I started at Great Southern E-vents (GSE) in early 2005, after finishing work at The State Theatre in Sydney. Initially I was concerned about moving into the “corporate world” after having such a strong theatrical background. This is certainly no longer the case; my role is far more challenging and creative than I had initially envisaged and I’ve found that my theatrical knowledge has been very beneficial, both operationally and creatively.
The diversity of GSE’s clients means that no two events are the same; they are all unique and individual. This means that as the event manger my skills also have to be diverse, whether I’m working on events across Australia or the precise minute-to-minute running of an awards night. These challenges are what makes my role so interesting and why it’s as enjoyable as it is.
Initially, I graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) specialising in production management and was seconded to the Perth International Arts Festival. Over the next three years I worked in a range of roles at the festival, from ground transport management to the production department, ending up looking after the Street Theatre program. In order to advance my career and challenge myself more, I decided to leave Perth and move to Sydney. This decision paid off as I was quickly appointed duty manager at the prestigious State Theatre, facilitating all technical and staging aspects of various productions in conjunction with the technical manager. Over the next two years I gained great exposure to a range of people, companies and artists from Cyndi Lauper to Tap Dogs and eventually GSE.
Jeremy Garling, managing director of GSE offered me an event position and I saw this as a natural step in my career, quickly accepting the challenge. GSE has clients across Australia, from alcohol and finance companies to theatrical organisations with a focus on producing experiences at every stage. This means in any given day I would liaise with clients from completely different backgrounds, needs and objectives, all needing careful management and creative solutions. GSE has a great reputation in the industry and this helps enormously as any event relies on partners and suppliers who want to achieve a great outcome.
As they say, any normal day is just not normal, and that is certainly true here at GSE. My role involves brainstorming ideas, designing event layouts, sourcing or creating new and interesting elements, briefing and managing suppliers, managing budgets, order of events, productions schedules and delivering on the promises the sales team have made… sometimes all in one day! When it comes to the actual event, I’m there from when the first supplier arrives on-site until the last one leaves.
The events industry is full of amazing and creative people, and I find it interesting and quite enjoyable to attend the various parties or networking nights and meeting people just as passionate as me about events. The last three years have been challenging and hugely inspiring… I can only imagine what the next three will throw my way.
“Margot impressed me from the first event I saw her work on and she continues to impress me everyday. The art of creating an event from nothing but an idea is one not easily mastered, but Margot is well on her way to becoming a great event artist. Margot’s theatre experience and training have given her a great insight into understanding audiences and how to entertain them, which is integral at GSE. Creative flair is a talent that is growing in Margot daily and with more experience will result in her becoming a great event producer and a clever communicator.”
– Jeremy Garling, managing director/event producer, GSE.
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