Looking towards 2016!

2015 has been a great year for me. Work wise I have again focused on sporting events with my roles at the Rugby World Cup and my return to Race Of Champions, both of which I am very lucky and privileged to have worked on and have led to some of the best moments of the year. I have also had the chance to go to many great music and theatre events, have a few fun holidays and meet some amazing people.   

Looking forward to 2016 I hope to have more time to blog and to attend/work on different types of events. I still want to focus on Sport but am also keen to write about other events I am interested in including film, theatre and music… plus there is the small matter of finding a new job in the event world! 

I hope to travel more, with a trip to NYC already booked for February (ahh!!!), my Glastonbury tickets purchased (help me) and with a few other exciting events also in the pipeline next year is already looking to be a good one.

Another activity to add to the pile is learning Spanish, which I have started to take more seriously in the last few weeks. As I have mentioned before, a second language in the events industry can often be the decider between candidates and opens up many more opportunities. At the moment I am learning through online courses and the iPhone app DuoLingo (www.duolingo.com) which I am finding very helpful and have heard great things about. If anyone knows of any good online courses or apps etc for learning a second language please let me know. This also means I should definitely plan a trip to Spain next year to practice, right!?

There are plenty of other goals I have for 2016 which I won’t bore you with but for now I am going to enjoy the holidays and get excited about Christmas! Let me know what your goals are for 2016, I would love to hear them!

Race Of Champions 2015

One of my favourite events I have been a part of is The Race Of Champions Motorsport event. My first time working on ROC was last year in Barbados and I returned again this year to the Olympic Stadium in London.

For those of you who don’t know, Race Of Champions is an event held at the end of the motorsport season (or almost at the end as was the case was this year!) where the world’s best drivers in various disciplines race against each other in identical cars to find out who is the champion of champions. (www.raceofchampions.com) It’s been held in famous stadiums all over the World from Thailand to Germany to France and this year made a return to London.

Not being a huge fan of motorsport myself even I knew most of the drivers this year, with the line up including Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo and last years winner David Coulthard.

The reason I like Race Of Champions as an event is because there is something for everyone, from the die hard motorsport fan to your average Jo like myself who is easily entertained by the FMX stunt bikes or comical celebrity rounds. It’s not just about one car or one driver but about celebrating Motorsport as a whole…whilst basically having a big party!

A highlight for me this year was the final ever race by Susie Wolff before her retirement. Even though I was not overly familiar with her career it was great to see a female driver hold her own in a typically male dominated industry who will hopefully inspire a new generation of female racers. I also got the chance to be driven round the ROC track by none other than Daniel Ricciardo which was pretty damn cool to say the least... but something I would be happy not to repeat again!

Being a part of Race Of Champions for me however is not just about fast cars and exciting stunts. It’s about bringing together a group of dedicated and experienced event professionals from all over the world to put on an amazing show. Through ROC I have made friends from all over the World who’s normal day jobs range from motorsport, to PR to other jobs which aren’t even remotely linked to the sporting industry. It will always be a favourite event of mine and I can’t wait to see where it will be held next year.

Rugby World Cup 2015

We did it!!!


Well, I can’t believe I am writing this…but that’s it over. The 2015 Rugby World Cup has finished, the teams have gone home and I am ready to leave the office.

This has been an incredible year, I have so many memories and have made so many new friends that it’s hard to even put into words.

A highlight for me has to be when I was asked to carry the All Blacks flag on to the pitch for the final, standing next to the team as they sang their national anthem and the red arrows flew over our heads. Right at that moment I had a good feeling that the All Blacks were going to go all the way… and they did! It was a well deserved win from the best Rugby team in the World.

Another highlight, which will probably go down as the best sporting event I will ever attend was the Scotland v Australia game. Although we were robbed I can’t begin to describe the atmosphere and the pride I felt standing with my fellow Scots singing The Flower of Scotland. It’s a day I’ll never forget.

I am so incredibly lucky to have been a part of the England 2015 team, putting on what has been hailed as the Best Rugby World Cup ever. Sure there was blood, sweat and many tears but it was all immediately worth it when Richie McCaw lifted that trophy. The endless hours in the office, manic phone calls during the pool stages and having no life outside of Rugby was tough but not as tough as having to let it all go. One team one dream was our motto and what a team it was!

I have learned so much, met the most inspiring people and have had an experience I will remember forever. As they say, all good things must come to an end and although I am devastated to leave behind some great people I have no doubt that we will all work together again somewhere in the World, hopefully putting on another event as good as the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Six Day Cycling - London

Last night I was lucky enough to be invited to attend day 4 of the Six Day Cycling Event held at the Lee Valley Velodrome within London’s Olympic Park.

The Six Day event is, as it sounds, 6 days of competitive track cycling featuring some of the World’s top riders. Having absolutely no knowledge of cycling it was very interesting to see the different types of races which included the Madison, Elimination, Derny, Team Trial and Super Sprint. More information about each type of race can be found here on the event’s website, as I don’t think I could explain them if I tried! My personal favourite was the Derny, mostly because of the comical mopeds which each rider followed around the track.

The event however was not just about cycling. The Ministry of Sound DJ and dramatic club-style lighting created a party like atmosphere throughout the event, providing entertainment and drama for non-cycling experts like myself. I have to say the music was fantastic, though I did feel at some points I was in a club in Ibiza (or watching a very intense spin class!) not at a cycling event – but hey I loved it!  There was crowd interaction and screens linking to social media so everyone could get involved and there was also plenty of food and drink on sale as the event was on for a good few hours!

Overall it was a great evening out and it was good to get away from the Rugby World Cup madness for a night. The crowd had a great time and although not at full capacity everyone had a lot of fun -  I imagine the final days of the event will draw the bigger crowds. There weren’t a lot of young kids or families at the event, which may be because it was on a school night and having done some research the tickets are quite pricey. Having said that it’s a fun and different day out which appeals to sports and non-sport lovers alike, there is something for everyone at the Six Day event and I would love to return in the future. 

The riders in action 

Lee Valley Velodrome 

RWC 2015 - Half way through!

Well I can’t quite believe it, but we are half way through the England 2015 Rugby World Cup tournament.

It’s been a great tournament to date - the venues look amazing, the teams are happy and there have been a few surprises and upsets along the way (Japan beating South Africa being a highlight!)

Although it’s a bit disappointing for the host nation that England aren’t through to the next stage the spirit of the tournament is still present across the entire country. Almost every pub you pass has rugby balls, bunting and television screens showing the matches and spectators are still turning out in their thousands to watch the games.

There’s less than 3 weeks until the final which is both exciting and terrifying. Exciting as I can’t wait to see who has qualified and experience the atmosphere at Twickenham on October 31^st, but also terrifying as it means my time at England 2015 is coming to an end.

Whilst I don’t want to think about it too much, realistically I need to start planning what I am going to do next and where I want to go. Answers on a postcard please as I have no idea. As much as I love events I always forget about that sad/sick feeling you get when you know the event is going to end and you will have to leave behind the amazing team that you have spent so much time with!

But for now I am going to enjoy the time I have left here at England 2015 and there is plenty more action still to come. I honestly have no idea who is going to be in the final and I can’t wait to see which team will be lifting the Webb Ellis Cup at the end of the month!

Australia v England at Twickenham

Australia v Wales at Twickenham 

Rugby World Cup 2015

Well after months of planning, hours of hard work, blood, sweat and tears the 2015 Rugby World Cup is finally underway!

It feels very strange to think that it’s actually here and that the matches have begun, it’s a day most of us in the office couldn’t even imagine!

The opening ceremony was amazing and the atmosphere in Twickenham was incredible. New Zealand's new and improved Haka made amazing viewing and was followed by a dramatic win by Japan over South Africa, already proving that this will be the most exciting and the best Rugby World Cup ever.

There are some highly anticipated matches coming up in the next few weeks, not to mention my home nation of Scotland making their debut, against none other than Japan so that should make for a very interesting match!  

Being a part of something this big, which unites people all over the World is a once in a lifetime opportunity which I am so grateful for and am honoured to be even a small part of. I can’t wait to see what the next few weeks have in store, who knows what will happen! All I do know is that I am so incredibly lucky and proud to be a part of this team and I know that this will be a tournament to remember.