My very first role in events was working on the Commonwealth Games in India, which provided a baptism of fire into the industry! We essentially “go where the event is” and need to adapt our logistical planning and delivery according to the local environment.
What does your current role entail on a day-to-day basis?
No two days are the same, which is something I love about this industry and the sector I work in.
A typical day for me involves helping to plan and scope out our upcoming events, assessing the capacities and provisions that we would need to put into place to complete service delivery. This may include
traffic planning, composing instructions for air or sea freight shipments or liaising with local entities on customs requirements. We essentially “go where the event is” and need to adapt our logistical planning and delivery according to the local environment.
How did you start in the industry?
Towards the end of my university course a lecturer asked whether I would be interested in a career in event logistics. I said yes and the rest is history, so to speak.
Can you describe your career journey?
My lecturer used one of his contacts to secure my first job in the industry. My very first role was with DB Schenker working on the Commonwealth Games in India, which provided a baptism of fire into the industry!
Although I was originally tasked with looking after the imports for the event, this gradually expanded to include customs, exports and account management. From there I moved into an exciting variety of roles including working on the London 2012 Olympics which provided me with a wealth of experience looking after specific event related logistics requirements linked with security and dealing with high profile clientele such as Olympic athletes.
I have since moved into a management role which is centred on our events portfolio as a whole, including exhibitions throughout Europe and the rest of the world. This has now been a step back from the core operational elements and is focused on our strategy, compliance and ensuring our customer satisfaction is as high as it can be.
What have been the highlights of your career?
Leading my current team in a competitive and challenging environment is a demanding task in itself but recently we have been going through an element of change in our industry, increasingly focused on incorporating technology into daily practice and customer interaction. Being able to spearhead an initiative introducing a new customer platform, centred on an end-to-end user basis, has been a great highlight.
Working on and being involved in huge and high profile events has also been amazing to experience but actually seeing the benefits of technology I have had a hand in building, has been extremely rewarding for me.
How important is support from mentors?
It’s vital! I have been fortunate enough to lean on the support of experienced and trusted mentors throughout my career. The insight and guidance they have provided has helped me to tackle complex requirements and issues
throughout my career.
It’s important to note though that we are always learning in this industry! The knowledge and insight provided by them has become a two way street, so we now engage and bounce off each other on various changes within the industry, providing advice on how to tackle them.
