In the first year of being a freelance Event Manager, I have had the privilege and pleasure of working with, amongst others, The Society for Imaging Science and Technology, USA, working on their international Printing for Fabrication conference and exhibition in Manchester. XMark Media on both the Photonex Roadshow in Scotland and Photonex & Vacuum Expo in Coventry. I also spent a week with The Royal Institute of Navigation organising their International Navigation Conference (INC2017) in Brighton. Last, but I assure you, not least was a very very lovely wedding to organise in Devon.
What will 2018 bring? Well 2018 continued in much the same vein as 2017 but even busier! There were my annual international events in Coventry - Photonex & Vacuum Expo plus of course the International Navigation Conference (INC2018) this time at the Grand Hotel Bristol, where I organised a fabulous evening networking event which took place on SS Great Britain on the middle day.
I have also been working with the Royal Institute of Navigation on the Light Aircraft Association event in Sywell, AeroExpo at Wycombe, GNSS ION in Florida, and a very sunny conference in Baska, Croatia, plus many many one day events in the UK. A very tiring year but looking forward to 2019 already!
Well 2019 was very enjoyable - I continued working with XMark Media on the Coventry shows - Photonex and Vacuum Expo and it was a sad day when the events were sold to SPIE in October - the end of an era and I was no longer required to remain as a team member on this event. My work continued with the RIN on the usual events PLUS Animal Navigation, an interesting 4 day event at the Royal Holloway College in Egham - numbers exceeded expectations and the gala dinner was so popular, my colleague Clare and myself had to eat in a separate room! In summer I had the privilege to organise the AGM of the RIN with our Patron HRH Princess Anne. In November the INC 2019 event took place at the EICC in Edinburgh - what a fabulous venue - the event was super successful. 4 days of conference and exhibition, plus three evenings of networking including a night at the museum !! At the end of November my cousin and I took a girly holiday together to prepare for 2020.
NOTHING prepared me for 2020!! I was looking forward to working on the Quantum Technology Congress in April at Twickenham with Dr Sam Johnson the Quantum Lead at Innovate UK - plans were all in place and the stand produced BUT Covid struck and the event went virtual. Spent the rest of the year working with the RIN on many many virtual events - all successful but it’s not like meeting face to face.
Here we are now starting 2021 - my first meeting with the RIN today and fingers crossed all of us stay safe and well. First meeting complete and I am working on NAV 2021 as a virtual event BUT fingers crossed by November we can meet in person - I will keep you posted. YES YES YES Navigation2021 will has just been announced as a hybrid event - back to meeting people face to face. Best start organising those evening networking events! The day just got better.
2022 started with a vengeance on 18th January with a talk given at the Little Ship Club on The Shift to Digital Navigation.
The year continued with many events and one of my favourites was Human Navigation without vision - fascinating.
A new SIG was introduced at the RIN and a talk on Outdoor Adventure Wayfaring - making the outdoors safe as well as fun. It is now May and I am looking forward to the BASKA event in Croatia - face to face again. Long may it continue! And continue it did with many exciting events, but none quite so exciting as organising an event at St James’ Palace with Princess Anne – a December event I will always remember.
At the beginning of 2023 I took a yearlong contract to organise events for Flapjackery (a luxury flapjack brand in based in Devon) I had no idea there were 160 venues for this company to exhibit at and some weekends there were 5 simultaneous events!
Thankfully, my freelance contract with the RIN continued and I was lucky enough to help my colleague Hannah with the 75th Anniversary of the Institute – very very interesting and a great Spring and Summer continued. The year is nearly at its end and last week I was in London for the Annual PNT meeting and who should “trot” past us on the way to the Royal Society – yes King Charles in the golden carriage. You can never say an events managers job is boring!