kind of.
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Dos and don'ts on a wedding day.
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If a supplier's coming into your venue, what are the things they can do which
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really help you out, and what are the things that they really can do,
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which can just not be a good idea?
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Amanda: Yeah, so I mean, I think, so even starting just before the wedding
14:57
day, I think one of the things that.
15:01
Is really helpful is to basically have kind of all of your questions compiled
15:09
into either one email or to set up a phone call and for us to go through everything.
15:15
it for the most part, obviously I know things come up and, you know,
15:18
you might have to reach out for some reason, but if you can kind of make.
15:24
All of your questions and send them in one go, that is the best thing that you
15:29
could possibly do to make my life easier.
15:31
Obviously, I get hundreds of emails every day, and so when I have, you
15:36
know, an email coming through, I.
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You know, each day from the same supplier.
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You know, it can be a lot.
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So that would be one of the things that I would, I would say is
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super helpful in terms of on the day, one thing is to be on time.
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I have had suppliers show up late.
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Really late even.
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And that can be pretty stressful because you know, you don't really
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know when they're gonna get there, if they're gonna get there in time.
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If you need to start kind of thinking of plan B.
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So obviously, you know, timeliness is huge.
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Also introduce yourself to me.
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Obviously I try to, you know, introduce myself to everyone that comes into
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the building, but some, some suppliers will kind of just like immediately
16:21
go to their spot and like not really say anything or you know, and.
16:25
It's hard to build a relationship with someone who just is very much, you know,
16:29
in and out and doesn't say anything.
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I would also say, I mean, just.
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Treat our staff well as well.
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You know, it's not just about me.
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All of the people in RSA House are working really hard to make that couple's day
16:47
as magical and as perfect as possible.
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And obviously, you know, our staff are gonna be moving around
16:53
the building, setting up the things that they need to set up.
16:57
You know, if someone is slightly in your way or.
17:01
You know, just treat them with respect and courtesy.
17:05
You know, you should never basically be telling someone, you need to get outta my
17:08
way, or, you know, you need to do this.
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We're all working towards the same goal and obviously, you know, we just want
17:17
everyone to treat everyone with respect.
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You know, and courtesy, basically.
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And then, I'm just trying to think of anything else.
17:24
Just, those are probably the main points.
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It's really not, obviously as a supplier, you come in, you kind of
17:30
get your job done, you know, and, and then you're off on your way.
17:34
But just being communicative.
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Making sure that you get there on time and you collect, you know, if you are
17:40
coming in and collecting anything, you know, to do that when you say
17:44
you're gonna do it or by the, in the timeframe that, you know, we have.
17:48
But those are really just the key things.
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Just like, kind of be nice, like be nice person.
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Becca: I know, and it is so basic often, but also it's the things that
17:57
people miss out and they don't do, and then they wonder why they don't have
18:01
good relationships with the venues.
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And I think the point that you make about being kind and courteous to every
18:06
single member of staff is so important.
18:09
And that's something I'm really big on.
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I used to work in television and in the television industry,
18:13
everyone starts at the bottom.
18:15
Everyone starts as a runner.
18:16
Everyone starts by like buying meals and water.
18:20
But it's known within the industry that the people at the
18:22
bottom soon rise to the top.
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And so if you are rude and disrespectful to the people at the bottom serving
18:27
the food one day, they're the producers on the TV show, and you'll
18:31
never work with them ever again.
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And it's the same in the wedding industry.
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You need to be kind and courteous to every single person you meet
18:37
because they will feedback.
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And if a member of staff.
18:40
Doesn't like one of the supplies.
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I'm pretty sure they're gonna tell you about that.
18:43
So if you are listening to this, remember, be kind and courteous to
18:46
everyone you meet, because often the smallest act to any member of staff
18:52
will feedback in a positive way.
18:53
But if you are doing the opposite, it will feedback in a negative way as well.
18:58
Now, Let's get onto our next topic then.
19:00
We've mentioned it a little bit, which is your event that I came to where you
19:04
were talking about sustainability and how that's an important thing for your venue.
19:10
Why do you think now in 2023, sustainability is something that the
19:14
wedding industry needs to be focusing on?
19:16
Amanda: I just, I mean, I think that obviously the way that the
19:21
planet is going now is actually really scary, and I feel that.
19:28
It is up now to each and every single person on this planet to do their part.
19:36
And that doesn't just sit, you know, stop in your home and in your daily life.
19:41
It's for events as well.
19:44
And I think that, you know, the, in the weddings and events
19:50
industry, obviously there is.
19:53
Tons and tons of waste.
19:56
You know, you're setting up an event for one day usually, and at
20:01
the end of that there's so much just, you know, food waste, but then
20:07
also just, you know, product waste.
20:10
And if everyone that had a wedding.
20:15
Or an event, just thought a little bit more about one or two things that they
20:22
could do that were more sustainable.
20:25
That would make such a huge difference over all the weddings, all the couples
20:30
in, you know, all the countries, you know, it would, it honestly would make such.
20:35
A big difference.
20:36
And so, you know, we have to start making the change as suppliers, as you know,
20:44
venues, because I do think that the more that we put it out there, the more that
20:50
couples will actually think about it.
20:53
To be a hundred percent honest, when I was planning my wedding,
20:58
sustainability literally just didn't enter my mind really.
21:02
And I.
21:05
Wish so much that even some, someone had just like mentioned it to me and
21:10
said, oh look, if you do something like this, that would actually
21:14
reduce the carbon footprint of your wedding, you know, by whatever amount.
21:18
Or even just, you know, a little bit, you know, if you think about
21:21
this, that would really help, you know, the planet in whatever way.
21:26
And just having someone mention it to me would've really made me start to
21:31
think, okay, what, what things can I do?
21:34
And I think as a venue, we are kind of that first.
21:38
Stop usually for most couples.
21:41
And so if we can put it in their heads, if we can say, Hey, look, we
21:46
now offer this package that will really help reduce the entire, you know,
21:50
the carbon footprint of your wedding.
21:52
That's just something that then they get to start thinking about
21:56
and they can consider going forward.
21:58
And then they might think about that when they're hiring their suppliers, their
22:03
florists, their, you know, whatever it is.
22:05
And so, I think we are a great starting point for this, and I
22:11
think obviously all suppliers should be thinking about it as well.
22:14
Becca: I love that, and I love that you guys are trying to lead the way
22:17
on this, and I hope that other venues will see what you're doing as well and
22:21
start considering it for themselves too.
22:23
How are couples responding to it?
22:25
Obviously, you are on the ground, you're talking to couples,
22:27
you're getting inquiries, you're showing people around the venue.
22:29
When you talk to 'em about your new package, when you talk to 'em about
22:32
sustainability, what's the response?
22:34
How are people responding to that?
22:36
Amanda: I mean, I think people are responding overall really well to it.
22:40
I think it's something that even if it's not top priority for them to
22:45
make their wedding, like, you know, a completely sustainable wedding, I don't
22:49
even know if that's possible to do.
22:51
But I think, again, it's, it's something that.
22:56
They're like, oh yeah, that actually makes a lot of sense and that now
23:01
makes me want to consider your venue kind of even more because you do offer
23:07
this and there are options that we can, we can have that will at least
23:11
help a little bit, even if we don't.
23:13
Fully go all in, you know, with everything's gonna be sustainable.
23:18
You know, I think it's something that is really making people, couples think, and
23:23
I think it's something that, you know, is.
23:27
Is going to get more and more popular as time goes on, as the word gets out and,
23:34
and, and couples learn more and more.
23:36
I think it, I think it is something, I mean even for, for some couples,
23:39
it's, they come to us with, you know, these kinds of requirements and it's
23:45
really nice to be able to say, yes, we.
23:47
Fully, completely agree with you.
23:50
We share those same values.
23:51
We want to do everything we can to help, you know, plan your wedding in the way
23:56
that, you know, will, will help sustain our environment, you know, in the future.
24:02
But yeah, I think couples are really responding very well to it and.
24:07
Even if it's, again, like I said, not something that they had
24:10
ever really considered before.
24:12
It does give, you know, RSA house that little like, you know, tick above the
24:17
rest of maybe their other options.
24:21
Becca: And that's the same for suppliers as well.
24:22
I mean, it's definitely something that couples are increasingly
24:26
considering, especially the generation that's coming up now and starting
24:30
to get engaged and get married.
24:32
It is more on their mind than it has been ever before.
24:35
For example, I met a bride at the national.
24:36
Wedding show and she told me that she picked her photographer because on their
24:40
website it said that they planted a tree for every booking they took, and
24:44
that's what made them stand out to her.
24:45
Above all of the other photographers that were there at the National Wedding Show,
24:48
that one small thing resonated with her.
24:52
Got the photographer, the booking, but also was good for the
24:55
environment cuz they planted a tree.
24:57
So when you are looking at suppliers and what they're doing, and we talked about
25:00
earlier how you are now looking at that.
25:02
When you talk with suppliers who are interested in coming to work
25:06
at R S A house, what things are you looking for from suppliers?
25:09
What examples have you got of things that you look at and you think,
25:12
yes, this supply really understands?
25:15
Amanda: Yeah, so I mean, I think there are a whole lot of things
25:17
that, you know, suppliers.
25:19
Can be doing.
25:20
I think one of the things, you know that you just mentioned, the planting of trees.
25:24
We actually have a couple suppliers that you know are.
25:27
Are our recommended sustainable suppliers who are partnered with ecology, who, which
25:32
is a group that does plant a tree for every, you know, booking or whatever it
25:37
is that they, you know, set it up to be.
25:39
So that's definitely a big one.
25:41
Because we have in-house caterers, we wouldn't be looking
25:47
for, A caterer in that sense.
25:49
However, if, if couples are looking for caterers, some of the things that
25:53
they should be looking for are, you know, different awards that they've,
25:57
they've won, or certifications that they have from an outside, you know,
26:02
impartial group that's looking into their policies, what they're doing.
26:08
So for example, our in-house caterer company of cooks, they have
26:13
been awarded three stars from the Sustainable Restaurant Association.
26:17
And they also hold a number of other certifications, but they
26:21
partner with different groups.
26:24
So one of them is the too good to go and Neighborly, which distribute the
26:29
surplus food to different communities and individuals and so, so things
26:34
like that would be great to, to look at in terms of suppliers that.
26:40
There might not be, you know, a certification that they can get at this
26:43
point, but let's just say, you know, musicians, how are they traveling?
26:49
Are they, you know, traveling by, by plane to get to you by bus?
26:56
Can they take public transportation?
26:59
You know, things like that that are just things to consider.
27:04
I'm trying to think of other things.
27:05
So for, for florist, you know, what type of products are they using?
27:10
Are they still using that like flower foam that is literally
27:13
detrimental to the environment?
27:16
Are they using innovative ways to kind of repurpose flowers?
27:21
Are they donating flowers at the end of the evening to, you know, a local.
27:26
You know, hospital or nursing home or things like that.
27:30
There are so many different things that suppliers can be doing to just help
27:35
their business be more sustainable.
27:38
And so those are the little things that, you know, couples can be looking for.
27:42
Becca: And often it's just small changes.
27:44
They don't need to change everything in their business overnight.
27:46
It's just making small, incremental changes, seeing what they can change.
27:51
And I guess for you guys as well, knowing that that's important to them and that's
27:54
genuinely part of their values, not something that they're just saying to try
27:58
and get a meeting with you, but actually something that they're considering.
28:01
They know why they're doing it and they're really thinking it through
28:03
Now, just talk to me briefly then about this sustainability package
28:06
that you are offering a RSA house.
28:09
What does that look like?
28:10
What steps are you taking as a venue to become, better and to
28:14
improve your carbon footprint and how does that look for couples?
28:18
Amanda: Yeah, so the sustainability package really focuses on
28:23
how we're able to kind of.
28:27
Make the greatest impact, which as a catering company is obviously the food.
28:33
So our package basically contains a whole bespoke menu that has been created
28:40
for that package, which is not fully plant-based because we do understand
28:47
that, you know, this is, You know, a couple's wedding, it's a really big day.
28:51
Some people just wanna be able to serve meat at their wedding.
28:54
However, we've taken into consideration, you know, what kinds of meats are
29:01
actually much better for the environment because there's a whole spectrum,
29:06
you know, of different foods and the carbon footprint that is left by,
29:10
you know, that specific type of food.
29:13
So our menu has been really carefully curated and it includes, A section
29:19
that's plant-based, which obviously is always gonna be the best way
29:22
and the most sustainable option.
29:24
However, it then also has options for what we call better meat and fish.
29:30
And we're making sure that a lot of the, the food from
29:35
that menu is sourced locally.
29:37
You know, when possible and fully seasonal.
29:42
So all of these things that you would take into account, we also offer in
29:46
the package locally sourced wines from some, you know, amazing wineries.
29:53
And again, in the sense that these wines, they're organic, they're
29:57
biodynamic, and they are all locally sourced, so they're just a much better
30:03
option in terms of sustainability, in terms of the venue itself.
30:08
Now, obviously, anyone that gets married at RSA House, regardless of whether or
30:14
not, they decide to use the Sustainable Weddings package or the menu or not.
30:20
They're gonna benefit from the things that RSA House is doing as a venue.
30:26
And you know, a few of these things include having
30:30
target of net zero for 2025.
30:33
With all of the waste oil collected turned into biodiesel, all of our
30:37
food waste is collected by greener than greener, which uses the food
30:42
waste to turn into green energy.
30:46
Our kitchen is run a hundred percent on green energy, so
30:49
we have no gas appliances.
30:51
So again, that's something that every couple, no matter what they're gonna
30:54
benefit from, we've also converted the entire building to L E D lighting.
30:59
A lot of them are on sensor timers, so we've, we're reducing
31:03
our electricity consumption.
31:04
We're working towards even, you know, reducing that even more.
31:09
We also obviously are encouraging plant-based menus where we
31:12
can, so those are just some of the things that we're doing.
31:15
So the good thing is, is that even if you want to, you know, try and, and
31:20
not really consider sustainability, you know that much in terms of your
31:25
wedding, you're still gonna, you know, benefit from, from that by, by
31:29
having your wedding at r s a house.
31:31
Becca: I think it's brilliant and I love the way, as I said before, that
31:34
you are leading the way on this, and I hope that people listening will take a
31:40
look at your packages, whether they're another venue, whether they're a supplier.
31:43
Just have a look on their website, look at RSA House, have a look at what they're
31:46
doing, and see what you could implement in your own businesses to try and do this
31:51
as well, because together we're gonna make a greater impact than just individually.
31:56
Now, before we bring this, Conversation to close.
31:59
There's one question I always end every podcast interview with, and that's what's
32:03
one thing that you wish you'd known sooner within the wedding industry?
32:08
Amanda: Ah, yes.
32:11
So I would honest, I mean, honestly I would say that I wish that I
32:15
had known that this was a career path that I could, could take.
32:19
I wish I had decided that much sooner.
32:21
Known that much sooner.
32:22
Gotten into it, you know, Much quicker than I did because it's
32:27
just been an absolute blast.
32:29
And I know that now I've found, you know, the, the right place for me.
32:33
But honestly, I think in terms of, of what I wish I had known, there really
32:40
isn't anything in particular that's.
32:44
You know that, that I can think of that's just like, oh, I wish I had known this.
32:48
I feel like this job is a job where I am learning something
32:53
new every single day, and.
32:56
Especially every single wedding, there is always something that I'm
32:59
like, oh yeah, next wedding, I need to do this differently, or we should
33:03
consider this, you know, beforehand.
33:05
But I think that's what is also the best part of this job, because I feel like
33:09
if you've reached the point where you aren't learning anything and everything
33:13
is just, you know, kind of going Exactly, you know, as you think it should, and
33:19
you know, there's nothing new that's coming out of it, I feel like you're
33:21
just not challenging yourself enough and.
33:25
That's what's just so great about, you know, being in
33:28
events and being in weddings.
33:29
There's, there's always something that is just like, Hmm, yep.
33:33
Didn't think about that.
33:34
Oh yeah, that, that's a new one that's never heard that one before.
33:38
And it's what makes this job so much fun and also so challenging at the same time.
33:43
But it's, it's great.
33:45
Becca: We love it, don't we?
33:45
The Wedding industry is the best place to work, and if you're listening to this and.
33:50
Maybe you just have a dream of working in weddings or starting a wedding business.
33:54
It's never too late to come and work in this wonderful industry.
33:57
There's always space for you.
33:59
So do think about it because as Amanda said, like she wishes
34:02
she'd done it sooner, and I'm glad that you've done it now.
34:06
If people wanna find out more about r s a house, about the different
34:09
packages you offer, or about working with you as a venue, Amanda, where's
34:13
the best place for people to find you?
34:15
Amanda: Yeah, so the best place to find us is online@thersa.org.
34:23
That's T H E rsa.org.
34:26
And there, you know, that's our website.
34:28
You can find lots of information about our weddings, our
34:31
different spaces that we offer.
34:33
If you have any questions, want to see, you know, your different
34:36
package options, that would just be emailing me and my email address.
34:42
Is weddings rsa.org.uk and you can also call me and my number
34:49
is 0 2 0 7 4 5 1 6 9 5 0.
34:55
Becca: Perfect.
34:56
And I'll make sure that I put all of those details in the
34:59
show notes below this episode.
35:01
So if you did get a chance to grab a pen and write that down, you
35:03
can just go into the show notes and get in contact with Amanda and
35:07
let her know that you found out.
35:08
All about her via this podcast.
35:11
Amanda, it's been such a pleasure chatting to you.
35:13
Thank you again for having me at your event, our R S A House, and
35:16
I hope to see you again very soon.
35:18
Amanda: Ah, thank you for having me, and thanks for joining the event.
35:20
It was great to get to know you and thanks for having me on the podcast.
35:24
It's been a blast.
35:26
Becca: Chatting with Amanda was fabulous.
35:28
I hope you enjoyed that episode.
35:30
As much as I enjoyed talking with her, as I said all the way through, I think what
35:35
they're doing at R S A House is great.
35:37
I love that they're leading the way in this sustainability, and I hope that it's
35:41
given you something to think about too.
35:43
I'll see you next week.