London's event spaces - a day in the life

by Yasmin Arrigo, Conference & Incentive Travel 03-Nov-09

A typical day for two key players from two of the capital's leading events spaces.

- Michelle Aland joined the Royal Albert Hall in 2006 as head of marketing and corporate relations. She heads a team of nine and is responsible for hospitality, sponsorship, marketing and media relations.

7.30am Walk the dog in Holland Park, and check my Blackberry to see if any issues have arisen overnight.

9.00am Arrive at work and start review of show reports, hospitality events, ticket sales and the day's schedule.

10.00am Moet, our Champagne partner, is hosting a Champagne blend tasting for ten of its top restaurant clients. I'm asked to fill an extra seat at the tasting table because the event is being photographed for a magazine.

11.30am Sit with hospitality manager Kirsty Mallinson to discuss the different types of hospitality on offer for the upcoming February production of Cinderella on Ice.

12.30pm Lunch with Charlie Graves from IMG to discuss sponsorship events for its Masters Tennis tournament.

2.15pm Conference call with American Express to confirm final details for its forthcoming private event.

3.00pm Stop by Coda restaurant tasting to say hello to our partners Cirque du Soleil, who have flown in from Montreal to determine final details of the new Tapis Rouge offer for its show Varekai in January.

3.30pm Meet with photographer David Redfern to discuss final selection of the images that will adorn new performance and hospitality space, the Elgar Room.

4.00pm Budget review meeting with finance.

6.00pm Greet the event organisers, ensure they are happy as their guests begin to arrive for an event.

- Michael Aldridge is events general manager for Merlin Entertainments Group, which owns a range of venues, including Madame Tussauds, Sea Life London Aquarium and Thorpe Park.

6.30am I kick-start every day with an early morning session with my personal trainer.

8.40am Breakfast at Madame Tussauds with Pat Hoey, our event porter, who has worked at the venue for 28 years.

9.15am Site visits at London Dungeon with prospective clients. I make sure I attend all site visits for new clients because I think it's important for me to meet them.

11.00am On to Sea Life London Aquarium for more client site visits.

1.15pm Business meeting at Thorpe Park to review sales with the general manager and marketing director. If I'm feeling tired, I might sneak a quick ride on Stealth or Saw, one of our roller coasters, to wake myself up.

1.45pm Lunch with the Thorpe Park operations team.

3.00pm Back in London for a monthly meeting with the operations and sales teams to discuss the team away days and finalise 2010 packages and budgets.

4.00pm Go through existing enquires for the remainder of 2009 with senior events manager Carolyn Hines.

5.00pm Rehearse speech for tonight's promotional event at Madame Tussauds.

6.00pm Host showcase promotional event at Madame Tussauds.

9.00pm Dinner at Ping Pong with Peter Kerwood, head of marketing for events, to discuss the final copy for the Christmas brochure for Merlin UK venues.