Dealing with the Post-Event Blues!

One of the major down sides of working in events is the dreaded post event blues. You’ve worked tirelessly for months on end, made friends for life and have experienced almost every emotion possible and then just like that it’s all over. Everything you have worked so hard for is suddenly irrelevant and people have moved on.

It’s a horrible feeling and one that unfortunately comes with most big events! You actually miss waking up in the middle of the night worrying about barriers, miss the sound of your radio being constantly in your ear and you miss seeing your friends and colleagues every day. It’s especially difficult if you’ve had a longer contract and spent the last few years of your life dedicated to making it happen, only for it to end and you have no idea what to do with yourself or your new found time.

Now if you’re extremely lucky you may have a few days of rest then have another job lined up but for a lot of event professionals, one job can finish and you have no idea what you are going to do next. It’s a horrible feeling and one which unfortunately never gets any easier!

London 2012 closing ceremony

I wish I had some magic advice to help beat the post event blues but for me it happens every time I finish a contract, even on particularly difficult events. The only recommendation I have is to try and plan ahead - make sure you can support yourself financially and try where you can to start looking for a new job before your current contract has finished, even if it just means sending an expression of interest to future events. Keep an eye out for job postings and talk to your colleagues about their future plans, it might inspire you. 

Every time you finish a great event you find yourself wondering if you’ll ever have a job as fun again, or a team as supportive again but you just have to pick yourself up and start looking for new challenges. What I would say is to make the most of your time, look for new opportunities, perhaps ones you have never even thought of before. Get up early and use your time wisely, don’t sulk all day watching daytime TV and feeling sorry for yourself! Try a new sport or hobby, catch up with friends or go travelling, keep yourself busy and productive instead of staying inside all day.

Some people on the other hand may be delighted their event is over and never want to see any of their work colleagues again, however most of the time you secretly miss the crazy event life…which is why so many people stay in the industry and do it again and again! Event life as we all know is addictive and a little case of the post event blues isn’t enough to make us give it all up.

If anyone out there has any advice to beat the post-event blues be sure to let us know, I could definitely use a few tips!

Glasgow 2014 closing fireworks 

Working in events : How I was inspired by London 2012

Yesterday I decided to take a walk around the Olympic Park in London and it reminded me how much I was inspired by London 2012, in fact it's probably the reason I work in events today!

I was in my final year of University in 2012 when Olympic fever hit the UK, I was living in Glasgow and had dreams of working in Marketing or HR (weird how things change!). I remember watching as the preparations took place and the Games Makers started to wear their uniforms and I was just so unbelievably jealous that I wasn't involved. I had never even thought of working in events before and hadn't paid much attention in the lead up to the Olympics, despite it being the biggest event in the world.. in fact I didn't even apply for tickets!

It therefore came as a huge surprise to me when London 2012 affected me in a way in which I could never have imagined. Suddenly I was interested in sport, interested in events and most importantly incredibly proud and inspired seeing the whole of the UK pull together to put on an unforgettable event. I remember watching the opening ceremony is awe, being so happy for medal winning athletes who's sports I had never even watched before and how I was so excited to be British, something which I had never really thought about before.



Needless to say when the opportunity to join the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth games came up shortly after London 2012 had finished I jumped at the chance. I had no experience in events but was lucky enough to get on the graduate scheme and the rest is history as they say! It still amazes me how much hard work and dedication goes into putting on an event of that scale and I am so proud that most of my work colleagues and friends I have met through various events were part of London 2012. I have now been very lucky to work on some fantastic events all around the world, but I will always be so thankful for London 2012 as I honestly have no idea what i would be doing now if it hadn't inspired me in the way it did. 

I can only hope that some of the events I work on have the same effect on people, leaving behind a legacy that inspires a generation which may be through taking up a new sport or like me completely altering the vision I had for my career. I am very excited to see how the next host city, Rio 2016, compares to what was described as the Best Games Ever. 

Volunteering at events : A day with The Pack!

I recently spent a day at the volunteer kick off event for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, meeting over 4000 members of 'The Pack' who all gathered in Milton Keynes together for the first time. It was a fantastic day to be a part of with celebrity guests, audience interaction, the uniform reveal and even some dancing! 

I am lucky enough to be paid to work in events and have chosen it as my career, but attending the volunteer kick off really showed me how much people appreciate sport and demonstrates the passion they have to be a part of the event. Some volunteers had traveled as far as Russia and Germany just to be at the initial launch event for England 2015, which is incredible! It reminded me that events simply would not happen without the dedicated and inspiring people who give up their own time to be a part of the team and that without them, things like the Olympics and World Cups and even local events simply would not happen.

Among the special guests, Welsh legend Shane Williams
 who happily posed for photos with The Pack

Anyone can volunteer for events - old, young and from any background - you don't have to be a specialist in a specific event to be able to volunteer, there are roles for everyone. Volunteering is not only great learning wise but also gives you the chance to meet people from all over the world with all sorts of interesting stories and for some it can also be a way in to the industry. I personally volunteered at the Glasgow Film Festival whilst at University and not only did I learn a lot about the industry and meet amazing people - I also had experience which I could then talk about at interviews for future jobs. From a social point of view volunteering is a way to meet like minded people who often become friends for life.

There are veteran volunteers who have been doing it for years and thanks to the Olympics in 2012, a new generation of volunteers have been inspired to take part in events. I can't express enough the respect I have for the volunteers I work with, they truly make the event and after all we all wear the same uniform and are part of the same team!

If you are interested in volunteering there are many ways you can get involved. At a local level simply contacting sports clubs/theatres/charity events and asking if they need any extra help is a great way to get involved. On a bigger scale for national events such as Race for Life/Marathons etc positions will be advertised on their website, so keep an eye out for those. On an even larger scale, such as the Olympics or Commonwealths where thousands of volunteers are needed, the organisation will normally have a recruitment process, again on their website - for this type of event you should start checking the website early, as volunteer recruitment can start 1 sometimes 2 years prior to the event! There are lots of websites that advertise volunteer positions so just have a look online to see what is happening in your area and never be afraid just to send an email explaining that you'd like to get involved, it will be much appreciated!


I truly believe that everyone should try volunteering at least once, it's an experience you will never forget. Even working in the industry I am still always looking for events that I can volunteer at because I love meeting great people and learning more from every role I take.

Laura Wright leads a sing-a-long!

There were many exhibitions throughout the day, from the event organisers and the sponsors