Manchester Central recently welcomed Lucy Pittaway, senior lecturer in Events Management at Manchester Metropolitan University and Rebecca Levett, event manager and host at Routes, to its latest ‘Central Chat’ podcast.
The Central Chat podcast is aimed at supporting event industry professionals. In doing so, it also highlights key voices across the Manchester business landscape who work alongside the Manchester Central team.
The new episode is aimed at helping young people start a career in events management or young professionals currently studying and/or looking for their first career step; with a second episode focusing on senior leaders within the industry also in the pipeline.
Throughout the podcast, the two senior events professionals shared their experiences of building and developing careers in the events industry.
Samantha Pike-Devlin, host of Central Chat, said: “Within our discussions, we explore lots of topics which we hope will be informative and supportive for both aspiring and current events professionals across the country. It also serves as a way of highlighting the positives of a long-term career in this exciting industry and reframing perceptions following the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Rebecca and Lucy shared their honest views with us and we are really pleased they could spend time sharing their thoughts and experiences.”
A career in events
Talking about the evolution of events and the chance to learn new skills, Pittaway said: “The industry keeps on moving and now we even have events like the new ABBA concert where people are turning up to watch holograms. It’s always going to be one of those industries where we’ll never completely catch-up. There’s always going to be new jobs evolving.”
She also urged new entrants or current students to “immerse themselves” in events, adding that this helps in many ways, including: “to be a better leader, giving a better knowledge about sustainability and a broader understanding of contemporary issues that are happening globally. Hopefully this will mean you can advance quicker through the industry.”
Manchester Central offers placement years to Manchester Metropolitan University students. Levett completed this herself and reflected on her learnings during the podcast. She said: “The placement year at Manchester Central was so important, and I really think it’s the pinnacle of where my career is today.
“Being able to work across so many different events was amazing and I learned so much. The different styles the event managers had, the way they dealt with things, all of the queries that would arise, the planning and the delivery that would go into all the aspects of an event. When I went back to university after the placement year, I felt more determined and focused and was able to apply what I was learning and make a more informed decision about what I wanted to do in my career.”
