This is a Q&A with Sophie Fairclough, Promotions Director at Tatler.

For those of you unfamiliar with Tatler, the society magazine was first published way back in 1709, and according to Conde Nast (its owner and publisher), “Today, more than 300 years later, Tatler magazine is published both in print and digitally, with a new dynamic website focusing on parties and people. Tatler’s powerful mix of glamour, fashion, society, features and fun make the brand unique.”

It has a readership of 190,000 and a circulation of 84,383.

So Sophie, what kind of events do you run?

Tatler runs events such as reader shopping events, wine tasting evenings, the Bystander Ball for teens, Tatler Schools Guide conferences and exclusive dinners.

Why do you run events?

Events allow Tatler to give something extra to our readers. They allow brands to access our discerning audience and encourage our readers to interact and meet the editorial team, learn something new or access somewhere they wouldn’t normally be able to go.

How long have you been running them?

Tatler has been running paid for events for over twenty years.

How many people work on your events? Is it a dedicated team?

At Tatler we have a team of three working on reader events and an events planner and co-ordinator for our editorial functions.

How long does it take to run a single event, from concept to completion?

For a reader event it takes four months from starting the project to the actual event and for a large editorial event or party it can take up to a year to finalise all the plans.

How do you ensure your events live up to your brand ideals and editorial voice?

The brands and venues that we partner with for reader events are usually brands that we have long standing relationships with and those that we know are aligned with Tatler and the audience that they attract.

We always ensure that our event partners are aware of the high standards that our guests expect, and often have editorial presence at the event through trend talks, editors picks, etc.

Your readership is generally quite wealthy and sophisticated, what kind of experience do they expect at a Tatler event and how do you deliver it?

Tatler readers expect the best so we have to make sure we deliver this at every event. In order to do this we offer a money can’t buy experience as part of any event whether that be seasonal trend talks from our editorial team, talks from London’s top chefs, access to private venues or exclusive Tatler discounts.

Do you see the number of events you run increasing in the future (and why)?

Events are increasingly popular amongst advertisers as a way of generating footfall and encouraging spending within a special, bespoke environment, however we try not to inundate the readers with too many dates for their diaries and so cap the number of events that we host.

What would be your number one piece of advice to other publications looking to run an event for their readership?

Make sure the event is worth paying for and they can’t access the same experience elsewhere.