Day in the life of an Event Manager

We spoke to Lydia, one of our most experienced (and organised!) event managers, to find out what a day in the life of an event manager is like…

So can you describe a typical Event Manager day, Lydia?

A day in the life is a tough one, as all jobs are different, sometimes its outside, it could be in a large exhibition hall, or even signing in staff at an event.  It’s so varied.

The night before a job I check the brief again and make sure I have enough information on the event and what is expected of myself and the staff.

I always get there early on the first day, so I can get used to the surroundings, and I can have a chat with the client.  I can then find out any specifics that they want from us as a team.  Sometimes the client isn’t there, so I get there early and message the staff so I can confirm a specific meeting place (this can often be the biggest issue for promo staff getting somewhere on time, unless they know the venue well).

I then have a briefing meeting with the staff; expectations for the job and what everyone’s roles are.  I then send out people to specific positions, and then try to keep myself in a mobile position so I can keep an eye on things. 

I then work out a break and lunch rota, making sure its completely fair on everyone (some might have a late start and a late finish and vice versa).  Then throughout the day, I spend time checking on the staff, making sure there are no issues, that the staff have water, and they have the necessaries to carry out the job (ie leaflets, pens, food samples etc) – the day goes by surprisingly quickly!

Communication is vital throughout, both with the client, with the staff and also with Envisage, so everyone feels really comfortable and confident that everything is going to plan.  Towards the end of the day I check with the client if there is anything that is supposed to happen before the staff leave – this could be packing down the stand or tidying up before going home.  At the end of the day I like to gather the staff, say thanks and get any feedback for the next day.

That’s one busy day, Lydia!  What do you love about it?

I love making sure that everything runs smoothly from all sides; staff, client and Envisage! I like things being organised.

What has been your best job so far?

I really enjoy Luna cinema jobs; there are big teams to manage and organise, different staff on each job, lovely people who turn up for a good time and I get on really well with the production team.