I got into the event industry because I have always loved organising events and I was keen to somehow turn it into a full-time career. I got a lot of experience by taking on events roles in a number of jobs from when I left university. There is always something so satisfying when all the preparation that you have to do for an event comes to fruition and it’s a big success.
I have worked here since I set the business up and went full-time in January 2004. This year we are celebrating our tenth anniversary and we are just going from strength to strength. We’ve always been pioneering and were the first company to use automated text messaging in our treasure hunts, and then set a new trend with our unique GPS tablet technology for our high-tech team building location-based events.
Since then we’ve invested a lot in the business and have taken the concept of gamification and team building to a completely new level and branched out into lots of new sectors.
I was attracted to this particular role because I wanted to run my own events business and be in total control of my own destiny. I love Wildgoose because I get to travel a lot, I meet and work with interesting people, I get to organise things and also learn about lots of different places. What could be better?
Not many people know that I actually ran the London Marathon in 2002 and didn’t do too badly. However, I was determined to better my time so I ran again in 2003. I finished three minutes slower the second time round as I was helping my mate who was struggling. What makes that even worse is that he dipped me on the line and beat me. We are still mates though, despite the fact I haven’t forgiven him.
The best event I've been involved was when Wildgoose did an event in Dubrovnik. We all got there early and set everything up so we had the luxury of enjoying the late afternoon sun on a glorious beach with a beer in our hands. The event was absolutely amazing, the location was awesome and I really thought that I had made it.
If I could do it all over again I would definitely work a ski season. I am ski mad and my children have just learned to ski, so I am looking forward to many years ahead with the family on the slopes. I know I would be a much better skier if I had spent some of my ‘wild youth’ perfecting my technique on the slopes.
Both of my brothers worked a ski season and they are far better at skiing than me as a result, which really hurts. Not that I’m super competitive of course.
The one thing I can't stand is when people drop litter, whether in the street or worse, chuck it out of the car window. Litter is so destructive and completely changes the atmosphere of anywhere. I think it’s lazy, shows a complete lack of respect, makes a mess and costs huge amounts of money to clear it up.
Outside of work I spend my time… I have to confess I’m a bit of a workaholic but that’s only because I just love what I’m doing so much. I make sure I spend a lot of time with my young family too, so that I’m not an absent dad or husband. Wildgoose is growing so rapidly and with a young family as well, I don’t have time for much else.
There’s absolutely no chance of me running another marathon any time soon. Apart from the fact I am so unfit, I just wouldn’t find the time to train. I would say ‘never say never’ however.
If money were no object I would, without any hesitation, buy myself and the family a luxurious ski chalet in a stunning location and then spend my time split between Wildgoose and the Alps. Just the thought of it is sheer bliss.
If I could switch places with anyone else in the industry it would be... tough question because Wildgoose is one of the best places to work with lots of opportunities to be creative and do new exciting things. We have been growing at a rate of knots since 2011 and that is throwing new challenges at me almost daily, which makes life very interesting.
I cannot imagine that there are many more interesting businesses in our sector than Wildgoose at the moment. That said, I reckon that an events role with one of the big annual music festivals for a year would be great fun.
If I ruled the event industry I would change nothing. It is constantly evolving and has grown into a multi-billion pound business. We all have to constantly adapt and improve in order to grow, and that is a part of my job that I absolutely love.
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