About Us

Picture this; two best friends from university, living it up in New York City. It's 2009 and they're blown away by the endless nightlife knowledge of their hotel concierge. The following night, and after a few too many frozen margaritas, a business idea was born. The two friends decided they'd had enough of half-baked websites and the ever-present hassle of planning a decent day and night out back home in London. The UK needed a site to discover and unlock secret, new and unique city experiences, from events to bars and restaurants, but also, a site to help plan and book online, too.

And so... DesignMyNight was born.

The two friends ditched their corporate roles and worked their socks off around the clock to create the first version of DesignMyNight.com. Since then, we've launched in over 20 cities and towns in the UK, Australia and Ireland, have been acquired by powerhouse The Access Group and created our very own bookings and enquiries system, Collins, one of the leading ticketing platforms in the UK, Tonic and voucher software, Soda.

Helping you discover something new, whether that’s near you or beyond? We’ve got you, and so do our team, learn more about us below.

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Louise Agostini (Head of DesignMyNight)

Tweeting: Just for browsin'.

South London postcodes run through the blood of our bubbly company head, Louise. Joining the team to keep us all in check, Louise has a passion for all things fashion, knows all things tech leadership, and is never happier than when she's got a microphone or a paintbrush to hand. Lucky enough to take Louise out for dins? You'd be mad not to make a booking at The Crystal Palace Market. 

Alasdair MacKenzie (Ally) (Development Manager)

Tweeting: @allymackuk

Born and bred in Scotland, Ally moved to London in 2008 to start his career. He loves beer, takeaway and all things "healthy for the soul".

Katie Kirwan (Head of Content and Website)

Tweeting: @KatieDMN

It's Buffy marathons and an unhealthy relationship with Airbnb that make up the bones of our Head of Content, Katie. When she's not plotting staycation schemes (ask her for recommendations, she won't let you down), getting new tattoos or on the hunt for her next taco she's looking after all things growth, brand, SEO, content and website at DesignMyNight following a previous career in music journalism. 

Sam Robinson (Sales Executive & Account Manager)

Tweeting: @sam_CFC10

Born and bred in the home county haven of Hertfordshire, Sam joined DesignMyNight in 2014 working as part of our loveable Sales Team. He loves London, sport and boozin', and his main passions in life are football and the London nightlife scene. Which seems pretty convenient now we think about it. DMN Football Team anyone? Imagine how happy he'd be.

Chris Moore (Collins Sales Specialist)

Tweeting: Mo Twitter, Mo Problems.

Upon finishing his studies - and after a stint of travelling - Chris worked as a barristers' clerk for a whopping ten years. Luckily for us; Chris saw the boozy light and consequently joined the DMN Collins team in early 2016. He loves festivals, gigs, travelling and a good brunch. But he hates queuing. For anything. So if you're taking him out, for god's sake book ahead.

Leighanne Bent (Marketing and PR Manager)

Tweeting: @Lannie_Bent

Leaving Ireland straight after uni, Leighanne moved to London and joined DesignMyNight in 2014. She has a passion for noodles, chicken wings and more specifically, Irish coffees from Swift. To quote her directly: 'if you know, you know'. Focussed on heading up the Marketing & PR Team, you'll find her getting stuck into strategy for everything from social media to marketing campaigns.  

James O'Sullivan (Tonic Tech Lead)

Tweeting: @jmosul

Working as a Web Developer with our elite crew of tech-savvy superheroes, James moved over to London in Summer 2013, and joined us a year later! A well rounded young man, he's lived all over the shop, in countries including The Netherlands and Germany. His premier passions in life are cricket, rugby, Thai rum and bar crawlin' his merry way around London.

Cara Kelly (Concierge Lead)

Tweeting: Nay.

Joining the DesignMyNight bookings baes in July 2015, Cara has been on our fair shores for quite some time now, but she wont be forgetting fairy bread and her Aussie roots in a rush. Not only does she have a performing arts and ballet background, she once partied with T-Pain and Fatman Scoop, but she aint no video hoe. 

Debbie Richardson (Tonic Customer Success Manager)

Tweeting: @DebbieJaneR

With a background in hospitality and PR, Debbie spent two years living in Melbourne before joining DMN as our Ticketing Account Manager. Her perfect day 'starts with a Bloody Mary, and ends with a whisky', and - just as all adventurous women do - she learns all important, but undoubtedly-questionable life lessons from Lena Dunham's 'Girls'. You'll likely find her hustling around a pool table or sinking her teeth into any American BBQ-style meat she can find.

Svetlozar Stanev (Developer)

Tweeting: @iDuriel

Born in Bulgaria, Svet came to the UK with his family over 10 years ago and has now joined DesignMyNight as Developer. A positive dude who likes to live life on the chill side, not only does Svet consider himself quite the movie fanatic (try him, he's probably watched more than you), his love for pizza knows no bounds, consuming slice after slice like his chill life depended on it.

Anisah Audu (Managing Editor)

Tweeting: @anisah_ldn

Having previously dabbled in PR - working with some of London's best restaurants, bars and big brands - Anisah's love of eating, drinking and writing steered her towards a role as Managing Editor at DesignMyNight. When she's not Instagramming food, you'll find her watching The Office or chilling in a bar... north of the river, of course. 

Kate Thelwell (Tonic Customer Success Executive)

Tweeting: Nope.

So keen on DesignMyNight that she moved to London for the job (don't worry Kate, we're keen on you too), Kate is something of an adrenaline junkie. Not only has she run three half marathons and snorkeled in a crocodile tank in Australia, she's been around, living and working everywhere from American to Canada. Get in her good books by whipping up a pina colada.

Sam Ekins (Tonic Sales Manager)

Tweeting: Oh no.

Partial to a pint of prosecco (and head over heels for hummus) Sam is an adventurous Glaswegian lass who knows the globe a little better than most, having studied in both France and Spain. While Sam has joined us to further feed the beast that is our Tonic ticketing platform, we know her future goal is not in the tickets, but in the marrying of Gerard Butler.

 

Andy Crofts (UK Sales Manager)

Tweeting: Nerp.

Originally from Melbourne, Andy joined the DesignMyNight team to help with the growth of Tonic after years in the industry (he opened the first Dirty Martini don't you know). And while his love of margaritas knows no bounds, so do his brushes with death, having once almost crashed in an airplane flying over the Amazon. Is Andy a cat? Does he have nine lives? Jury's out for now. 

 

 

Lorna Wilcox (Business Development Manager)

Tweeting: Private.

 
An army brat hailing from Leicester, Lorna joined the Collins team to help look after regional sales. She's grown up in both Germany and Canada, and considers herself something of a ski snob. If she's not travelling somewhere cool at least once a year, she's not doing that year right. And while she's not in the London office that much, she's still a solid member of the team. 

Ryan Spencer (Australia Sales Manager)

Tweeting: Nah.

A whipped up blend of both Austria and Australia, it's not just a dual nationality that Ryan boasts, he also has a twin brother. When Ryan's not Parent Trap-ing the DesignMyNight team, and drumming up new business for our Collins platform in Aus? He's searching for his next destination to explore, thanks to an overwhelming love for sun, sea and sand.

 

 

Sean Anderson (Software Developer)

Tweeting: BouncySean

A 5-a-side fan and Aberystwyth graduate, Sean doesn't just have the smarts in the CompSci department, he's also here to get DesignMyNight's software options really going places. Sean may also be the culprit when it comes to the office drum and bass playlist, but we wouldn't pick a fight with him about it... not when he has a black belt in karate.

Lisa Moore (Email Marketing Manager)

Tweeting: No tweeting going on here.

Competitor for Marmite's #1 fan (wait for her pitch on a bottomless Marmite event, investors welcome), Lisa joined DesignMyNight to look after our email comms. When she's not splitting people in to their according love/hate groups, or deciphering open rates, she's researching big days out, learning Spanish, and bopping away to the best in 00s indie, draught cider in hand.

Jasmine Said (Collins Business Development Manager)

Tweeting: Blank space.

When it comes to hobbies and passions, our Collins Customer Success Executive Jasmine knows how to shake it up. Not only a Taylor Swift fan through and through (no really, they've met), you'll find Jasmine recording music, writing for her own newspaper column and undertaking a love of street dance. If you're lucky? She'll talk you through the magic of your star sign too. 

 

Lauren Cole (Editorial Assistant)

Don't let Lauren's love of napping and binge TV fool you, she's well travelled. From skinny dipping in the arctic to trekking in Norway, she's not shy when it comes to trying something new. With a background in arts and events journalism, we snapped her up for the content team, where she's whipping up top news pieces (when she's not donning a bucket hat and busting a few out at a festival.)

Olivia Turner (Business Development Manager)

Tweeting: Catch her on Linkedin.

Olivia may have once auditioned for Britain's Got Talent, and in her own words, failed miserably (first round first schmound), but she's a star to us. Joining the team as Business Development Manager, helping to spread the word about all of our premium products, Olivia can either be found giving it some welly at a festival, or watching Bridget Jones for the 1000th time. 

Jasmine Lee Kennedy (Editorial Assistant)

Boasting our beloved Brixton as her birthplace, with a pretty good knowledge of its bars and South London pubs to boot, we knew Jasmine (and her NCTJ in journalism) were too good to miss. When she's not talking to a professional about her addiction to chips, Italian food and chicken wings (we second that), she's addicted to her half staffy, half labrador rescue pup. 

 

Kavita Singh (Junior Editor)

Bringing us her expertise all the way from the Bronx in New York, Kavita not only keeps the content team topped up with tequila (her favourite bev) along with recommendations for some of the best Mexican and sushi spots around, she can be easily swayed by anything alpaca. Don't test her on her knowledge of The Bachelor though, you'll only embarass yourself.

 

Sophia Johnston (Business Development Manager)

Tweeting: Nerp.

Joining us from New Zealand after dominating all things volleyball (Sophia not only bagged herself a Florida scholarship, she's represented NZ in the senior women's team against Australia and Croatia), Sophia is a dab hand on our product sales team. When she's not giving us a run for our money on the court or at pitch meetings, she's keeping things global, having clocked visits to 12 (yes, 12!) countries in the last year alone.

Rianne Kenrick (Tonic Customer Success)

Tweeting: Nill.

Passions come in all shapes and sizes for Tonic Customer Success team member Rianne. When she's not reciting Mamma Mia, she'll be happy to discuss crisps (v important), share thoughts over a Jaegerbomb or whoop you on the netball field. Previously in corporate hospitality, we've bagged her for all things fun at DesignMyNight as she puts her event management and team skills in to play in keeping our ticket customers happy

Caitlin Hutton (Tonic Sales Executive)

When our sales executive isn't limbering up to let the UK know all about our ticketing software, she can be found down the gym or at an ice rink (having skated since she was 10 years old). Espresso martini lovers have a pal in Caitlin who is mad for 'em, and F.R.I.E.N.D.S fans can rest assured that when there's an episode marathon on, she's there. 

Layla Turner (Marketing and PR Executive)

A London and Soho fanatic on our marketing and PR team, Layla is a pro when it comes to getting out and about in the city. Not only should you be consulting her when it comes to the city's best brunch spots, ask her where to grab a strawberry daiquiri and she won't be short on recommendations. And while we didn't welcome her onto the team just because she has a two-year-old American bulldog... it helps. 

Abbie Leyton (Editorial Assistant)

Joining our ever-growing content and website team, Abbie not only brings her *excellent* writing expertise to the table, but a love of cheese too. When she's not making things better with feta, you'll find her dreaming of rescue dogs, swooning over cheeky terriers or baking in her spare time. Spot her at the bar? Fetch her a pornstar martini.

Kam Bhatt (Marketing And PR Intern)

East London born and raised, Kam might be comfortable with her local postcodes, but she's not shy a bit of an adventure. From living in America and working in Disney World, to joining us this year as Marketing and PR Intern, she's getting to grips with our Australian social accounts while sharing her love of all things brunch, pink gin... and BTS.

Tom Saunders (DBP Account Executive)

Joining DesignMyNight as our first ever DBP Account Executive (you want your restaurant/bar to be on our site? He's your guy), Tom fits in perfectly with the DesignMyNight content team thanks to his love of dogs and travel. While Tom may have climbed to the top of an active volcano once, there's just one thing that holds him back in life... his fear of sponges. That's no soak.

 

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