Working Events. It is not all fun.

The typical reaction when I tell people I am an Events Intern is “wow that must be fun!” However, the reality is that it involves long hours and hard work to make an event a success. There is a huge amount of planning involved (it is not just luck that it all falls into place) It takes the management of teams, organisation and the willingness to get involved in any task, no many how strange it may sometimes be!

In the office, we are responsible for organising venues, acts, and being the point of contact for clients to deal with their enquiries and exceed their expectations. However, on-site our responsibilities can include anything from setting up, working on side stalls and making sure things run smoothly. Ultimately, making sure we maintain the wonderful example set by the Fire and Ice staff and provide everything that has been promised.

When skills relevant for these tasks are not utilised, things start to go wrong. For example, management is vital in these situations as we must meet tight time schedules and meet expectations. To prevent any issues occurring we have a dedicated team of site managers who deal with any queries and allow us to deliver successful events.  

After only two months of working in events, many of us interns are still learning about the most productive ways to plan, set up and run events. Being thrown into the deep end can make events stressful, however it is the quickest way to learn about an industry that is very hands on.

Attending events is the most rewarding part of our internship as after all the hard work it is wonderful to see things come together. The great feedback and the end result is what makes all the effort worthwhile. The transformation of the venue from a boring empty space into a themed event can be amazing. As well as this, it is nice to see the clients face as they walk through the door to see this whole new world inside.

Working these events often involves long hours, late evenings and weekends with a variety of clients. Take my last event for example, that included small children throwing darts. Young children lack the perception of danger and accuracy in their throwing and a few near misses later, it has certainly become something to be aware of! However, the customer is always correct, even if they are five years old with sharp flying objects in their hands! No matter how concerned you may be, a smile has to be pinned on (almost quite literally)

However, with the fantastic team at Office Christmas, all this hard work is worth it. They’re always laughing and joking. They’ve been a lot of fun and I am going to miss working with such a fantastic team!

Gemma Cockshott