Over the years, Lee has seen it all. One standout was the Champions League Final in Cardiff – a huge global event that Aesthetics was awarded just six weeks before kick-off. Normally, contracts like this come through months in advance, but Lee and her team had to move fast, accrediting hundreds of staff and then managing a significant number of staff withdrawals in the aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing. Understandably, many people felt nervous about working at such a high-profile stadium event so soon afterwards. Despite this, Lee’s planning ensured every role was still covered.
“We had all staff places filled on the day – proof that our planning and overbooking strategy works,” Lee explains. For every large-scale event, Aesthetics deliberately overbooks by around 10% to cover the inevitable last-minute cancellations or no-shows. The key difference is that this isn’t charged back to the client. Instead, Aesthetics absorbs the cost, paying those additional staff a minimum call-out even if they aren’t ultimately needed. For clients, it means total peace of mind: no gaps, no scrambling for cover, and the reassurance that their event will always be fully staffed without unexpected extra charges.
Then there are the unusual requests. From supplying a model in a spectacular hat at Ascot that ended up in the newspapers, to a request many years ago from a client who wanted only staff who were Capricorns. “It makes you realise how much times have changed,” Lee says with a smile. “Of course, we wouldn’t do anything like that now – but it’s one of those quirky moments that sticks in your memory.”
And some moments are unforgettable for their significance. She remembers staffing the Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations at Windsor Castle, supporting fitness instructors across supermarkets nationwide for a cancer awareness campaign, and even being part of the Pope’s visit to the UK.
For Lee, each of these moments is a reminder of how adaptable Aesthetics can be – and how much pride comes from making the impossible happen.
