‘I think organisational skills are just in my blood. I’m a naturally organised and creative person, which is very important in this industry. My boss Eleanor is an amazing person to work with and I’ve learnt so much from her.
‘I always wanted to work in events. There was never an alternative career choice, so I climbed every ladder I could to get where I am today. I got my first taste of what my career could be like when I was still at school and involved in a young enterprise group. I managed to help raise £4,000 for charity and my passion just blossomed from there.
‘So I studied marketing and management at Newcastle University and when I graduated with a 2:1 honours degree, I did work experience with a PR company in Newcastle. They recommended me to Eleanor as she was looking for an intern to work at her company, The Angels, in Harrogate. I started in 2009, and after working really hard to prove myself, Eleanor offered me a job as her PA.
‘All first days are supposed to be scary, but it’s a small team in our office – four women, one man and a gorgeous Labrador – and everyone was so welcoming and friendly that I fitted in right away. We all sit together in the office and when we’re working late hours – even with the freelance specialists who Eleanor has to sometimes hire – it feels like a home from home.
‘The Angels works with both private and corporate events, as well as charity balls, Christmas parties, bar mitzvahs, birthday parties and weddings. Corporate events are more budget driven with a lot of focus on branding, whereas private parties involve a lot of meetings with the client and more emphasis on styling. Part of my job is to ensure that all types of events receive the same level of service.
‘Eleanor’s worked on some truly massive functions in her 10 year career – as we all have at The Angels – with recent functions for Welcome to Yorkshire, Hammonds, Deloitte, the Mail on Sunday and Harvey Nichols – and it’s her attention to detail that keeps my job challenging. I’m constantly working to meet her requirements so I have to make sure our standards and services are nothing short of amazing.
‘People have a lot of misconceptions about my job. The first thing they say to me when I tell them what I do for a living is “What a fantastic job!” and then they ask how many celebrities I’ve met. Telling people I’ve been lucky enough to meet Billy Ocean, Kiki Dee, Lulu and Heather Small is always a good ice-breaker, but while we have our moments, it really isn’t all glamour and a lot of time and effort goes into behind-the-scenes work. An event is just one day, but can take anything from a few weeks to up to two years to organise depending on what type of event it is and if there’s a particular theme.
‘I recently found myself flying to Gauchin in Spain in a client’s private jet for a Moroccan themed party. The party was held in a private villa and we recreated a Moroccan bazaar with torches and lanterns floating on top of a swimming pool after dark, a shisha den, snake dancers and fire throwers. It took months of research, budgeting and hard work – but of course it’s always worth it in the end.
‘My commute into work each day takes about half an hour – I get in at 9:30am. My job as a PA means I’m usually the first point of contact in the company. There’s a lot of administration work involved: I screen all Eleanor’s calls, check emails, faxes and answerphone messages in the morning and then organise weekly staff meetings, as well as going over Eleanor’s diary to sort out appointments and meetings.
‘As all the events are bespoke, each day is different. I always send Eleanor an update at the end of every day, to let her know exactly what I’ve done and relay any questions. I also have an internal meeting each morning with Eleanor to go through her week ahead.
‘A lot of my time involves speaking to clients and writing and typing out all contracts, including how many drinks to order, the way tables should be set out, what types of chairs clients want, researching health and safety issues, etc. Nothing can be overlooked because you have to provide what your client wants and ensure they’re happy working with you from start to finish.
‘Although clock-out time is 5:30pm, you have to be really flexible as clients often can’t meet you during those hours. So I often find myself going along to meetings with Eleanor after work. I’m responsible for booking restaurants, meeting venues and scheduling food tasting sessions. Also, as many of our events are held over weekends, you can’t just be there for the start of an event and then hand the client and the event over to someone else because your working hours don’t include those times. I’ve had lots of memorable moments at work, but seeing the results of my first event after I’d worked so hard on every aspect of it was very special. Being told by a client how thrilled they are gives you such a satisfying feeling.
‘As events rely on word of mouth recommendations, you’re there for the client all the way through and we always set up a breakdown meeting with clients afterwards. I spend a lot of time maintaining contacts and relationships.
‘In my job, you have to be able to deal with a range of different people in a professional and calm manner. Research is essential too – I always have to find the latest suppliers and products on the market. Being able to negotiate with suppliers is also key – Eleanor and everyone else at the company works hard to get suppliers to match our clients’ budgets and offer the best value for money. The fun aspect of working in events is meeting new people and networking, as well as being creative.
‘Currently, we’re working on a huge charity ball in aid of Barnardo’s and we’ve just had our initial meetings with the client. From that, I’ll help create a mood board and set up a budget spreadsheet, working towards what the client wants. I support Eleanor to make sure everything is exactly the way the client wants and that all third-party suppliers for the event, such as florists and caterers, are covered by contracts and are fully briefed on what is expected.
‘The most fun project I’ve worked on to date has to be an Alice in Wonderland themed private party. We transformed the concourse of a rugby club and had a crew of 150 working throughout the night. The logistics involved were incredible and everyone worked so hard to ensure everything was perfect.
‘I love that my job is so varied and that no two days are ever going to be the same – you’ve just got to be determined to work hard.’