Why Trust Is Becoming the Most Valuable Currency in Live Events

Budgets are tighter. Timelines are shorter. Expectations are higher. And while audiences continue to demand bigger, better and more immersive experiences, the expertise required to deliver them safely and successfully is increasingly shifting down the supply chain.

For David Tunnicliffe, Commercial Director of GL Events UK, that shift is changing the role suppliers play within the industry and making trusted long-term partnerships more important than ever.

It is exactly why GL Events has continued to work alongside LOCK5 for so many years.

“We’ve worked with Rob and the team for a long time,” says David. “It’s a very open and honest relationship. I have a direct line with Rob and the wider team and there’s a huge amount of trust there.”

That trust has not been built on sales pitches or promises. It has been built through years of delivering under pressure, solving problems quickly and consistently making clients look good.

“The number one thing in events is reliability,” David explains. “Turn up when you say you’re going to turn up and deliver the job safely and professionally. That matters more than anything else.”

The Industry Is Changing Fast

According to David, one of the biggest challenges facing the events sector today is the gradual loss of experience within client-side teams.

As businesses reduce costs and restructure departments, many senior event professionals are being replaced by less experienced teams who need to rely more heavily on suppliers to guide projects from concept to completion.

“What’s happening now is that we’re working increasingly collaboratively with our clients,” he says. “As suppliers we’re needed more than ever to offer best practice and a safe approach. We can bridge knowledge gaps, identify risks early and help shape delivery.”

That creates enormous pressure on trusted partners.

“The challenge is finding suppliers who can genuinely de-risk projects, not just deliver a product. That’s where companies like LOCK5 become incredibly valuable. Innovation too, in product yes, but also in processes and culture, sustainability and social impact too.”

For GL Events, LOCK5’s ability to combine practical experience, operational reliability and transparent communication has become a major asset across a wide variety of projects.

“The attention to detail at quotation stage is incredibly important because our teams rely on suppliers like LOCK5 to identify problems before they happen. They’re very good at spotting gaps, solving issues early and making sure projects are protected operationally. This reduces the risk of unexpected variations and enables stronger budget management.”  

Experience Matters More Than Ever

While the events industry continues to evolve, David believes many of the fundamentals of successful delivery remain unchanged.

Experience matters.

Relationships matter.

And honesty matters.

“There’s a huge amount of value in working with people you trust,” he says. “LOCK5 are a very safe pair of hands. They consistently deliver, they communicate properly and they understand the pressures of live events.”

That reliability becomes even more important on fast-turnaround projects where timing, logistics and coordination are critical.

David recalls one major theatre project delivered on an exceptionally compressed timeline ahead of a fixed opening date.

“It was all designed and delivered within six weeks. Logistically it was hugely challenging, but LOCK5 handled it brilliantly.”

It is this calmness under pressure that continues to strengthen the partnership between the two businesses, as Rob Mackay, LOCK5 Founder & MD confirms,

"Twenty years strong; our relationship with GL is built on two things: knowledge and trust. Knowing their people, understanding how they want to deliver, and above all else knowing what they expect. If you understand someone's expectations properly, you can plan for them and meet them every time. It really is that simple.

It's built in the difficult moments, when you've had crew on site for weeks, it's 7pm on a Friday evening, and you're still there doing an additional item the client's client has just asked for. Those moments are where relationships are made.

David and his team are fantastic to work with. Responsive, engaged, and David genuinely values your opinion; he listens. He calls you back. He follows through on what he says he'll do. That's integrity. And in this industry, that means everything."

The Rise of Turnkey Event Solutions

The changing nature of the industry is also driving demand for more integrated event delivery models.

Clients increasingly want streamlined communication, joined-up thinking and suppliers capable of managing multiple stages of a project under one roof.

That is why LOCK5’s evolution into a turnkey event supplier feels particularly relevant right now.

From concept visuals and technical design through to fit-out, delivery and installation, the company’s expanded offering is helping simplify increasingly complex projects for clients and partners alike.

David has already seen the benefits firsthand.

“The visuals they produced for us were excellent, quick, accurate and professionally presented, and the quotation process was transparent and inclusive. You couldn’t ask for much more than that. We were able to present the concept to the client together, as a strong team fully capable of delivering against our client’s goals and aspirations.”

For GL Events, the appeal of turnkey delivery is not simply convenience. It is about confidence.

Confidence that projects will be properly managed.

Confidence that risks will be identified early.

And confidence that delivery teams understand the bigger operational picture.

“In today’s market, clients need suppliers who genuinely understand live events,” David says. “Not just creatively, but commercially and operationally too.”

Authenticity, Trust and the Future of Events

As sponsorship models evolve and brands continue to question where they invest their budgets, David believes authenticity is becoming one of the defining themes shaping the future of live experiences.

“You can’t manufacture culture,” he says. “Events need something real at their core. If the experience itself isn’t strong, no amount of marketing can fix that.”

It is a sentiment that reflects the wider shift happening across the industry: away from surface-level spectacle and towards meaningful, well-executed experiences built on trust and substance.

And in that environment, strong supplier partnerships become more important than ever.

Because while trends, technologies and event formats may continue to evolve, some fundamentals remain timeless.

Reliability.

Honesty.

Experience.

Delivery.

After many years working together, GL Events and Lock5 continue to prove exactly why those qualities still define the very best partnerships in live events.