Jack Cooling: From graduate to Project Executive
We had a chat with Jack Cooling, who joined us during his placement year while he was studying at university. He’s now a Project Executive in our UK team, and we’re super excited to see where his career goes in the event industry.
August, 2022
I started in events and hospitality when I was 16 years old, working in wedding venues and hotels which initially inspired me to study Event Management at Manchester Metropolitan University. During my university years, I continued to work as part of the event teams within hotels but managed to get more involved in the management of the meetings, running smaller meetings myself.
As a student, I was lucky enough to be awarded a placement year at Ashfield Event Experiences (now Emota) as a Project Administrator in July 2019. Joining Emota opened my eyes to the world of conference management, and I was driven to return to the organization after I had finished my degree. I did so in June 2021, entering a new world of events – virtual platforms. Although I’d had experience with virtual events during my placement year, virtual became a weekly event occurrence, and this was a big change to the day-to-day roles within the team – exciting, nonetheless, as I was building my skills.
When thinking about why I love events, I think of the feeling when you see the finished product succeeding. With all the hours logged creating the event, you can’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction because all your hard work has paid off.
What I love most about my role in the business is that I get the opportunity to be the face for our clients, speaking to their attendees daily. My role also involves traveling on-site for events, and I love having the opportunity to see new cities and countries. The team also makes my role so enjoyable. We are all here for each other and help each other to make our events a success. When on-site, the days are long and tiring, so the people you are basically living with for a week are your support system. It’s them you travel with, eat with, and work with intensely. Building those relationships helps create a flow and chemistry among the team which in the end results in a rhythm between working styles for the future too.
I’d say the biggest learning curve I’ve personally experienced while working in the events industry is having the ability and willingness to adapt; there will always be changes to plans or lists, and you must be prepared to adjust arrangements. It’s difficult, because we try to plan everything to the best of our abilities; however, it’s important to also realize that things happen that are out of our control. I think our reactions to the unpredicted scenarios prove our worth and expertise.
I keep an eye on my personal development, too. I like to think I always ask questions. I observe my colleagues and try to learn from them. If someone knows how to do something which I don’t, I try to find chances to shadow them and gain insight into their working styles.
What’s coming up next? Well, I’ve just returned from being on-site for two face-to-face meetings in the last two weeks, so there’s a little bit of time before my next events this year. I’m really enjoying myself.
You’d be amazed at how much goes into creating exceptional event experiences, no matter where you are in the world. Visit our Careers page to find out more, and get in touch.