A mutual friend introduced us to the lovely Katie Elliott of Wild Goat Events at the end of last year knowing how much we both love picnics and travel. Wow, we are a little jealous of her years living overseas, especially Morocco. Get to know a little bit more about Katie and her journey below.
Firstly tell us a little about your background; Where you are from? What did you study? etc
I’m 31 yrs old. Born and raised here in beautiful Byron Bay. I have a Bachelor’s degree in International Business, majoring in Logistics and Supply Network Management.
What are your biggest inspirations in life right now?
I’m always inspired by my surrounds. Byron Bay’s natural beauty is a huge inspiration for me, I absolutely love this place and I have tried to create experiences that ensure people visiting our beautiful town have the best experience possible here. I’m constantly drawing inspiration from past travels and daydreaming of far away places that I’m yet to visit.
Where have you travelled and where is your favourite place in the world?
I spent most of my 20’s either studying or travelling. I’ve been lucky enough to live and work overseas on a number of occasions. My first foray into travelling was a round the world trip at 19 through North America, Europe and Asia backpacking. A couple of years later I spent a year in Spain working on the super yachts, followed by four months in Morocco. At 24 I did my first solo trip to Brazil and fell in love with the culture, language and people. I was lucky enough to return a couple of years later on an exchange semester with my degree, which helped cement my understanding of the Portuguese language (this has come in handy as my partner is Brazilian, so we swap between English and Portuguese at home). After graduation, I moved over to Marrakech for a year to hone my event planning skills working with Boutique Souk. Then, I returned home and launched Wild Goat Events in late 2016.
How did you get into the art of pop up picnics?
I love creating intimate experiences. A pop up picnic was a natural progression. I love how a romantic picnic experience can be created in any location, at any time.
What do you love most about your work at Wild Goat Events?
I love how creative it lets me be. It constantly challenges me in so many ways, I’m forever trying to work out new and improved ways of designing guest experiences, and I love to add in as much detail as possible. Each and everyone of our events is uniquely tailored to that particular guest. It’s pretty special creating these unique experiences for people, who I know will look back on them for years to come. I’m a big believer in spending money on experiences, not things. I try to create events that I know I would love to experience myself.
What should we look for when scouting a memorable picnic location?
A beautiful sunrise/sunset location.
What are your essential items for a picnic?
A beautiful, waterproof picnic rug (Wandering Folk of course), a nice bottle of red and some background music for ambience.
What are the greatest lessons you have learned from throwing so many gorgeous picnics?
Only picnic in wet-weather if you can stay dry and warm throughout (...under a verandah, in a tent etc and watch the rain fall). They’re no fun in the rain!
Do you personally prefer sunrise or sunset picnics?
I love sunrise. There’s something magical about starting your day purposefully, with all of the hope of things to come.
Any memorable moments you wish to share from your work so far at Wild Goat Events?
We did a pretty magical proposal this week. It’s fun as the business is growing, to have the opportunity to work with other amazing local vendors.
