The Real Events Industry: My Story

“After volunteering one year for ‘Falls’ in Tasmania, the next year I applied early for a paid position and in December 2007 I was accepted for my very first paid role within the Events Industry. I was to be a part of the wristbanding team, exchanging wristbands for entry, as the patrons presented their tickets to the festival. We were set up at tables under a marquee, and the team consisted of both volunteers and paid staff members. The shifts were about 4 – 6 hours long, and we were to wear a green Falls T-shirt. To secure the wristbands on the patrons, we used a crimper, a hand tool to clamp the metal part of the wristband. I earned about $500 that festival, which was the most I earned out of any employer for that financial year.” “At Fed Square in the Box Office there were a few major disasters, and no supervisor to help us out. At the end of the day, due to register problems, our final cash count was way out. The recruitment agency basically blamed us for the problem and were very reluctant to give us more shifts. I did however get a shift at the Box Office located at Albert Park. More dramas were faced when trying to get into the event site without a pass. “ “Once in Melbourne from February 2012 my event experience started to pick up considerably. I soon found employment with a recruitment agency and started working at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. The shifts there varied from conferences to concerts, I still work there to this day, it has been over three years there now and I have worked at hundreds of events at the Centre.”