Early years
We supplied our very first candidates under the brand name ‘hap’ way back in November 2016. A year later, we went on to supply around 50 major festivals and events with staff, including Parklife, Download and TRNSMT. We doubled that number in 2018 and sent bar, event, wristbanding and hawking professionals to some of the most exciting gigs in the country – The Rolling Stones, Jay-Z and Beyoncé, and Ed Sheeran, to name a few!
By the time 2019 rolled around, we had strong relationships with more than 200 festivals and events, and firmly cemented our reputation in this space – backed by an extensive database of people. While the vast majority of our work revolved around festival season, we quickly branched out into other sectors, providing businesses of all sizes with skilled workers, as well as an in-house training platform.
Then came 2020 – aka ‘the year that didn’t happen’…
The pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic presented various challenges, and while we’d be lying if we said it didn’t affect us, it gave us a unique opportunity to mature and develop in other key sectors. As with many other businesses, we adapted and adopted virtual tools and processes so that we could continue to onboard staff and deliver an exceptional level of service to clients.
Our team even helped support the fight against COVID-19 by staffing multiple test centres across the country. We prepared the new team members through an online platform before conducting on-site training to ensure the job was carried out safely and professionally. In total, we deployed over 400 workers across more than 20 testing sites.
This wouldn’t be possible without the hard work and dedication of our onboarding and staffing team – so a huge amount of kudos goes to them! And, of course, the amazing efforts of our 250,000-strong workforce.
Looking ahead
We’ve gone from a very seasonal business to one that’s capable of supporting key sectors all year round. While festivals and events will always be central to what we do, we’re committed to delivering the same quality staffing solution across other areas, including hospitality and stadiums.
“The last five years have been a rollercoaster, to say the least,” said our Operations Director, Kieran Porter. “We went from four people sitting around a kitchen table working out how to do a few festivals to supplying over 200 a year – all with a pandemic and Brexit in between! 2022 is going to be the biggest festival season to date and we cannot wait to be a part of it.
“With hap’s continued growth in stadiums, hospitality, warehouses and stewarding, the next five years will be an exciting ride. Going from those four people to 50 full-time office staff in just five years brings a huge amount of pride, and I want to thank everyone that has helped us along the way.”
If you’re a business searching for skilled staff – or a job seeker looking for flexible work – there’s never been a better time to get in touch!
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