One Year After Uni: My journey from Covid to the Commonwealth Games
After completing an Events Management degree at the Lincoln International Business School - University of Lincoln in 2021, just as the last pandemic restrictions were lifting, my outlook on the next year was not quite as joyous and hopeful as most graduands. Despite the rocky start though, my first year in the industry has been incredible and one that any event student would dream of. I’ve worked on two mega-events: Expo 2020 Dubai (the largest Expo the world has seen yet), and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. It’s certainly not been plain sailing to get here, but as the start of a new academic year rolls around, I’ve reflected on some of the things I’ve achieved this year and the lessons I’ve learnt along the way.?
Despite the rocky start though, my first year in the industry has been incredible and one that any event student would dream of
Part 1: Post-Pandemic
As I’m sure lots of people would agree, graduating can be overwhelming, especially if you don’t have a job to immediately step into. It can be easy to say to someone ‘the world is your oyster, now is the time to do whatever you want to do’, however, when you’re in that situation, the prospect of needing a job can be full of pressure and anxiety. The unknown world of ‘adulting’ awaits you: finding somewhere to live, paying bills, choosing the right sector/company/work environment to start your career, knowing what’s right for you as a twenty-something-year-old… the list goes on. Now throw into the mix the recent Covid-19 pandemic and the barely re-emerging events industry – you can imagine my outlook: not exactly brimming with excitement.?
The age-old saying “it’s who you know, not what you know” came into play for me. I secured an interview through a friend of a friend for a two-month internship with Iventis . Iventis has developed an event mapping software that allows you to virtually create operational and logistical event plans, accurate to the centimetre. Who knew such a ground-breaking events company existed in Lincoln? My internship with Iventis was a joy, tainted by Covid – I got to grips with the software, made event templates for some of their big (and highly confidential) clients, built 3D models in sketch-up and lent my hand to anything they could delegate to me. The pandemic still firmly had its claws in the events industry and nothing much was happening so my internship ended, and I moved on to the next role. Whilst developing event software isn’t for me, working for Iventis was the best decision I made in 2021.
My first full-time role in the industry was an Event Coordinator role with the East Midlands Business Group, although I spent most of my time working with Business Lincolnshire. Working from home, I was coordinating and running virtual masterclasses, workshops and webinars, designed for Small-Medium Enterprises throughout the Lincolnshire area. This was fairly routine with lots of event admin, venue & budget research, delegate registration, event evaluation etc. – a good foundation and first role for me. Being able to say I had a job in events made me feel a sense of achievement and gratitude when considering the state of the industry; however, I was craving in-person interaction and ‘real-life’ event experience. The industry was starting to wake up by this point so when my only planned ‘in-person’ events were cancelled due to the Omicron variant I started to look around for other opportunities. I was successful in securing a role just before Christmas as the right hand to the CEO of an Events Agency and I could not have been more thrilled, my ‘big break’ out of Covid and into the industry had finally materialised!
Part 1 Lessons Learnt:?
Part 2: Expo 2020 Dubai
This next chapter came as a major surprise. A few days into 2022, I received an email from Iventis explaining that they were looking for someone to send out to Dubai to second into an operational role at Expo 2020 Dubai and would I be interested. This was a poignant moment for me, in my first year at university I discovered what an Expo was and that the 2020 Dubai instalment fell in the same year as my sandwich year – young and ambitious, I promised myself it was meant to be, and I’d do what it took to get involved. When Covid hit, I accepted Expo 2020 Dubai wasn’t possible and focused on finishing my degree, so when this opportunity was offered to me it was both a difficult and risky decision. I turned down the perfect role to kick-start my career, with promises of good progression, packed my bags and 10 days later, I was on a flight to Dubai International Airport, on my way to completing a two-year pipe dream.?
I worked at Expo 2020 and lived in Dubai for three months and it is an experience I will never forget. I was a vital part of the Operational Planning Team, tasked with three major responsibilities:?
This role required immense attention to detail, from timing and venue changes to navigating complex communication structures for the most up-to-date information. This taught me the necessity for flexibility and patience required when working at Expos due to the continuous updates in operational requirements for the number of events produced. The relocation to Dubai, immersion in an unfamiliar culture and working in an ethnically and culturally diverse team were particular highlights for me. Towards the end of my time, I was entrusted with the coordination of a high-profile and operationally complex event in association with WWF, one much larger than any previously produced, which I completed to an exceptionally high standard.
One of my favourite and most humbling parts of the experience included walking through the calm and quiet site every morning before the start of the busy day. It was never lost on me how fortunate I was to have been offered this opportunity and I made sure to be onsite as much as possible – whether that was for lunch with colleagues or to see some of the events my team and I had helped to organise. I also took advantage of the chance to see as much of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates as possible, from the Burj Khalifa to a day trip to Abu Dhabi to see palaces, mosques and mangrove parks, and hiking with a colleague to Jebel Jais, the tallest peak in the UAE.?
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Part 2 Lessons Learnt:?
Part 3: Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games
After spending a lot of time working solely in event planning and operations, this role took a slightly different direction for me. I was again seconded by Iventis, to Birmingham 2022, in June, to work as a Sponsor Services Associate. Due to being onboarded at such a late stage in the planning of the Games, I was not responsible for any accounts, but rather led and assisted on several projects where needed. Within two weeks I had taken on three projects including the Athlete Village Tours and main Sponsor Longines’ exclusive Athlete Record Ceremonies, leaving sponsors highly satisfied with their experience.
Birmingham 2022 was faced with difficulties across all Functional Areas as a result of Covid-19, reduced planning time, and Brexit, making this project extremely intense and challenging. My solution-led approach to work served me well in this role, where I successfully improved the communication network between the Sponsor Services Team and other Functional Areas. Acting as a liaison, I was able to successfully organise multiple venue deliveries and found solutions for larger Sponsor activations at many of the Games Festival Sites.
Part 3 Lessons Learnt:?
I’d like to say a quick thank you to all the people I have had the pleasure of working alongside this year. They have shaped me both as a professional and an individual and many of them have become friends – if any of them read this, you know who you are and you’re incredible people. A big thank you also to Iventis and Joe Cusdin , you have been so generous in offering me such incredible opportunities and supporting me on my journey through and I am extremely grateful.?
So, to my first year ‘in the real world’: Halas!?