A North Tyneside firm is set to create new jobs after its silent disco kits were hailed for helping couples save their wedding days in the pandemic.
Silent Disco 4U, based in North Shields, issued more than 4,500 headsets to eager customers in one week alone last year, when the Government pushed back the so-called Freedom Day and extended Covid restrictions.
It is now aiming to capitalise on its first full year of restriction-free trading by doubling staff numbers and increasing equipment levels. The firm has also expanded into a new base.
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Launched in 2019, Silent Disco 4U was on track for a successful first full year before the pandemic halted operations almost overnight in March 2020.
Adapting through three different lockdown periods, the business has weathered the storm well, steadily growing in spite of the lack of large-scale events throughout the past two years.
Helped by the business advisory team at the North Tyneside Business Factory, Silent Disco 4U hit a peak in the summer of 2021 with over 700 bookings for its silent disco packages in a month. With weddings unable to have dancing indoors, couples tapped into the firm’s kit to save their big-day celebrations with outdoor silent discos, to keep spirits high at a socially-acceptable distance until restrictions eased.
Expectations are now high for a successful 2022, leading to a new focus to increase staff numbers across the different business areas.
Will Lang, director, said: “Initially we felt with so many cancelled events last year, our entertainment packages would struggle to find an audience. The opposite happened – we had a 200% increase in sales year on year. People were socialising on smaller scales but still wanted a party atmosphere so silent discos presented the ideal way to really bring that fun element. Weddings were very popular and for those choosing to socialise or celebrate key events at home, silent discos were an easy option to set up and even easier to enjoy.
“Given the success of our silent disco packages and the return of large-scale events, we’re boosting our equipment levels by 40% to have more hire availability. In 2021 we expanded into karaoke packages for more choice as well as strengthening availability across our existing outdoor inflatable cinema screens for domestic and event use. We moved into a new 6,000 sqft warehouse space in North Tyneside last year to accommodate growth in the business and have started recruiting to double our staff numbers.”
