Experiential Staffing and Talent Director - BD Network
Published on 20/02/18
What makes your job exciting?
Variety, no two days are the same that’s for sure! We work with some really great brands all with unique staffing briefs so we are constantly challenged, and get to meet lots of interesting and colourful personalities along the way.
Another great part of working in events means that we always get to go out and see our hard work come to life – that in itself can be very fulfilling!
What is your role at BD Network?
Experiential Staffing and Talent Director for the staffing division called “The Staff Room”. The benefit of working in a fully integrated agency is that everyone can be involved from the start of the pitch process to execution of a campaign. We’ll make sure that all campaigns are logistically possible, but also offer suggestions on how to execute a campaign to ensure that it is most cost effective for the client as well as fun to attend and on-brief. Being involved from the start means that we can fully understand the brand as a whole, along with more specific client needs, enabling us to select the ‘best fit’ staff for each and every campaign. Whilst we’re there primarily to ensure that the clients have the best staff working to communicate the project, my role is also to ensure that staff are looked after, and good staff who really match the brand well and give it their all are rewarded and retained. Some examples of this include introducing automatic holiday pay on all shifts, on time payment of wages, making sure staff receive appropriate breaks throughout the day, and so on. You would be amazed how often in events these things can be overlooked for staff, so we work hard to make sure they are properly looked after!
What is the highlight of your working day?
I get a kick from identifying our staff’s strengths and passions and placing them onto just the right campaign. It’s great when you can book staff onto their dream jobs. They have a great time working and you can almost always guarantee great feedback from consumers and clients.
What has been the highlight over the last 12 months?
Ooh tough one, we’ve run some really varied and exciting campaigns! In the last year we have managed some really great events where staff have been the main highlight of the whole campaign (which is pretty rare!). I would say the highlights of 2017 were our campaigns for Aperol, Cadbury & the launch of a new gaming console!
Who do you find inspirational and why?
My grandma, hands down! She and my grandfather started their own businesses from scratch, which she continued to run until she passed away in her eighties. She taught me the majority of the principles I stand by today. The most important of these to me is to always pay staff and suppliers on time. She used to tell me every day how it was the main thing to gain respect and trust and ensure that everyone goes the extra mile for you when you need it – it’s really true!
Are there any brands you would love to work with? Why?
I’ve always wanted to work on a campaign for Durex. You need to be daring to raise awareness but not overstep the mark…from a staffing perspective it would definitely be a challenge but I hope one that our staff would like!
