...Kimberleigh Lloyd, Sales Director

Breaking Clays with Kimberleigh Lloyd *** Kimberleigh joined Clays as our fourth employee and she has had a thrilling few years as Head of Sales before being promoted to our first Sales Director.***

What was it like when you first joined Clays?

Looking back, my first interview was far from conventional. I was pitched the idea of Clays by a classic startup CEO (sporting a free Camden top and shorts), our Project Development Director Gemma (who gets sh*t done), along with our very own industry expert & operational genius, Sexy Jon (yes, you read that right). They presented the vision of a new concept - virtual shooting in The City - with nothing but a prototype gun held together with tape and an abundance of passion for their concept.

After a ‘quick’ three hour initial meeting, despite having offers from some of the more established big players, I accepted the role of Head of Sales, and it has been the best career decision I've ever made.

How would you sum up the last two years?

Working at Clays has been the most inspiring, rewarding and challenging (in a good way!) chapter so far.

Why do you think Clays is a great place to work?

What sets Clays apart in the hospitality and entertainment sector is our relentless commitment to delivering exceptional experiences for our guests and colleagues. I can personally attest that there are no empty promises here - we have achieved what we set out to do on our journey so far, and in the way we said we would. The values of Clays are at the core of why I'm incredibly proud to work for this company. We put our people first, actively nurturing talent, which has led to over 30 promotions in the last 18 months.

It’s really exciting that you are going to be our first Sales Director. What have been your challenges and successes? Talk us through your highlights?

To date, I’ve been leading a fantastic central sales team, selling corporate events to companies from across London and beyond. It’s been wonderful to hear the overwhelmingly positive feedback to our concept, a little over our first birthday. The result? More than £5 million in pre-booked sales and counting! As well as the numbers, the sales team have been heavily involved in creating the CRM systems, and we’ve managed the integration with our reservation system, making it custom-built to our needs. Though this isn’t the glamorous part of working in events, it’s something I am hugely proud of as these systems have enabled efficiencies I would not have thought possible until now. When Tom, our CEO, suggested the possibility of automating contracts, invoices, function sheets and daily run sheets, I laughed…yet here we are… and I’m excited to see what the future holds!

And finally, what would you like to say to your team and colleagues in regards to your promotion?

Thank you to everyone who has supported me on this journey so far, and here's to an exciting future ahead!