My first 3-months in events - the journey of a junior event producer

Everyone’s journey begins somewhere and in an industry and diverse as events, the beginning can be anywhere.

Meet Amy, our junior event producer, who joined Kairos in Spring 2023. Event producers are critical to ensuring events and projects run smoothly, which means Amy has already enjoyed an eventful start to her career with us.

To provide an insight into her first few months, we sat down with Amy and asked her a few questions…

How long have you been working in events?

My initial introduction to events came a couple of years ago, working with and around weddings. It’s there I started to understand the importance of effective project management and event production, without them it feels like anything can happen which is not a good feeling.

What’s your background?

I’ve recently graduated from the Arts University of Bournemouth, studying creative events management. There I learned the finer aspects of event management and with my role now, I get to execute with the knowledge I’ve gained while gaining real-world experience in an events environment. While I was studying, I worked in a local pub which gave me plenty of new insights into how people behave at events and as part of crowds, certainly when there’s alcohol involved, haha.

What made you decide to pursue a career in events?

I caught the events bug, so to speak, after my experiences helping deliver weddings. I found the meticulous attention to detail and the thrill of a successful event oddly enjoyable. Of course I loved working with the clients and seeing first-hand the joy that weddings and events overall, can bring.

What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?

Getting up to speed I think. When you’re working in a team that’s so switched on and experienced, with great clients, it can be tough to feel like you’re adding anything useful. That being said, the Kairos team has helped me and has been super supportive which makes it a lot easier.

What’s been the biggest success you’ve had so far?

It’s definitely being part of my first live event, with everything going smoothly on the day.  The sense of achievement was incredible, especially working with such great clients with whom I’ve started to build great relationships. 

Why do you think events are so powerful?

They’re fantastic at bringing people together. Creating connections, memories, experiences, it’s all really powerful both in personal and professional lives.

What do you enjoy most about the events industry?

I really enjoy seeing the passion, people come together to experience the same thing, the thing they’re all passionate about. Having different people with different stories united by their one love of whatever the event is about, is really quite something.

What do you enjoy most about being a junior event producer?

I love the detail. When you arrive at an event as a guest, things just seem to happen. Food and drinks are available, badges are printed, technology just works but the huge amount of effort that goes into making it appear so seamless is super impressive. I think when you don’t notice anything, that’s when event producers have done the best job.

What do you enjoy most about working at Kairos?

It’s a pretty normal answer I’d say but I really enjoy working with everyone at Kairos. With their support, I’m learning and improving every day which is a great feeling.

What’s the best event you’ve been to as a guest or delegate?

I’d have to say it’s between either Reading Festival, Bournemouth 7s or Summer Ball which is a uni festival. Each event has produced amazing memories and it’d be impossible to choose a favourite.

What’s your best memory of an event you’ve been to?

I took a group of 20 of my friends to reading festival in 2019, the whole thing was amazing, from booking the coach to get us there to coming home, we made so many memories and closer bonds during this time it will always be my favourite year. 

What event would you love to work on professionally?

On my events wish list is to manage and deliver a product launch, say a gadget or beauty product for a global brand or a start-up. I’m also keen on variety, working with various clients throughout the year. With each new project, I can learn and take those new skills and knowledge to my next project.

What’s your career goal?

Right now, I don’t have one. I’m still finding my feet and learning on a daily basis but I do really enjoy managing my own projects. My focus at the moment is to become the best project manager and events producer I can, once I’ve achieved that I can think about what comes next.

Lastly, what advice would you give to someone looking to break into the events industry?

Confidence. Having confidence is critical, it’s a massive industry and everyone knows everyone which means your reputation is important and so is confidence, you’ll never know when you might need to work with someone.

As you meet so many people, both virtually and in person it can be hard to keep up which means strong organisation is key. Even during my first few weeks at Kairos I kept a notebook with everyone’s name, role and email address so I could keep track of everyone.

I’d also say you don’t have to know exactly what you want to do in the industry. They should find something that interests them and go from there, there are so many different routes, such as volunteering or attending local events, they could get an idea of what’s involved before committing. I would also recommend enrolling on some form of management course so they have some working knowledge of what happens behind the scenes, giving them an advantage when they start.

Advice from Kairos XP

The events industry offers a great platform to develop a huge number of skills, alongside working with some terrific clients on unique projects. Make no mistake, as with any industry there are highs and lows but the important thing is take any lessons learned and weave them into future projects. Having a great team around you is also extremely valuable and it’s something we’re always nurturing here at Kairos.

There are many different roles within the events industry but crucial to each of them is a strong understanding of project management and the skills to deliver - start here and you’ll be able to specialise in the future.

If you have any questions, please contact us.