Fact file:
Name: Pippa Miln
Job: Event and marketing manager
Born: Gloucester
Lives:Chester
Education: The Queen's School, Chester, Birmingham University BCom 2:1, MCIM
Family: Two children - Amy, 12, and Sam, 10
An average day in the life of an event organiser is very hard to pin down as every day is very different.
Once the kids are off to school, I head to Bolesworth Castle, a fantastic office, to start my working day. An average day at the moment with just six weeks to the Bolesworth International Horse Show is fairly frantic – the number of emails and the phone calls in themselves are enormous!
My day tends to be mixed with approximately half of the days spent on marketing and half spent on the event co-ordination side of things.
The marketing elements include things such as writing copy, working with designers on adverts, signage and other marketing collateral; updating the website; social media advertising and posts; working with our PR team on press releases and competitions and talking to the press; organising promotional events; producing e-shots; liaising with sponsors on their requirements and the list goes on.
In terms of the Bolesworth event and the co-ordination of the running of the show from June 16-19, I work very closely with Nina Barbour, the show director Alan Beaumont and the rest of the team including representatives from our designated event charity, the Neuro Therapy Centre in Saltney over their show activity.
Currently I am working on co-ordinating the free schools day, where we are entertaining more than 1,000 schoolchildren at the show on the Thursday. This involves co-ordinating activities and scheduling a day of fun for each of the classes that are attending, no mean feat! I’m also really enjoying finalising the logistics of our glamorous new VIP Ladies Lunch event also happening on that day.
The Fine Food, Fashion and Lifestyle zone where we have 60 traders always plays a part somewhere in my day whether it is taking bookings, sending out trader packs or co-ordinating space requirements.
Then there is the entertainment side of things that I am heavily involved with, booking acts and displays and helping to co-ordinate them, including our line-up of fantastic headline acts for the show this year which are Re-Take That, 5ive and Atomic Kitten.
Oh we do have lunch, we’re lucky to have a lady who comes round in a sandwich van and as we’re a small team we’re very good at making each other cups of tea.
At the end of the day, it is jump in the car to pick up kids from school clubs, run them around, make dinner and all the usual jobs, work on my own Wannabees business (children’s role play packs) and eventually collapse into bed!
What do you wear to do your job? It varies according to my day. I can be in my jeans and trainers some days down on the Bolesworth showground or suited and booted for meetings in Chester or Liverpool.
What is the favourite part of your job? I love show time. Nothing beats the adrenaline of working on large events and the actual show days for Bolesworth International and Liverpool International are non-stop from 6am-midnight. The buzz you get from seeing an event come together that you have been working for months on and people’s reactions to it is second to none.
What is the least favourite part of your job? When it’s my turn to make a brew!
What would be your dream job if you weren’t doing what you do now? Ooh that is hard as it is my dream job really, but I guess I would be a ski rep.
How do you relax when you are not working? I spend time with my children, weekends away seeing friends and I enjoy the odd glass of prosecco too!
What is your favourite film? Doctor Zhivago.
What is your favourite book? Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden.
What is your favourite song? Anything Stereophonics but probably my favourite of theirs is Song for the Summer.
If a film was made of your life, who would you like to play you? Obviously I am hilarious so Kristen Wiig.
Have you had your 15 minutes of fame yet? I hope not but maybe when Kristen Wiig plays me in a film blockbuster I will!
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