‘Kindness, resilience, enthusiasm and fun‘ – these were commonly used words when The Event Safety Shop (TESS) brought together leading industry professionals and 25 young people aspiring to develop careers in the live events sector, to discuss the myriad of opportunities available in live events and how best to reach them.
‘25 in 25 Inspiration Day’ was the pivotal moment of TESS’s celebration of the company’s quarter century of providing global event safety support for an incredible range of memorable events. Partnering with Production Futures, 25 people from across the UK were invited to join the TESS team and fellow industry professionals for an inspiring, insightful day. The day set out the myriad of roles available as career options and demystified the challenging process of getting a foothold on the careers ladder, through sharing first hand experiences (and much exchanging of contact details).
TESS’ Tim Roberts and Simon James stated: “This has been a great moment, shining a light on our fabulous industry that’s given us both such unbelievable careers and life opportunities, which neither of us could have imagined 25 years ago. We are so proud of our colleagues at TESS and the many marvellous people in the international events sector who have supported us consistently, particularly those who joined us today, without who we wouldn’t have succeeded.”
Opening proceedings shoulder to shoulder, as they have been for the last quarter of a century, Tim and Simon talked in front of a showreel of the many incredible events they have been instrumental in delivering safely. Welcoming the young guests, they set the tone for a relaxed, interactive day sharing information and advice.
Acknowledging they aren’t getting any younger, ‘one of the challenges for the event sector is to attract new, young, talent and to create opportunities for people to progress into careers’.
Engaging the audience in a fun session, Justin Argent, (TESS), highlighted the vast myriad of roles and skillsets in the live events ecosphere, reinforcing the message that careers in events are rewarding and that events are an integral and essential element of life, bringing a positive impact for the cultural (and wider) well-being of society.
Simon James then curated an insightful panel discussion, welcoming Ceri Wade (Freelance Producer & Arcadia), Rupert Bassadone (Ops People & Event Site Design), Ben Hardy (Richmond Event Management) and Shula Rael (Boomtown).
After some relaxed networking and a tasty lunch, the day continued with Holly Jackson (TESS) invigorating the room, describing her journey from Law Student to Event Safety professional.
An equally informative and inspirational afternoon panel discussion was chaired by Tim (Roberts), alongside Clemmie Reed (Red Bull UK Events), Wob Roberts (Freelance Production Manager), John Farquhar-Smith (Flux Events) and Tom Paine (Team Love).
There was great interaction between the 25 invited guests and event professionals throughout the day, with Tim summing up proceedings with an upbeat message to the young talent in the room. Commending their commitment to explore the possibilities the day offered, their efforts to travel long distances and be so engaged throughout the day, he summed up: “Get to know each other. You’ll be the ones helping each other out producing the events of the future, in the way we’ve experienced fabulous support and camaraderie across our careers. The main take-aways: – back yourselves, be resilient, be prepared to roll your sleeves up, bring your A game – and be a team player. Most importantly, Be Kind, and we look forward to working with you.”
