Industry Insights - The Series

I've been lucky enough to work on a wide range of sports - ranging from high-profile multi-sport games (including Olympics & Commonwealth Games) to 10k and 5k running events.

I think it's really interesting to look at each sport, how it's developed...and what could be next for the future.

Thought i'd share my thought's in a little series i'll call 'Industry Insights', as I say this is just my opinion and my views on the current sports marketplace.

I'll pop links down below as/when I upload!

H xx

Sports Jobs - Where to start?

Whether you're fresh out of Uni or looking for your next role, the Sports Industry can be an intimidating place to know where to start...Operations, Marketing, Hospitality, Events...where to begin!
Here's my guide to getting started, after you grab a coffee!

1) Decide whats right for you. 
It's a broad industry, if you know you want to work in sport you don't need to necessarily go down one path. I studied Events Management at Uni which thankfully was quite broad and didn't pigeon-hole me into one area, but even if you did a more specific degree (e.g. Sports Science) the skills/units you've studied can be translated to a wide range of jobs.

If you're organised and logistically minded - Sports Events could be for you.
If you're creative and think outside the box - Sports Marketing could be up your alley.

Have a look at jobs, read the descriptions and see what's right for you.

2) Where to look?
There's a wide range of job websites out there, my favourites are...
Global Sports Jobs http://www.globalsportsjobs.com
Sports Recruitment International http://www.sportsrecruitment.com
UK Sport http://www.uksport.gov.uk/jobs-in-sport
Sporting Appointments http://www.sportingappointments.com

But then there's also search engines like Indeed and Reed that can throw up some gems, register your details, sign up for newsletters and keep an eye out - sports agencies tend to recruit when they need someone, job timelines can be short so sometimes you need to jump in quickly.

3) Be ready
As mentioned above, getting in quickly means keeping your CV up to date. Tailor your references to the sport you're applying for, and make sure your CV reflects why you'd suit the role. Never send out a generic CV, taking 5 minutes to make it more specific will really help you to get a head start.

4) NETWORK
I cannot emphasise the importance of building a network - whilst lots of jobs are advertised on the websites above, a lot of jobs aren't! Your network can help you hear of jobs that are coming up. LinkedIn is the best tool, I use to keep in touch with old contacts, see where my network has moved and to see whats out there that could work for me.

H xx

12 Things no one tells you about working in the Sports Event Industry...

1. Weekends lose all their meaning, you'll rarely get that 'Friday feeling' - as you'll quite often be up at 4am on a Saturday setting up for a game/match/race.

2. Watching Sky Sports during the day, you'll usually see at least one person you know in the background.

3. Being a spectator at any sports event is the most frustrating thing, you want to leap over the barrier and show them 'how it should be done'.

4. As soon as you tell anyone what you do, they immediately drop hints about free tickets...

5. If you're a girl, guys are usually impressed, then horribly intimidated. If you're a guy, girls pretend to act impressed...

6. When you do have a miraculous weekend off, the last thing you want to do is talk about/watch/think about sport!

7. The vast majority of your wardrobe is event t-shirts, jackets, trackie bottoms and a vast collection of trainers.

8. Coming off an event, you struggle to decide what to wear, feel lost without an accreditation pass and quite often get 'phantom noises' where you still think you have an ear piece in your ear.

9. Friends think your job is easy/glamorous, and have no understanding of the long hours, stress and constant worry that you've forgotten something.

10. Your 'diet' will mostly consist of anything you can grab quickly in Pret, coffee and an endless amount of percy pigs and leftover 'goodies' from goody bags.

11. You have a constant stock of M&S knickers - as you never want the kit man to have to wash your pants whilst on the road.

12. It's the best industry to work in, and once you do one event...you'll be hooked!

'You are enough' - My Mantra for 2015

It's been a while since I wrote on here...I think I half-heartedly started this blog, craving an outlet for life in general, but not quite sure, of myself really.

2014 was a horrible year. This would come as a surprise to a majority of my friends who view my life through 'smiley selfies' and a social media facade. By the end of last year I was depressed and lonely. My close friends and family knew this, and were so supportive. But at the end of the day it was a rut I needed to get myself out of. I was working in a job that was dictating how I felt about myself, and it was very, very negative. Constantly being made to feel like a failure was rubbing off and my self-confidence dipped to an all time low.

My job has always been a huge passion of mine (hence the name of this blog!) I love working in Events, but I knew the company I was working for wasn't right for me. Thankfully, although it didn't necessarily feel like it at the time, we mutually decided to part ways. It was hard for me, as my job was 'me', and to go from having a full on, never 9-5 job, to having...nothing, was hard. I felt like i'd lost a part of myself, but realised it was the side of me I didn't like anymore.

I didn't have an epiphany over night, it took quite a while. Christmas was tough, being surrounded by the pressure to feel festive and happy, just left me feeling a bit lost. Then, like fog lifting, everything became a bit clearer. After applying for what felt like thousands of jobs, I got a couple of interviews. One being for a job I never dreamt i'd have. But low and behold, my love of what I do must have shone through as they offered me the role pretty much within 24 hours.

I packed my bags and left Newcastle, a city I never quite felt at home in and moved down to London. And so far 2015 has been more than a dream.

I love my job.
I have friends again.
I'm genuinely smiling.

In a bid to make myself happy last year, I made a lot of life mistakes. Settling for a guy who I wasn't enough for, because it felt better than having nobody. Settling in a job, who I wasn't enough for, because it was better than doing nothing. And letting myself feel like I wasn't enough.

That's why, in 2015 my mantra is 'I am enough'. I'm not going to start burning my bra and swearing off all men, but i've realised that I need to be happy in my own skin. And this year I genuinely feel that i'm finally getting there. I'm perfectly happy to sit in my flat with a cup of tea and a good Netflix series, and i'm loving catching up with old friends and having the confidence to smile and actually feel happy inside, which definitely shines through.

Meghan Markle perfectly summarises the 'You need to know, you are enough' philosophy in this blog post http://thetig.com/birthday-suit/ which I highly recommend reading.

2015 > 2014, and i'm determined to keep it that way.

H xx

Post-event Rituals

So I was working on a event this weekend - meaning Saturday & Sunday flew by and it's now half 9 on a Sunday night and i've set myself at 10pm curfew! Waking up at 3/4/5am on Event weekends takes its toll. Once the event finishes and it's time to go home I always find myself in a strange event-lag mood (it almost feels like jet lag!) This weekend we were in Sheffield. I'd never been to Sheffield before and I have to say I absolutely loved it! What a lovely place.



We stayed in the Mercure St Pauls, now we have quite a mix of event hotels - from budget chains to fancy joints, and this one definitely was at the upper end of our scale, with a Champagne Bar I had to treat myself to a glass of bubbly! 


 Home now, and I always seem to have the same routine when I get home from an event... 

1) UNPACK 
Because if I don't, I end up with bags full of dirty laundry and no clean clothes! 

2) Have a glass of vino 
Because it's lovely to chill out, put your feet up and catch up on youtube, with a crisp pinot grigio in hand 

 3) BATH 
Because a) I probably smell and b) It soothes those achey muscles and tired feet 

 4) Face mask 
Because early mornings, late finishes and delegating does bad things to your face - i'm currently LOVING this face mask. 

 5) Cup of tea & a bit of chocolate. 
Because...well this one needs no explanation. 

 6) BED 
Because sleep is the best thing for you - it's good for the diet, stress, general well being...and it feels bloody amazing. 

 H xx

Luck of the Irish

So my most recent adventure was a quick jaunt across the water to see the parents in St.Johns, Canada. After a hectic few months at work, I was more than ready to pack up my suitcase and get away for a week.

As i've recently moved to Newcastle (that's a story for another time) I couldn't take my usual route from Heathrow. As my aim at the start of this year was to visit 5 new countries...I seized the opportunity for a quick stop over in Dublin en-route!

This proved to be quite the testing experience, when boarding the Aer Lingus flight it turned out that my suitcase was too big for the overhead locker - nightmare. This then resulted in half the MacDougall clan who appeared to also being on the plan debating and attempting to push it in for a good ten minutes. Thankfully, the air steward came to my rescue, offering to put it in the hold...but only once they'd boarded the WHOLE plane. Queue me sitting with my suitcase on my lap, looking like a complete novice traveller, I swear people thought I would fly the whole way to Dublin with it on my lap, like I was on the 142 bus with my handbag perched close by.

Fortunately, we all made it to Dublin - including the suitcase which i'm sure had a delightful journey in the hold, with a beauty of a sunset on the way.



I then checked in the Maldron Hotel, Dublin Airport - which I thoroughly recommend. Didn't quite have time to nip into Dublin for a cheeky pint and local craic, but I left with the hope that i'll have the chance to venture back again soon. 

Waking up at an ungodly hour to venture back to the Airport - Starbucks, quite possibly the ever constant in my life, my one true saviour...was there to perk me up and bring me back to life. And I'm sure i'm not the only one who gives fake names at Starbucks? I like to imagine it's my alter ego...this time I went for 'Felicity', honestly not sure why!




After spending 12 euros on sushi and half my unborn children's inheritance in the airport, I was ready to hit the skies, with Harvey Spector for company (it's love.)



H xx

Well Hello there...

Hi there, If you stumbled across this blog - firstly, thank you! I know there are hundreds of thousands of blogs out there, but i'm quite excited to have my own very, very small place in the internet. After reading blogs for years and years, i've decided to finally put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) and to start documenting some of my life. 

As you might be able to tell from the snappy blog title 'EventsXec' - I work in the Events Industry. I'm incredibly lucky to work in a role that lets me travel and explore on a weekly basis, it's a lifestyle that sometimes means I can't remember what I did this morning...let alone last month, so felt that a blog might help! 

(And the fact that a nickname amongst friends is 'Bridget'...reflecting my capacity to end up in situations that are often amusing to others!) 

 So sit back, grab a cup of tea (or a glass of pinot...I know what i'd choose!) and hopefully enjoy! 

 H xx