Talent talks: What you need to know about a career in events

Talent has been one of the most talked about issues in the meetings and events industry over the past few years due to ongoing skills shortages.

Initiatives like The Meetings Show’s annual Tomorrow’s Talent programme, which champions exceptional newcomers, are playing a key role in helping the sector attract, retain and celebrate the best young talent.

Run in partnership with M&IT, Tomorrow’s Talent shines the spotlight on the industry’s rising stars and provides a platform for nurturing, mentoring and supporting the next generation of leaders. This year’s cohort of 10 winners - who have carved out successful careers - know how daunting it can feel starting out in the events industry, which is why there is no one better placed to offer advice to those following in their footsteps.

So, we quizzed them to find out what future newbies need to know, from the top skills required to make it as an #eventprof to what more the industry could do to attract new talent.

But first up, if they could go back to when it all started, what advice would they give themselves and why?

Ella Wilson, venue sourcing specialist at ACE Bookings would tell herself that age doesn’t matter.

“I always felt like I wasn’t ‘as good’ as others due to being in my early twenties when I first joined the industry, but my age hasn’t stopped me from achieving my goals. The feedback I receive from clients cements this, and I am proud of what I have learnt in such a short space of time.”

Malcolm Farrell-Mitchell, senior business development manager – UK & Europe at Business Events Perth, says he often felt he was dismissed as being too young and naïve for serious conversations when first starting out.

“I’m relatively confident in saying that the other people in this illustrious group of winners have probably experienced something similar. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been extremely lucky, but I fear that there are people who conflate age with professionalism and that’s not always true.” He adds that he would tell his younger self that success comes in all different forms. “Success will come in the incredible colleagues that you get to work with every day. Success will come not from your salary but from the incredible travels that you get in this job. Success will rarely come from the quick wins but from the long plays.”

Jessica Hobday, VBX co-founder, says the advice she always gives to her team, especially if they are new to the industry is: listen to your gut, be honest, be yourself and always smile.

“Listening to your gut is something I have always lived by especially in business, you know in yourself when something is not right and if you are questioning it, act on it. It will be the best thing you can do. Honesty, being yourself and smiling are things that will get you far in life and business. Don’t try and kid a kidder – be honest and straight with clients and suppliers. They will respect you for it.”

Jenna Border, senior account manager at DRPG recommends surrounding yourself with a great network of people to learn from.

“The biggest piece of advice I would give myself is to get a mentor(s) as soon as possible. I have so many fantastic industry experts around me now, who inspire me and have guided me through my career journey so far. One of the pieces of advice I’m so glad I had at the start of my career was from one of my very first clients. They said: “you make your own luck”, which has rung true and matches our Anything’s Possible mantra here at DRPG.”

What skills are most important?

A proactive working style, tenacity, drive and passion, are all important skills for anyone wanting to work in the events sector, according to Amy Woodthorpe, managing director at Search & Source.

Border agrees, adding: “You must be adaptable and incredibly organised. Good communication skills are a necessity when working in teams and there’s a certain level of creativity and innovation that’s needed to make your events stand out.”

So, do you have to be an extrovert to succeed?

Farrell-Mitchell believes this is a common misperception and that there are many introverted people in tourism and events who are successful.

“The outstanding trend, of all the successful individuals I’ve met so far is a sincere willingness to learn and a hunger for knowledge. For myself, that’s learning about the expertise of my clients but for others, that’s learning the new event technology or functions for their events. We’re an industry whose sole role is to be the catalyst for the sharing of information, and I think that’s great.”

Inspiring the next generation The Tomorrow’s Talent winners all agree that more could be done to inspire the next generation to pursue a career in events.

Woodthorpe believes that we need to do a better job at promoting the vast breadth of career options for upcoming event profs. “There are so many options, and so many different areas of the events industry to consider, from the hotel and venue side, to operations, or client or agency side,” she explains.

Wilson calls for more apprenticeship opportunities for people to apply for when leaving higher education, which would provide the opportunity to learn and develop skills on the job.

Laura Pike, who works at DRPG as a senior project manager, also emphasises the importance of getting as much on the job experience as possible. “Look at volunteering opportunities and ask if you can shadow team members to broaden experience on several event types. I would encourage anyone starting in their event career to be patient, the role is hard work but extremely rewarding, so absorb all the information you can, graft, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes – this is something that held me back when first starting in events.”

With increased awareness around mental health and wellbeing, Becca Shinner, events officer at Alzheimer’s Research UK, concludes with some sage advice: “There are going to be times when it is very fast paced, and you may feel like your feet don’t touch the ground at certain times of the year when event delivery season is underway. Take pride and really enjoy when you are delivering an event, but always remember to look after yourself and schedule in self-care and downtime so you do not burn out.”

The Tomorrow’s Talent winners will be attending The Meetings Show at ExCeL London on 28 and 29 June as VIP guests ahead of their celebratory lunch that is set to take place later this year. There are various ways to register to the show, which will be co-located with the Business Travel Show Europe and TravelTech Show. 

To find out more about the buyer, hosted buyer and visitor registration options, visit: www.themeetingsshow.com/register.