Event's company secures additional £350,000 in Business Loans to boost long-term growth
- Mar 10
- 7 min read
Updated: Mar 20
ProVis Events are a Northampton-based custom exhibition and event management company with nearly seven years trading history. They have worked with First Enterprise since their initial Start Up Loan in 2019.
A period of rapid growth pushed ProVis’ existing infrastructure to its limits and additional funding was required to meet:
Increasing customer demand
An expanded workforce
New equipment purchases
Marketing outreach
Existing debt refinancing.
Since 2019, ProVis Events have received funding from a combination of Start Up Loans and Business Loans, including a:
£50,000 in Start Up Loans (split equally between the two directors)
£95,000 Business Loan in July 2019
£100,000 Business Loan in March 2024
£250,000 Business Loan in September 2025.
ProVis initially struggled to find funding options through mainstream banking, yet First Enterprise were able to help
In 2019, Sharese and Kevin Gascoigne were approached about buying an events company. Instead, they saw an opportunity to start their own.
Sharese had studied business and possessed strong strategic planning skills, which complimented Kevin’s management experience gained from years working Motorsports events.
They initially had trouble sourcing funding, saying: “When you go to traditional banks or other lenders looking to apply for a loan, it quickly becomes a box ticking exercise.
“They don't take the time to look at the business idea and the people behind the application. They just look at their computer saying “no”, because we haven't met some kind of criteria, and don’t consider the human aspect.
“At First Enterprise, there was an open dialogue in addition to reviewing our documents and statements. It was a more open minded and refreshing process.
“They wanted to understand our business, our goals, and how we planned to reach them. They considered multiple factors rather than just simple figures.
“We felt seen and listened to in a way we didn’t with traditional lenders.”
After presenting their concept for a custom exhibition and event management company to First Enterprise, Sharese and Kevin were able to secure an initial £50,000 Start Up Loan (split between the two directors at £25,000 each) and a £95,000 Business Loan paid out between July and August 2019.
The First Enterprise Business Advisors, Investment Managers, and Underwriters looked at factors beyond just personal affordability. They got to understand Sharese and Kevin as people, carefully reviewed their business plans, and accessed their cashflow forecasting before making a human-led decision.
No algorithms. No AI. Instead, thorough research, careful assessment, and a process of getting to know the individuals involved.
ProVis emerged from a tricky beginning to establish a successful, and rapidly growing, event’s company
Sharese and Kevin used the initial funding to:
Setup their offices
Purchase machinery
Buy raw materials
Cover cashflow for the initial six months of trading.
However, less than a year into trading, the world came to a standstill due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The events space was heavily impacted and ProVis needed to quickly adapt in order to survive.
Sharese discussed the challenges the pandemic presented, saying: “We'd only been actively trading for six months before the pandemic hit.
“As a recently established start-up company, we didn't have enough trading history to access any grants. So that was a really, really difficult time for us because in the events business, you tend to work six months in advance.
“We had just started servicing our order book that we had been working the previous six months on. The events had just started taking place and money was finally coming into our accounts, and then obviously we couldn't operate anymore. It all came to a standstill and that was really hard.
“Even following lockdown ending, the events industry took much longer to bounce back than other trades. We wanted to adapt and figure out ways to be more resilient. So, we diversified and started making outdoor structures for gardens, small ad hoc jobs, and some HS2 contracts. That revenue helped keep our doors open.
“First Enterprise helped a lot as well. They were fantastic and helped relieve the pressure on us. They allowed us to pause repayments of the loan and provided us with ongoing advice and support during the tricky financial period.”
Eight months after resuming normal trading, ProVis hit its five-year financial targets
Growth came unexpectedly quick due to a surge in customer demand. Soon, ProVis were experiencing new issues with increased demand being more than their existing infrastructure could handle.
In Sharese’s words: “We had grown very quickly. We needed to invest in further software for the company to support the designers with things like CAD designs and technical drawings.
“We needed to get more people employed in the company to help us meet demand. And then obviously we needed to invest in further machinery and things like that as well.
“Ultimately, we needed “more” to service the work that we had coming in, and operating how we were, we had begun to lose out on money as we weren’t operating efficiently.
“I think for any sort of director, sometimes when things happen, it's really difficult to step out and work “on” the business rather than “in” the business. I think that over that eight-month growth period, we were left firefighting because things came in so much quicker than we had anticipated.
It was literally week by week, just going up and up and up.”
ProVis was missing out on money as they weren’t able to keep up with demand, and resulting inefficiencies also saw potential losses creep in. They required additional funding to resolve issues, expand the company, and continue on towards long-term growth goals.
ProVis Events came to First Enterprise to secure £350,000 across two additional Business Loans
Sharese and Kevin took out a £100,000 Business Loan in March 2024 and then a subsequent £250,000 Business Loan in September 2025 to deal with their growing business’ new requirements and to refinance an existing high interest loan with a third party.
These loans enabled ProVis to:
Recruit two new full-time salespeople to help manage increased demand
Invest in marketing initiatives, including redesigning their logo and refreshing their website, in order to reach even more customers
Reduce hire costs by purchasing a van for the business
Purchase essential raw materials
Support ongoing trade with vital working capital
Refinance a third-party high interest loan, shrinking their monthly repayments, as well as reducing their overall exposure by 63% after 6 to 12 months.
Suddenly, they were no longer “spinning plates”, but instead in a position to seize new business and continue to hit their year-on-year revenue growth.
First Enterprise offered Sharese and Kevin support, guidance, and a people-focused application procedure
Sharese spoke to us about her experiences working with First Enterprise and her designated advisor, saying: “I spoke with our advisor, Matthew, a lot, and he was fantastic. He was very supportive. If there was anything I didn't understand, he was really helpful, providing guidance and highlighting potential issues that I might not have been aware of.
“He talked to us like actual human beings, got to know us, asked us about our family, talked to us about business without jargon.
“He never talked down to us if we didn’t understand something, instead he looked to help us and guide us. It felt like he really understood us and our business.
“It was easy to come back to First Enterprise when we needed further funding, as they knew how we operated. It was a smooth and stress-free process.
“Starting again with another lender would have been very taxing and the existing relationship wouldn’t have been there.”
A Business Loan could be key to your own growth goals — get in touch today!
Sharese was asked to share some advice for budding entrepreneurs seeking funding. She said: “I always think you should start bigger than what you think you are. I think investing early in a lot of our key procedures and machinery helped us over the long term, but especially when dealing with short-term obstacles such as the pandemic.
“It enabled us to both cope with pressure and grow when there was an opportunity to bounce back.
So, when you’re starting out, think big. Put the systems in place and prepare for that future growth.”
If your business is experiencing rapid growth or you’re in the process of setting it up to expand, a Business Loan could help solve any short-term funding issues.
To discuss options, reach out to our investment team by completing our enquiry form or by calling 03456 027 355. They’re here to help guide you through the process and ensure you’re confident about any decisions you make.
ProVis Events aren’t resting on their laurels; they plan on making events more accessible
ProVis are launching a breathing space initiative, aimed at supporting people who are neurodiverse or disabled at events.
Sharese says: “The idea is to provide a stand with accessible booths that provide neurodiverse or disabled individuals a space to escape, decompress, take a moment etc at the event they’re attending. The booths will also be stocked with accessories to help people, such as tyre inflators for wheelchair users, hearing aid loops, hearing aid batteries, sensory packs, ear defenders, etc.
The booths will have changeable lighting and pull-down blinds to help relieve sensory overload.
The initiative is another benefit of being able to access further funding through our Business Loans with First Enterprise.”
We wish them the best of luck with their new endeavour.
First Enterprise is a responsible finance provider offering loans ranging from £500 to £250,000 to support both start-ups and established businesses across the UK. Since 2011, First Enterprise has lent over £96 million, with 5257 businesses supported and 8605 jobs safeguarded and/or created.
Learn more about how we can support your business.
