Introduction to the Royal Academy of Dance
The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) are one of the most influential dance education and training organisations in the world. With members in over 80 countries and offices in 36 countries, RAD are a charitable community that believe ‘everybody’ should have the opportunity to dance.
Cvent spoke with Sarah-Jane Lewis, Head of Events and Special Projects and Sania Akram, Events and Special Projects Manager, who are part of the core events team at RAD, running hybrid events, webinars and in-person events. “We are a global organisation, so there are many events taking place every day”, Sarah-Jane explains how these events can range from graduation ceremonies to fundraisers. Sania elaborates; “We really try to emphasize that dance is for everybody. That’s why events play such a big role – because we love to connect everybody”.
Building events with a budget
Being a charitable organisation, RAD are particularly budget conscious, especially with only three in the core events team. “Resources are always a constraint we work with”, Sarah-Jane explains “we draw within our network for those who might be willing to support”. This also helps to keep the events fresh, bringing new ideas and content so that attendees walk away with new insights year on year.
RAD launched 369 events across hybrid, in-person and virtual in 2024, with the help of Cvent support to ensure a smooth delivery of their events. “We’ve got to know [Cvent support] very well, I don’t think we would be able to do everything without that 24-hour support”, Sarah-Jane describes her experience with the Cvent team, “it’s crucial for us”.
Events that make a difference
The team at RAD strive to inspire with their events. “We want people to come away feeling energized, that they are a part of something with a sense of purpose and meaning – they will always be seen and heard at our events”, Sarah-Jane explains how, although attendee numbers and revenue are important objectives, the true success of their events is attendee experience.
With so many members, the team work hard to ensure this message is represented within this community and with any new members who join. “The growth plan is really to continue what we are doing and always listen to our members and spread our message around the world.”
This ethos is best represented with the Academy’s recently launched Teacher Awards, designed to recognise the incredible work dance teachers do around the world.
“One of our teachers was recognised for the work she has done within the cancer community, using dance as a type of therapy for those living or recovering from cancer”, Sarah-Jane explains how proud they are of their impact, “It was quite emotional for everyone, and we’re proud to recognise the amazing work that has been done”.
The Royal Academy of Dance have already launched many of their 2025 events with Cvent. Sania tells us about their ambitions for the next year, “we want our events to be a lot more far reaching, Cvent will play a massive role in that”.
