Liz Ackland
One-Way Ticket to Cannes: Pinstripe Suits on the Beach

" You can't just wish.

You have to make it happen."

Bringing the business and finding a new pace

With a laptop, a phone and an internet connection, Liz could run her business from anywhere. The focus changed: instead of organising events around the globe, she put down roots in Cannes, getting to know the Palais des Festivals, its congresses and its calendar on the ground. Her first MIPIM, a town suddenly full of men in pinstripe suits on the beach, planted the seeds of what would become a whole new client base.

But business on the Riviera came with a lesson in patience. Corporate life in the UK is direct and decisive; here, even arranging a meeting could take weeks. Liz's advice to herself says it all: "Liz, you've got to switch your pace, because they are not switching at all." Once she accepted the slower rhythm and explained it to her clients, things flowed. And there was an unexpected upside for a self-declared impatient doer: a healthier, happier way of living.

Five years ago, she made it official with Right Riviera, the French sister company to Right Venues. The status, correct contracts, invoicing and a local bank on board, and the kind of on-the-ground credibility that strengthened her relationships with local suppliers.

Something was missing in Manchester

Liz had what many would call a good life in Manchester: her own corporate event management company, Right Venues, founded 21 years ago, a small team, an office in the city centre, family and friends nearby. It was ticking along, but as she says herself, something was always missing. She hadn't yet found what "more" looked like; she just knew it existed.

Then work brought her to the Riviera. She touched down, saw the sea, and something clicked immediately. As she puts it: "I just felt this was my destiny."

The leap: a one-way ticket and a giant suitcase

Liz talked about the move for over a year and came up with just as many excuses not to do it. It took her sister Zoe telling her, in no uncertain terms, "you do it, and you do it now."

So she packed up, sold things, booked an Airbnb for a month and flew to Cannes with a one-way ticket and a giant suitcase. Her sister came out for a few weeks to help her settle, and Barbara, the Italian lady managing the Airbnb, became her first friend and guide to local life in Cannes. When her sister flew home, Liz cried for a day, then picked herself up and got on with it. Within a year, the Airbnb had become her first French rental contract.

Photos and visuals courtesy of Mimosa. All rights reserved.

COVID: starting again

Just as the business was really gaining momentum, COVID brought the live events world to a complete standstill for two years. With her partner stuck in another country, Liz faced the strange loneliness of lockdown in a place she had chosen precisely for its people and its energy.

She didn't consider going back to the UK. Government support, daily Zoom calls with family, and a surprise birthday call with everyone she loved carried her through. When events returned, some suppliers hadn't made it and relationships had to be rebuilt. But she came back, in her own words, even better than before COVID.

""Work is important, but it's not the ultimate for me.""

" I made a choice to live in a beautiful part of the world that is pretty much uplifting every day. I wasn't happy inside for a long time in the UK. From that respect, I'm a much better person."

What the Riviera means now

Ask Liz about glamour and she'll smile: it looks more glamorous on TV, and the famous people are mostly behind the scenes. What she found instead is a piece of paradise — five minutes from her door, at her beloved Midi beach, where a morning swim puts everything back into perspective.

She's watched Cannes evolve as an events destination — four consecutive awards as Europe's leading event city — and she's evolved with it: happier, healthier, more patient, with suppliers who have become friends and clients who greet her with a hug every March.

Her advice to anyone considering the move: research, visit, walk around, sit, listen — and reach out to people for support with the practical side. You'll know if it feels right.

Website UK: www.rightvenues.com
Website France: www.rightriviera.com

" From my first day in Cannes to today, I can honestly say I am living the dream."

About Liz

Liz is the founder of Right Venues, a UK corporate event management company, and Right Riviera, its French sister company based in Cannes, providing concierge, lifestyle and event services on the French Riviera for private and corporate clients.

A full transcript of Cecile's conversation with Liz is available here.

More Women Who Took Their Careers With Them

Unlike many guests who had to change professional paths after relocating, Liz moved her business with her.
If her story of transplanting a career to the South of France resonates with you, you may also enjoy Nita's transfer of a highly regulated architect career to France, Lizzy, whose jazz career continues to light up Riviera nights, Christine, a pioneer of Pilates barre and nutrition on the Riviera, Rachael, who waited for her profession to become legal in France so she could transpose it, and Flavia, whose advice as a transition and career specialist became stronger through relocation.

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Women, Career & Relocation on the French Riviera