My First Few Events
End of Year School Celebration
The first event I assisted with was an end of year school celebration at Clifton College.
Working in such beautiful grounds, it was amazing to see CMC Marquees build a huge light and airy marquee, which helped make this event Covid safe. It was exciting to help begin to decorate the interior, building lots of lanterns, and hanging an abundance of bunting!
Perhaps the most challenging part of this event, was trying to work out how to build the funfair games, which was made more difficult by the typical British weather!
Despite this, it felt so rewarding being able to see everything come together. My favourite part of this event was seeing the guests’ reaction as they approached the marquee! Everyone was in such good spirits and were so grateful for being able to celebrate finishing their time at Clifton College.
50th Festival Birthday Party
Following this event, I then assisted with an exciting 50th birthday, which was a three-day celebration.
Festival vibes were the key to this party, with bright colours adorning the client’s incredible garden. A tipi was installed, creating a space for guests to dine, and dance, and bell tents were provided for all guests to stay in, creating the perfect glamping experience.
Guests were kept entertained by campfire stories and party games; pass the parcel and musical chairs being a firm favourite!
The happiness that filled this weekend was wonderful, and it was incredibly rewarding.
A Special 60th Birthday
After finishing these large events, I helped deliver a beautiful 60th birthday party, welcoming 15 of the client’s close friends for a spectacular six course meal.
Hosted in the client’s orangery, beautiful soft pink linen and flowers dressed the table tops. The room was lit by twinkling candles, creating a delightful twilight atmosphere.
The celebrations continued a few days later, allowing the client’s family to enjoy a wonderful buffet, filled with a selection of colourful food, followed by delectable mini dessert pots.
As the drinks were flowing, the family were kept entertained by a fantastic magician, creating a lot of fun, and really impressed the grandchildren.
Being able to help our client celebrate their special 60th birthday with all their friends and family, is why I love delivering events!
My First Day
My first day in the office – which now feels like a life time ago! – involved me meeting both the wonderful teams at Alastair Currie Events, and CMC Marquees.
I was then shown to my desk, and was set a task in which I had to assist in building a proposal for a client. My job involved looking through previous proposals, in order for me to gain an understanding of how ACEs present their plans and ideas, and then look through photos from past events, which linked to the client’s brief.
I really enjoyed this task, as it gave me a huge insight into the types of events that ACEs manage, which has made me feel so excited to really get stuck in, as I can see just how much fun I am going to have during my year here.
Advice to Anyone Looking to Get Involved in Events
My advice to anyone looking to get involved in events would be to gain experience within the hospitality sector, becoming part of a waiting team would be extremely helpful, as it will give you a greater insight into what’s involved in running an event; the preparation, the delivery, and the de-rig. As well as this, you will gain strong transferable skills, for example, effective communication with others, a keen eye for detail, sound organisational skills, and you will also learn how you can support and be of assistance to others.
I would also suggest researching any local events that are happening, and contacting the team managing it, offering your assistance for the set-up, delivery, or de-rig.
Always be willing to try new things, and immerse yourself into any opportunity that arises, but most importantly, have a can-do attitude, and ALWAYS wear a smile!
What it’s like Working at ACEs
Working at ACEs has been such a phenomenal experience so far. The team have been so warm and welcoming.
No two days are the same, which is what makes this job so fun and exciting! Working alongside the ACEs team and their wonderful clients, being able to see events come to life, from the initial proposal, to the delivery, is so rewarding – and certainly makes up for the long hours!
Stepping into this role as Event Assistant, I feel so grateful that the team at Alastair Currie Events gave me this opportunity to complete my placement year with them.
I am really looking forward to meeting more wonderful clients, working alongside all the brilliant suppliers, but above all, I am so excited to learn from the fantastic team at Alastair Currie Events.