When the going gets tough...

As we all know, events don't always go as planned... Expect the unexpected is a phrase which springs mind!

No matter how prepared you are, or how many scenarios you have thought of, there is ALWAYS something that happens which you can't prepare for, the 'unknowns' if you will. This often means you have to think on your feet creatively and quickly to find a solution. 

Below are my top 5 tips on how to react when the event doesn't quite go as planned.

1. Stay Calm - Getting stressed out and frantic isn't going to help anyone. As difficult as it is, take a deep breath and take some time to think logically. Making snap decisions which you will regret later is not the way to go.

2. Ask for help - Don't be afraid to ask for help from your peers, colleagues or manager, they will be able to help you. Remember you are all in the same team.

3. Think outside of the box - sometimes you have to get creative to find solutions. These can be a temporary fix to buy yourself some time or something completely new and unheard of!

4. Communicate - if an issue is going to affect multiple people be sure to communicate this as quickly as possible to allow everyone affected time to prepare and adapt. Think about who needs to know, what needs to change and how you can keep everyone informed. 

5. Learn - learn from your mistakes and from other people's mistakes. Think about what you could have done differently or what could be done to prevent this happening in the future. This will make you better prepared if you ever face the same situation again.

One Team One Dream!

Often when talking about events, especially large sporting events like the Olympics, people think it’s all about the sport, the broadcasting and the venue. Coming from a venue operations background I have been guilty of this myself, but there is so much more that goes into an event that people don’t realise.

Some of the functions that are by no means less important, in fact sometimes even more important, but often overlooked include:

Accreditation – getting everyone accredited for a big event is a mammoth job and one which requires a very dedicated team. Those passes with your horrible picture on them don’t just make themselves!

Accommodation – ever think about where all the staff and athletes/performers are staying? Probably not, but it’s a huge task to source and manage hotels for everyone involved in a large scale event.

Catering – well the food didn’t get there itself! From workforce to guests to spectator catering there is a dedicated team running it all.

Logistics – big events simple wouldn’t happen without a dedicated logistics team getting everything (literally everything!) where it’s meant to be. From tables to luggage to sport equipment, the logistics crew are the ones who have to make sure it gets there.

Overlay – temporary structures, lighting, engineering, building repairs. An expert team is needed to provide all of these things. These guys are usually first to arrive at the venue and the last to leave.

Spectator services – remember those friendly faces with the foam fingers at the Olympics!? There’s a whole team of people working day in day out to make that happen.

Transport – trains, buses, flights, taxis, cars… transport are one hell of a team!

Workforce – someone had to look after us!

These are just a few (and I mean a few) of the many many different departments and functional areas required to put on a large scale event. I didn’t even touch on Commercial, Press, Legal.. the list could go on for days! Hopefully this will help you to understand the scale of a big event like the Olympics or the World Cup and show that it’s more than just what is shown on tv.

Throwback Thursday - Glasgow 2014

Exactly one year ago today was the Opening Ceremony for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

I was lucky enough to work for the Organising Committee for the Games for almost 2 years so this was an exciting night for me and my colleagues! The blood, sweat and tears that went into planning the event all became worth as the ceremony began, then the teams came out and marked the beginning of what was to be the 'Best Commonwealth Games Ever'. Despite being absolutely dead on my feet I managed to get to the ceremony with some of my work friends and although it is mostly a blur I know it was a very special night.

I am very proud to have been part of this event, I met some amazing people who will be my friends for life and learned some invaluable skills. It was especially exciting for me having grown up in Glasgow and seeing the city come to life, I'm pretty sure I'll never have a job quite like it again in my home town.

Hopefully I'll have the chance to work on a big event like the Commonwealth Games again, you never know maybe one day it might even return to the UK!

An evening at the Cricket

Now anyone who knows me will know I am always up for trying a new event or activity.

With all the hype around the ashes, myself and 103(!) of my work colleagues went to the T20 cricket at the Kia Oval in Vauxhall, London. Despite knowing absolutely nothing about cricket, and not knowing who was playing it was a great evening!


The venue was very cool (despite terrible directional signage!) and reminded me of an American
Baseball Game, which are always fun! There was chanting, t-shirt cannons and fireworks - although the atmosphere wasn't quite as exciting as baseball it was a lot livelier than I expected cricket to be. It was also a lot busier than I expected, the venue was pretty much full, I never realised how popular and rowdy cricket was. I'm also learning that Pimms is a key staple at any English sporting event, I may as well get on board! There was me thinking cricket was just for old posh people..


Overall it was such a fun night and I am glad I went. I think it's always important to try new experiences, even if you don't think its your 'thing' - you never know you might be pleasantly surprised. 

Event Staff - There's always one...

There's always that one person in the workplace that annoys everyone else, and the event world is no exception!

This is just a quick list of the types of people you will inevitably come across when working on events….

‘Nosy Rosy’ – one of the worst things that can happen on an event is if yourself or a customer need to speak to a member of staff and you can’t find them because they are watching the event! Press tribunes, hospitality boxes and even in the spectator seating bowl are all places where staff tend to congregate to watch an event. Of course there is nothing wrong with watching a little bit of the event, it’s a perk of the job, but when it starts to affect your role this is when it becomes unacceptable – remember why you are there!

‘The fan girls (and boys!)’ – another issue that tends to arise is when there are celebrity guests present at an event. Now of course it’s ok to be excited or star struck and it’s ok to speak to them if the opportunity arises, however there is nothing worse than staff trying to sneak in to see celebrities and take selfies with them, it’s very unprofessional and you are better than that!!

‘Hungover Henry’ – yes there are lots of parties associated with events (especially long events such as the Olympics) and yes they are very fun to go to! However if you are working the next day please try and take it easy the night before, remember you need to be sharp and make decisions the next morning. Also remember you have to see your colleagues again the next day so try not to make questionable decisions. However, the wrap party when it’s over is a different story … knock yourself out!

‘The freebie hunter’ – please don’t steal event merchandise you’re not meant to have! I know it’s tempting and we’ve all done it but sometimes people take it a bit too far. Do you really need that life size mascot statue, or the emergency exit signs.. probably not!

‘The clock watchers’ – the event world is not your typical 9 to 5 job. Although it might say that on your contract we all know that during event time and the lead up to the event, things can get a bit hectic. Don’t be the guy who leaves at 5 on the dot the night before when there’s still so much to be done. I’m not saying over – do it, or work 23 hour shifts, but if you want a job where you can start and finish at the exact same time every day then maybe event life isn’t for you.

Hopefully you don’t take this post too negatively and you see where I am coming from! It’s not meant to be insulting, just accurate of the types of people I often come across during events.

Learning a language : The Event World

One thing which I very much regret is not taking the time, either at school or at University to learn a language. I was quite good at Spanish in high school, but as soon as I didn’t need to take lessons any more I forgot everything.

Granted, the language of most large international events is normally English, but you are always going to be at an advantage if you at least understand the native tongue. I am often annoyed at myself when I assume the people I work with in another country will be able to speak English when I have never taken the time to learn even the basics of any other language.

Speaking a second language is a huge advantage in the event world, it will put you ahead of other candidates with similar experience and it will allow you to explore more opportunities in the relevant countries. Hopefully I can find some time next year to properly learn a language, most likely Spanish as I at least have some background – of course finding the time is easier said than done but it’s something I think will really benefit from in the future, both for my career and for traveling. They also say once you learn one language it’s easier to pick up others, but one step at a time!

Unfortunately I am not sure that I'll be able to learn Korean before the winter Olympics!

Let me know if you have any tips or courses for beginners and if you have any advice about learning a new language.

Why I love short contracts

For some people, the thought of going from contract to contract is a nightmare, which I completely understand. There’s the lack of financial security,  buying/renting is difficult as you never know where you will be next and you have to be the new guy all the time.

Having said this, I love short contracts, moving from event to event and seeing the world. Granted I am young and don’t have much tying me down however there is something about diving in at the last minute which I find very exciting.

I view short contracts as anything under a year, it could be 8 months or it could be 2 weeks. The shorter the contract the quicker you have to learn and I genuinely believe this is the best way to gain experience in the events industry. Often on a shorter contract you are expected to hit the ground running and become a valuable part of the team immediately. Some people may find this daunting, especially as everyone around you is so busy that you often end up having to teach yourself. I find this both exciting and challenging and I believe I do my best work under this type of pressure. You need a can do attitude and a hard work ethic but the results can be very rewarding. Short contracts tend to be very intense and you are consumed by the event from the very beginning – this however makes them invaluable learning experiences and the old saying ‘you get out of it what you put in’ has never been more accurate.

Some tips I have picked up for shorter contracts is to research as much as you can beforehand. Know the event schedule, know the venue and learn as much about the organisation as you can. Once you start, try and get to know your colleagues – you are all part of one team after all. Introduce yourself, don’t be afraid to ask questions and always go for a drink after work if you are invited!

Of course I worry about what my next job will be, or what I should do if I am unemployed for weeks and I can’t pay my rent. I know I can’t keep it up forever and I will eventually have to ‘settle down’ but for the now the thought of a permanent job in once place is terrifying! Short contracts have taught me so much more than I learned in University and I have met and worked with some amazing people. So what I'm trying to say is do it for the experience and the people, not the security! 

The Importance Of Networking

Sometimes it’s unfortunate, sometimes it’s great - either way in the events industry (particularly the sporting events industry) networking is one of the biggest sources of recruitment. You've heard before but people will hire their friends and former colleagues or they will hire people recommended by their friends and former colleagues.

It’s not always fair and it’s not always the right decision but it’s something which is unavoidable in the industry. Getting a job in events is about luck, good timing and ultimately who you know. (of course a great cv and experience are a must too!)

I recently attended a talk by the founder of Sports Recruitment International who stated that almost all of the sports event jobs in the current market will use some degree of networking during the recruitment process. It’s a big industry but a small world where everyone knows each other and I have to admit that the last 2 contracts I have worked on have came around because I was recommended by people I have worked with before.

Networking should come naturally and not be forced. Work hard, talk to people, keep up with people after the event, but never force yourself on them, it isn’t an attractive quality. I have found that things often come up when you least expect them.

It’s not impossible to get into the industry without networking, many big companies do use traditional methods of recruitment – my first job at the Commonwealth Games I secured simply by applying on the company website. So don’t fret if you’re looking for a job in the industry, all you need to do is get your foot in the door and go from there.

Ultimately once you have a job in the industry your reputation is what is going to keep you there. You never know who will be working at the next organisation you apply to, so treat everyone with respect. My biggest pet hate in the events industry is people who only talk to someone they believe can get them their next job, someone they would never be friends with outside of work but go above and beyond to try and impress them, ignoring others they don’t think can benefit them in the future. This to me is not networking, this is (for lack of a better term) ass kissing and it can be spotted a mile away! Networking is doing the best job you can and being respectful of everyone you work with, talk to your colleagues about their future plans, meet up with them for drinks after work, go for coffee before a meeting – these are the things people remember and these are the small but significant factors which may help you get your next job.