In the Booth: An interview with Gabrielle Cook

Our new Marketing Executive, Gabby Cook, took a moment to tell us a little bit about herself and how she came to Ministry Venues.

1.???So, tell us a bit about yourself. How did you get into the events industry?

Coming from a military family, I’ve moved around a lot during my lifetime, both in the UK and abroad. I was born in Germany (although I have limited German language abilities) and then moved to England to a variety of towns. I then went on to study Korean at university and spent a year living in Seoul, South Korea studying the language at Sungkyunkwan university. It was at Uni that I ended up in hospitality, primarily as a cocktail mixologist, but moved into marketing for the bars that I was at, starting with socials and then moving into the wider marketing for the umbrella group. After a couple more roles, and a move to London in the middle, I finally found Ministry Venues and that’s me today.

So, funnily enough, Ministry Venues is my first position within the events industry. Having worked in marketing for a number of years, I’ve been responsible for a couple of one-off events but the industry itself is brand-new to me. Luckily though, I think the background in hospitality definitely helps to a certain extent but there’s so much more to learn.

2.???What do you like to do outside of work?

I like to keep myself busy outside of work, there are too many things in the world to try. I’m quite a social person so enjoy spending time with friends, whether that be going for walks, dinners, drinks, or activities. When I’m by myself though, I’m a bit of a nerd. I really enjoy video games and consider myself just a little bit of a tech nerd which I get from my older brother. And before you ask, PlayStation (Nintendo on the side) all the way…

Otherwise, I consider myself pretty creative. When I can find the time, I’m into portraiture drawing, sketching and design work (as I wanted to be a tattoo artist for a while). If I still had my sewing machine with me in London, I’d be repurposing all those old clothes that don’t get worn and turning them into something new. Cooking is also a big one. Having lived in Korea and being exposed to the plethora of Asian food available, it tends to be the flavours I gravitate towards, even when making food at home.

3.???What do you like most about working in Events?

It sounds rather cliché, but every day is different; you never know which event you’re going to get through or what a client might want, and therefore what content you’re going to get to capture. It’s amazing to see the spaces really transformed from the blank-canvas spaces that they are into all sorts, from an 80s prom to a full jungle, to a circus tent. Plus, with all the effort that goes into each event, you’re always going to meet someone new. It opens up a world of connections.

4.???If you could swap lives with anyone for a day, whom would it be?

To be honest, I can’t actually think of anyone specific that I would swap with. More generally, it would have to be someone that just has a lot of free time or freedom. I think it's something that we all want really, just time to do the things we really want to do.