Getting to Know - Last Night of Freedom

Company Name: Last Night of Freedom

Interview with: Louise Henderson (Content Editor)

Location/Coverage: Based in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. Cover UK and Abroad.

What does Last Night of Freedom do?

Last Night of Freedom organise the best stag and hen weekends in the world — not that we like to show off or anything! We have over 65 locations worldwide and endless activities, so we’re able to tailor your hen or stag weekend exactly to your specification. We also offer the UK’s largest range of stag and hen party costumes and accessories, with everything from the sophisticated and sexy to the rude and ridiculous.

How did the business start and how long has it been going?

We started back in 1999, when our MD, Matt Mavir, was a student. He set up the Last Night of Freedom website purely as an informative service, offering advice and inspiration to stag groups, but people kept contacting him and requesting to book their weekend through him and so he began with a small offering. Shortly after getting stag weekends off the ground, hen weekends were introduced too. The company has continued to grow and evolve — and we have no plans to slow down.

Who works at Last Night of Freedom and what are your roles?

I’ve been with the company for two years now and the staff numbers have doubled in just that time, making us a 50-strong team. Our events department acts as a personal travel service, talking to our customers to book and operate their stag and hen weekends. The costume and accessories side is always a flurry of activity. Our warehouse is on site and we have people packing and shipping orders and making personalised T-shirts (some ruder than we care to mention!) and we’ve added photography and film studios too, so you’ll often find a photo shoot happening for new shop products.

When we launched our new website we wanted to be bigger and better, but we also wanted to reinstate the essence of how LNOF began, by bringing back an Ideas section where we could inspire and entertain our customers. Our Digital, Content and Marketing departments work together to make sure we strive to give our customers the best possible experience when they come to the Last Night of Freedom website.

What’s it like working at the Last Night of Freedom HQ?

There’s a huge camaraderie in the office and so much passion; it’s amazing coming to work in such a hive of activity. Our office is open plan, meaning that all the departments overlap and work together. We also have the arduous task of experiencing our activities, so, you know, it’s a real chore having to go to cocktail making workshops, nude life drawing classes and male strip shows!

Being in the events business, we also know how to throw a good party. We had a huge do when we launched our new website and we drank way too much champagne and raided the warehouse. Our photograph is a result of wine-fuelled dressing up at midnight — (that’s me on the right). We were dreading seeing the photos, but when we looked the next day we decided that the suits were far too cool to offer only to stags, and just as many hens order them now.

What type of hen parties does Last Night of Freedom offer?

We understand how personal your hen night is, which is why it’s not a case of ‘one size fits all’. We have lots of packages of our most popular combinations for convenience, but we generally offer a bespoke service so that we can tailor the weekend exactly to your specifications. From serene spa retreats to sun, sea and sand, glamorous city breaks to full-on party resorts, there’s something for everyone.

What locations do you offer?

We offer over 65 locations across the world, from the UK to the Mediterranean, Eastern Europe to Las Vegas. We even offer the North Pole, but no one has been quite brave enough to take us up on that one yet…

What types of activities are available for hen parties?

We have over 5,000 activities across the world, so you have plenty to choose from! The traditional girly hen activities are as popular as they’ve ever been; cocktail classes, dance classes, nude life drawing and male strip shows. However, there are equally as many hens going for the adrenaline-fuelled adventure activities, such as paintballing, quad biking, bubble football and shooting. There’s much less disparity between stag and hen activities these days, which we think is fantastic.

Some hen and stag parties can be quite expensive; are there payment options available to help people with the cost?

Absolutely. It’s only a £50 deposit to secure the whole group booking and then each group member has a fortnight to pay £20 to secure their individual place. After that, it needs to be paid six weeks before travel, but it can be as flexible as they like. We set up an online payment system for the whole group to use too, so no one has to be chasing up people for money. A lot of people opt to set this up without the hen and everyone chips in for their place as well. It’s straightforward and stress free.

How long in advance should brides and grooms (or bridesmaids and best men) start thinking about their hen and stag parties?

January and February is our busiest period, as people get Christmas out of the way and then panic! Those bookings are almost always for the summer of that year, and as the year progresses people begin booking for the following year, but you needn’t worry about being that organised — booking a few months in advance is fine. However, the earlier the better for sunny locations abroad — availability isn’t an issue, but accommodation rates are cheaper the earlier you book.

What are your top tips for arranging a hen party?

Costumes and accessories aren’t just about dressing up — it’s the camaraderie and an excellent ice breaker, especially as there’ll often be a big group of you that don’t necessarily know each other that well. Get some special props or accessories for the hen too. With ice-breaking in mind, we have some hilarious games for getting the night going — Stick the Cucumber on the Hunk or the Penis Piñata, for example, never fail to get us in hysterics at the office. All in the name of team bonding, of course!

Where are the top five locations for hen parties in 2015/2016?

Our beloved Geordie homeland, a Newcastle hen party still comes out on top, with its reputation as a party city still going strong. The capital, London, is at number two. Sunny Marbella is in third place, followed by Dublin and then Barcelona.

What sets Last Night of Freedom apart from other hen and stag companies?

We’ve got 15 years of experience in the industry — so we know our stuff. We’ve arranged over 22,000 weekends and dispatched over 100,000 costumes and accessories, and have no plans to slow down. This place has so much energy, and everyone here loves what they do and is completely committed to giving our customers the ultimate last night of freedom.

Random question… What was the last thing you ate?

A Twirl from our CHUF Shop. We’ve been working to raise money for the Children’s Heart Unit Fund and held a sponsored 24-hour Salesathon recently where we all wore pyjamas to work and answered calls through the night. There’s been a CHUF Shop set up in our staff room and all the proceeds go to CHUF. As for a proper meal, we get pizza delivered to the office every Friday lunchtime and the Content team just wolfed an 18″ spinach, ricotta and pesto pizza between three of us. We’re going to need some strong coffee to stay awake for the rest of the day!