A long established event design and hire company is launching in Edinburgh.

Looking forward to an early morning shot of caffeine, I ask Sarah Crossley if she’ll join me in a coffee. Apologising, she explains that she’s in training for the Edinburgh Marathon Festival at the weekend. It’s a busy time for her. The following weekend, she is getting married. And she’s just a few weeks into a new job, as regional director of business development for events firm Blue Parrot.

Based in Edinburgh, Crossley’s appointment provides a long-awaited presence in the capital for the East Kilbride-based company. “It’s been great; the response has been really positive. We’re excited to be in Edinburgh and we’re looking forward to bringing our products and services to the city.” No doubt people will be struck by her energy and commitment; as well as the running, Crossley has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro; her and a friend raising £14,000 for a children’s cancer charity.

With 16 years’ experience in the hospitality industry, she will help deliver the organisation’s ambitious growth strategy as it aims to become the UK’s largest event hire and management company. She will be responsible for implementing a business development strategy for the Blue Parrot Events Company brand in the east of Scotland.

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Crossley worked for Hilton Hotels, where she was sales and revenue manager and latterly director of business development across Glasgow and Edinburgh. Previous roles include UK cluster business analyst at the Rocco Forte Collection and corporate partnership manager for Street League Scotland, where she was responsible for the development and delivery of a targeted corporate fundraising strategy for Scotland.

“With a long established presence in the west of Scotland, the time was right for the Blue Parrot Events Company to expand into the east,” said Crossley. “I will be working closely with director Greg Anderson, to promote and grow our sister event brands ‘Prop Me Up’ and ‘Table Art’ throughout the country. Over the coming years, our vision is to become the first choice in event hire, design and management through both our owned and franchised offices.”

Blue Parrot Events is an event hire, design and management company based in East Kilbride with additional offices in the midlands, south west of England and now Edinburgh. In 2014 it opened Scotland’s largest wedding and event hire showroom in followed by another dedicated to the Prop Me Up brand. Blue Parrot is also the sole Scottish distribution licence holder of the Table Art brand, supported by Hilary Devey as a director.

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Greig Anderson commented: “Sarah’s skills in identifying and developing new business opportunities in a high end sales environment, coupled with her creative approach will allow us to further grow our core brands Blue Parrot, Prop Me Up and Table Art. We want to continue to build on our existing relationships in the corporate and commercial sectors as well as seeking out new public sector opportunities.”

Since its inception in 2007, Blue Parrot has become one of the most comprehensive event companies in the UK, being the preferred event solutions supplier for many of the UK’s top venues, highly respected wedding planners and corporates. Clients have included MTV, British Airways, Ryder Cup, Commonwealth Games, The Brit Awards, Emirates Airlines and the MOBO Awards.

“We aim to continually impress our clients beyond their own expectations,” said Crossley, “through the innovation of the products we provide and through the service of our highly skilled and experienced team.” In recent weeks she’s has been helping with the redesign of the company’s website and marketing material, and a strapline for the company: ‘The imagination is the only limitation’.

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