I spent 9 years working as Cabin Crew and Customer Service Manager in aviation. When I was ready to be grounded and spend some time at home, it took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do, what I would be good at and most importantly, what I’d enjoy.
I saw an opportunity for a role within Stockport Council as an Event Coordinator. I didn’t quite meet all the essential experience on the job specification, but I applied anyway. I progressed to interview and amazingly, I was offered the job over others who already had experience in the industry, I was so pleased. Being an Event Coordinator has taught me a lot including, how to successfully manage venues, relationship building, when to draw on my experience to guide and advise clients and to use my negotiation techniques when needed. It’s such a rewarding experience to work closely with people for so many different types of events and deliver something to be proud of each time. Every day is different, and you get to meet so many different people. I have been involved in the management of weddings, concerts, dinners, funerals and wakes, charity events and festivals. The variation keeps me on my toes and I really enjoy that. I also love being able to do great things for people within the community, we run a Tea Dance every Wednesday afternoon at Stockport Town Hall where members of the community can come along have a chat, a brew and a dance, it’s lovely. I will soon be celebrating my 6-year anniversary with the team, and I haven’t looked back.
My biggest challenge to date was planning, coordinating and managing an inaugural marquee wedding at Bramall Hall. I built a great relationship with my clients and worked closely with marquee companies. I took the lead on sourcing quotes from local suppliers, ensuring we had everything ordered and coordinated for set delivery and collection times; from port-a-loos to ovens, from fridges to flooring, it was a mammoth task to manage and keep everyone in the loop. It was challenging but it also gave me the opportunity to work closely with colleagues across Stockport Council with whom I had never worked with before, from the green space team to licensing and even waste disposal teams. Watching everything come together on the day was really rewarding and so much fun, knowing that I’d helped put it together and created something amazing for someone’s big day made me feel extremely proud.
One of my favourite events to manage is a Large Wedding Celebration. Different people, families, religions, music, food; there’s so much variety and there’s never two that are the same.
My favourite moment is when drums are played for the Groom’s arrival, they’re so loud and catch everyone’s attention. They carry a beat that you recognise immediately, and they get everyone in the mood and dancing together, it’s so much fun. One wedding invited the Bhangra Mascots, they were brilliant, they were a surprise for the Bride and Groom organised by a family member. They made a grand entrance and their energy and spirit created such a great atmosphere.
Event life is fun and fast-paced. The year 2020 has been a rollercoaster for so many people and as an industry, we’ve been working in an entirely different way. I’m looking forward to gaining back some independence, having the ability to join people in planning their celebrations and play a big role in bringing people together again.