I got into the events industry because I fell into it by accident. After completing a degree in marketing at Lancaster University, I was working at a BMW Mini dealership, and really enjoyed organising product launches and customer days. So when The Centaur (2,250 seated multi-purpose venue) at Cheltenham Racecourse opened and I saw an event manager role advertised, I thought I should give it a shot. What a fantastic opportunity.
I have worked here since August 2004, when The Centaur opened.
I was attracted to this particular role because I saw it as an opportunity to progress within The Jockey Club here at Cheltenham Racecourse. It was also a brilliant step up in my career; I am now responsible for a team of event managers and sales, marketing and technical colleagues within the C&E team.
Not many people know that my first job in my teenage years was packing bean sprouts. I had to cycle two miles to get to work early doors, spent hours packing, and then found myself fainting all the time as I couldn’t lift the boxes. I quickly realised that packing vegetables wasn’t for me.
My worst experience at an event was telling a member of a world famous band to ‘clean up quickly as the band will be here soon’. I completely mistook the guy for a member of the technical team. A grovelling apology quickly followed.
If there’s one thing I’ve learnt it’s that you must think on your feet and trust the quick decisions you will have to make.
The best event I’ve been involved in was a fantastic Sainsbury’s event, where the entire venue was turned into a supermarket to launch their Christmas products. Number one though has to be the event where I met my husband. He was a client, and I was the event manager at the time.
If I could do it all over again, I would.
The one thing I can’t stand is Tomato Ketchup! It’s the Devil’s work.
Outside of work I spend my time walking the dog, mountain biking, running and catching up with friends and family.
If money were no object I’d travel the world, and then I’d open up an animal sanctuary. Also, I’d go horse racing for fun!
The one event I will never miss a Remembrance Day service wherever I happen to be in the UK.
The next 12 months will be exciting, challenging and a bit lonely as my husband prepares to depart on deployment with the forces.
If I could switch places with anyone else in the industry it would be Lord Coe as events don’t get much bigger than the Olympics.
If I ruled the event industry I’d lose a lot of sleep.