Why the next generation of event leaders are putting wellbeing first
Winning the Chris Peacock Rising Star award at the M&IT Awards 2025, Daisy Basilio is part of a new generation of event professionals proving that empathy, structure, and wellbeing aren’t just good for people - they’re good for business.
At first glance, Daisy Basilio’s role will feel familiar to anyone working in events. As sales and events coordinator at the Victory Services Club, her days are filled with chasing client details, managing deadlines and ensuring every moving part of an event is accounted for well in advance.
“Today has really just been catching up with every single client,” she tells me as we catch up on Teams. “Agendas, dietaries, menu choices - everything we need 10 working days before. It’s a lot, but it makes life easier for everyone.”
It’s a rhythm defined by process - and one Basilio thrives on. A self-confessed organiser, she uses tools like the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritise tasks and ensure nothing slips through the cracks. “I try to put everything into urgent and important categories,” she explains. “At least then I know I’ve done my bit.”
But while operational excellence is a given in events, it’s what Basilio has built around those processes that marks her out - and ultimately led to her being named the Chris Peacock Rising Star of the Year at the M&IT Awards 2025.
Because alongside driving efficiency, she has been quietly reshaping team culture - putting wellbeing at the centre of performance.
Beyond the job description
Still just 24 and less than three years into her events career, Basilio has already made a significant impact at the Victory Services Club.
Her contributions range from introducing an events training manual - streamlining workflows and reducing response times - to improving how information is shared across teams. But her influence goes further than systems and processes.
During a staff town hall, Basilio proposed increasing the organisation’s focus on mental health and wellbeing - an idea she didn’t just suggest, but drove forward herself.
“I’ve always wanted to create an environment where people feel safe to talk,” she says. “Especially in hospitality - it’s busy, fast-paced and high pressure. You need to know that support is there.”
She went on to qualify as a Mental Health First Aider, while also helping introduce initiatives such as Pilates sessions, nutrition talks and wider wellbeing activities across the business.
The impact has been tangible. Feedback from colleagues has been overwhelmingly positive, and the initiatives have contributed to a more open, supportive culture - one where conversations about mental health are normalised rather than avoided.
Wellbeing as a business tool
For Basilio, the link between wellbeing and performance is clear.
“If teams aren’t happy, that affects everything,” she says. “To drive success in a business, it depends on your team. If you’ve got a good team, a happy team, that’s what helps you reach your results.”
It’s a perspective increasingly echoed across the events industry, where burnout, retention and staff shortages remain ongoing challenges.
Basilio’s approach is that wellbeing isn’t positioned as an add-on - but as part of how teams function effectively.
Also, by creating clearer processes, centralising information and reducing inefficiencies, she has helped remove friction from day-to-day work. Combined with a focus on wellbeing, the result is a team that is both better supported and better equipped to perform.
It’s a balance that reflects a wider shift in how emerging professionals are approaching leadership - blending operational rigour with emotional intelligence.
Leading from within
Basilio’s journey at the Victory Services Club has been a rapid one. After initially working at the venue as a waitress while completing her degree, she returned in 2023 in a sales and events role - and has since grown in confidence and influence.
She leads client show rounds, manages face-to-face interactions and plays a visible role in the venue’s commercial success - and she has also become an informal mentor within a close-knit team, helping colleagues adopt best practices and encouraging others to pursue additional training and qualifications.
“I want to be able to support my team in any way I can,” she says. “That’s where I see myself going - into more of a leadership role.”
Despite industry recognition and internal praise, Basilio remains grounded.
“It’s so weird hearing people talk positively about you like that,” she admits. “But it does make you realise that what you’re doing is important.”
A different kind of rising star
Basilio’s win at the M&IT Awards 2025 was a milestone moment - shared with her father, who also works at the Victory Services Club - but she sees it less as a turning point and more as validation.
“It kind of solidifies what I’ve contributed,” she says. “Like, okay - I’m being listened to.”
That contribution reflects a broader evolution within the industry. Where previous generations may have focused primarily on delivery and revenue, emerging leaders like Basilio are taking a more holistic view - recognising that culture, wellbeing and performance are deeply interconnected.
The ability to deliver flawless events remains essential. But increasingly, so is the ability to build resilient, motivated teams capable of sustaining that performance over time.
Looking ahead
Alongside her full-time role, Basilio is currently completing a leadership apprenticeship - part of a long-term ambition to move into senior management.
“I definitely see myself in a leadership position,” she says. “Developing my team, driving performance - but always coming back to wellbeing. That’s something I’ll always prioritise.”
For an industry navigating ongoing change, her approach offers a clear signal of where things may be heading.
Because for the next generation of event professionals, success isn’t just about what gets delivered on the day. It’s about the people delivering it - and how they’re supported along the way.
