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A simple bit of advice, but one that's stayed with our latest podcast guest throughout his career.

Episode 5 of Season 17 of The Events Insight is here, and this week Karen and I are joined by James Hunter, Director at Sterling.

With over 20 years in the events industry, James has worked his way from the warehouse floor to leading technical event production, delivering creative solutions and experiences for clients.

And like so many of us in this industry, it all started with getting his hands dirty!

Beginning his career as a Warehouse Technician, James quickly learnt that looking after the equipment wasn't just about getting it ready for the next job. It was about thinking ahead, understanding the bigger picture and recognising how your actions impact the people coming after you.

Something that sounds so simple, but is just as relevant to leadership as it is to preparing a flight case!

From the warehouse to lighting, lighting to project management, and eventually into leading teams and developing people, James has experienced the industry from several different perspectives.

We chat about his fascination with lighting and the visual impact it can create, the importance of understanding the technical foundations of our industry, building strong teams, delivering for clients and finding those little moments of magic that make events so special.

We also explore the responsibilities that come with leadership, the importance of developing the next generation and how we can make meaningful improvements for our people, our projects and the planet.

It's a great reminder that experience isn't just about the number of years you've worked in an industry. It's about what you've learnt, who you've learnt from and what you do with that knowledge.

And perhaps most importantly, never forget the people in the warehouse who make everything else possible!

Thanks for joining us, James. A brilliant conversation and some great insights from a career built on understanding the industry from the ground up.

The Events Insight – sharing real stories, experiences and lessons from the people who make the events industry what it is.

See more about our Season Sponsor – Triton Projects

https://www.triton-projects.com/

Find out more about our Shoutout Sponsor – Sterling AV

https://sterlingeventgroup.co.uk/

Our Season Quickfire round Sponsor is the – Crown Plaza Manchester

https://www.ihg.com/crowneplaza/hotels/gb/en/manchester/mchss/hoteldetail?cm_mmc=GoogleMaps-_-CP-_-GB-_-MCHSS

Our partnership with Standout Magazine is also worth following;

https://standoutmagazine.co.uk/

Music Credits go to;

Artist: Cathrine Rannus

Title: The Events Insight Theme Music

Music: 'Forever' by Sega Williams on #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/c/sega-williams

License code: SZEVXZ737SU1M7TU

Music: 'Fly Away' by Mountaineer on #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/c/mountaineer

License code: X1KRQ40TUWLMLGGL

Music: 'Clarity' by Zoo on #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/c/zoo

License code: KLADSHUQGEGU3GXR

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Episode 4 of Season 17 of The Events Insight is here, and this week Karen and I are joined by the fantastic Cat Rainey.

With over 18 years of experience delivering events on some of the world's biggest stages, Cat has quite the CV!

From London 2012 and the FIFA World Cup in Brazil to the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, Paris 2024 Olympics, UEFA Euro 2024 in Berlin and Formula 1, she's certainly seen a few things along the way!

But as we often discover on the podcast, it's not just about the events you've delivered. It's the journey, the people, the challenges and sometimes the unexpected opportunities that make the best stories.

When Covid brought our industry to a standstill, Cat found herself facing redundancy. So what did she do? Bought a coffee van, of course! ☕

What started beside a canal in Manchester has grown into Nomad Coffee Co, an independent coffee business now operating at railway stations and events.

And she didn't stop there!

In 2023, Cat launched Eventuelle, a corporate events, venue finding and travel agency supporting clients across the UK and internationally.

We chat about her journey from studying event management in Cardiff to working around the world, the realities of delivering major international events, navigating career setbacks, juggling family life and finding the confidence to create something of your own.

And yes, somewhere along the way we discovered that football can apparently make people rather frisky! You'll have to listen to find out more about that one! 😂

Another brilliant conversation that reminds us that careers don't always follow a straight line, and sometimes the opportunities you never planned for turn out to be the most rewarding.

Thanks for joining us, Cat. What a journey, and what a great conversation!

The Events Insight – sharing real stories, experiences and lessons from the people who make the events industry what it is.

See more about our Season Sponsor – Triton Projects

https://www.triton-projects.com/

Find out more about our Shoutout Sponsor – Sterling AV

https://sterlingeventgroup.co.uk/

Our Season Quickfire round Sponsor is the – Crown Plaza Manchester

https://www.ihg.com/crowneplaza/hotels/gb/en/manchester/mchss/hoteldetail?cm_mmc=GoogleMaps-_-CP-_-GB-_-MCHSS

Our partnership with Standout Magazine is also worth following;

https://standoutmagazine.co.uk/

Music Credits go to;

Artist: Cathrine Rannus

Title: The Events Insight Theme Music

Music: 'Forever' by Sega Williams on #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/c/sega-williams

License code: SZEVXZ737SU1M7TU

Music: 'Fly Away' by Mountaineer on #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/c/mountaineer

License code: X1KRQ40TUWLMLGGL

Music: 'Clarity' by Zoo on #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/c/zoo

License code: KLADSHUQGEGU3GXR

Send us Fan Mail

For episode three of Season 17 of The Events Insight, Karen and Jack are joined by Dave Sammons, an event resilience consultant who has built his career around what happens when carefully made plans meet reality.

Before we get into the episode, a quick note from Dave. Unfortunately, there are some disruptions to Dave’s audio during the conversation, for which he sends his apologies. We decided not to let that stop us sharing the episode because we can assure you – the content, experience and stories Dave shares are absolutely worth the listen.

Dave's career has taken him from the military and frontline ambulance work into more than a decade working across live events.

Today, you'll find him involved with festivals, concerts, major sporting events and international projects – usually somewhere close to an event control room and, quite often, when things aren't quite going according to plan!

It's a career that has required him to make decisions under pressure, remain calm when situations change and understand that what's written in a plan doesn't always reflect what happens when thousands of people, multiple suppliers, changing conditions and unexpected problems come together.

And that's where this conversation gets particularly interesting.

Dave is passionate about good leadership, better decision making and event resilience, but he's equally passionate about closing the gap between what organisations say they'll do on paper and what actually happens at three o'clock in the morning when something goes wrong.

Karen and Jack explore Dave's journey into events, the experiences that have shaped the way he thinks and some of the situations that have tested him along the way.

There's also an open and candid conversation about an industry Dave genuinely loves – including some of the things we do brilliantly and some of the things we could still do much better.

For Dave, qualifications have their place, but so do experience, curiosity, asking questions and being prepared to challenge the answer you're given.

There are some fantastic stories in this one, plenty to think about and, despite Dave's opening claim, we're not entirely convinced the events industry can be held solely responsible for the hair loss!

The Events Insight – sharing real stories, experiences and lessons from the people who make the events industry what it is.

See more about our Season Sponsor – Triton Projects

https://www.triton-projects.com/

Find out more about our Shoutout Sponsor – Sterling AV

https://sterlingeventgroup.co.uk/

Our Season Quickfire round Sponsor is the – Crown Plaza Manchester

https://www.ihg.com/crowneplaza/hotels/gb/en/manchester/mchss/hoteldetail?cm_mmc=GoogleMaps-_-CP-_-GB-_-MCHSS

Our partnership with Standout Magazine is also worth following;

https://standoutmagazine.co.uk/

Music Credits go to;

Artist: Cathrine Rannus

Title: The Events Insight Theme Music

Music: 'Forever' by Sega Williams on #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/c/sega-williams

License code: SZEVXZ737SU1M7TU

Music: 'Fly Away' by Mountaineer on #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/c/mountaineer

License code: X1KRQ40TUWLMLGGL

Music: 'Clarity' by Zoo on #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/c/zoo

License code: KLADSHUQGEGU3GXR