Gay Introduction Agency Events Organiser For Sale

Business description

Long Established, Gay Introduction Agency & Events Organiser

This very successful business offers a professional, confidential and personal social events and introduction service for gay clients wishing to enhance their social life, or hoping to meet someone special.

Established in 1994, the business, focusing on the Greater London area, is one of few catering exclusively for the professional gay marketplace. It has developed an enviable reputation brought about by a real passion, attention to detail, and a high level of personal service.

The business hosts regular events at upmarket venues. Members are personally invited to each event, where individual personalities are matched, to ensure a good social ‘mix’.

Events range from dinner parties and Sunday lunches, theatre trips, opera and ballet evenings, wine & food tastings to black tie balls. Membership is drawn from a wide range of occupations. However, most members are ‘professionals’, typically working in the City in investment or retail banking, the law, accountancy, management consulting, information technology and the civil service. There are also members from other professions including doctors, dentists, musicians and politicians.

The common factor across the whole membership is that clients are discerning, intelligent and sociable individuals who are looking to spend time with like minded people, without the pressure of the ‘club scene’. Members typically join to make new friends and seek partners. It is particularly pleasing that since inception, many long term relationships have been formed, with many couples remaining active club members. Following the recent change in the law, a number of civil partnerships have also been announced.

The business is also sometimes asked to arrange private and corporate events outside normal club activities for members who recognise the company’s expertise in this area.


Key Strengths:

This business has flourished due to the attention to detail clearly displayed. It is the longest established business of its type and has outlasted all competitors. Furthermore, absolute confidentiality, and the extensive social events calendar, makes this a most comprehensive and successful agency.

Whilst long term relationships are developed through meeting people at events, most members join to make new friends in a relaxed environment. This works extremely well.
However, the best endorsement of this business is the many men who have contacted the club through a personal recommendation.

In addition to the income generated by membership subscriptions, the revenue generated by the very well attended events is substantial.

It should be noted that market research indicates that the business would be managed equally effectively by either gay or straight individuals.

Customer Service:

All new members are personally interviewed and profiled prior to being accepted. The current owner also ensures that members are personally known.

Property information

Location:

This business is currently operated from the owner's home address, and has a desirable central London mailing address which the owner is happy for the business to keep using via mail redirection.

Other information

Expansion potential:

This sale presents an opportunity to acquire an extremely well organised and successful business. It is easily run, can readily relocate, and benefits from low overheads. There is great scope to increase revenue and profits by establishing a franchising operation, and thereby providing a service in other major cities, especially Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, Birmingham, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

There are also untapped opportunities within the lesbian community.

The business is successfully run as a part time concern but may benefit further from a new owner wishing to offer it full time commitment, fresh ideas and energy to expand on this excellent foundation.

Competition / Market:

The business utilizes a professionally designed, maintained and hosted website, currently receiving some 102,000 hits per month. The business features on the first page for nearly all keywords and is typically within the coveted top five listed on Google™, Yahoo™ and msn™. This serves as the major marketing tool for the business. High class brochures are utilized and advertisements are sometimes placed in national broadsheets. Positive relationships are maintained with the main gay press, namely Gay Times, Pink Paper, Attitude and the gay section in Time Out. Positive PR is always sought and the business has been featured on TV and radio programmes including, Kilroy, Esther and Talk Radio. The business is a member of the Gay Business Association. The high profitability of the business is also a result of word of mouth recommendations, bearing strong testimony to the high reputation the business enjoys, and the extent to which its name is known throughout the industry.

Support & training:

The current owner will provide full business familiarization and training and is willing to continue to work within the business for an agreed length of time to ensure a comprehensive and successful handover.

Reasons for selling:

A stage has been reached where due to personal and other professional commitments the owner wishes to offer the business for sale.