Event networking – the magic of meeting new people
22 October 2024
Heather Lishman, ABPCO Association Director caught up with Sanj Kumar, CEO, ELRIG and Joy Hurrell a recent graduate of the University of Surrey to chat about how they came to meet each other, and the magic of event networking.
‘Joy, you put yourself forward as a sponsored student to the Festival of learning – what were you hoping to achieve from the event?’
Joy: ‘When I applied for the sponsorship, I was hoping to learn more about the conference world and network with industry professionals, potentially to help me find a graduate job – which having met Sanj, I would say was successful!
‘Sanj, I don’t believe you were going to the Festival of Learning to find a new recruit – what was it about Joy that made her stand out from the crowd?’
Sanj: Joy joined us at a networking table and impressed me with her contributions to the discussion, self- confidence and the energy that she had.
‘Joy, what learning points could you share with fellow graduates about orientating yourself in a new role?’
Joy: Definitely don’t be afraid to ask questions. A lot of tasks and specific lingo will be unfamiliar to you, but that’s very normal, and you won’t know unless you ask!
The other tip I would give is to be friendly, and proactive. Getting on with the team will really help you and filling in any gaps you find will really help them. For me, that looked like taking initiative for ELRIG’s sustainability workgroup, as my dissertation had been on environmental event accreditations. Don’t fall into the trap of underselling yourself, because even though you’re the graduate, sometimes you might be the expert!
‘Sanj, what learning points can you share about taking on someone fresh from a degree?’
Sanj: As a small Association, we always need additional resources, but adding extra full-time employees is always difficult to justify. As Joy was about to graduate with an events degree, and then planning to travel later in the year, she was available to contract with us, on a single project, supporting our largest event, during a time when we needed additional resources, but also suited her post-degree plans.
‘Both - if you could ask for one thing from academics – what would it be that would have really helped?’
Joy: Although I enjoyed getting stuck into the role straight away, I wish I had been a bit more prepared for the day-to-day responsibilities of working in the events industry.
Academic theory provides a good basis of knowledge, but helping students understand what their job tasks will look like could make a massive difference to those going into placements or graduate jobs - and I think reduce some of that ‘unknown’ factor. For instance, I think having a core module on digital skills, including using Events software platforms, would be a great way to prepare students for the needs of hybrid and remote working.
Sanj: Joy has been great and added value, but the world of work is very different from studying for a degree, so more work experience for new graduates would help a lot. I also feel that as ELRIG is small, we struggle to train and support new graduates adequately. Unfortunately, Joy has been thrown in the deep end, but fortunately she has thrived!
We are delighted that ACC Liverpool will be supporting 5 students to attend the Festival of Learning on the 28-29 April 2025 - to find out more, see the details here https://www.abpco.org/events/218/abpco_festival_of_learning_2025
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