Meet Emma and learn more about her job as Bluedot Festival's programme director. Part of our Bitesize world of work series.
I basically book the bands. I do all of their programming, work out all the changeovers for everybody in, where they're supposed to be.
It's normally a lot spreadsheets a lot of words and numbers, it's a lot of budgeting, a lot of negotiations, emailing back and forth, phone calls, going to see a lot of gigs, putting it all together really. It gets about two weeks before the festival and then I'm like, Oh, I'm actually excited now I forgot I'm going to see some actual music.
I started as a civil servant in London when I was nineteen, followed by many TV jobs. I used to work in publishing. I did loads of different things and it wasn't until I decided to work on a festival in my spare time, that I realised that it's a job that people actually did full time and got paid for and so I started to work on how I might get into that industry.
My boss always says that he gave me a job because I was passionate and not an idiot, so I guess those are maybe the main skills. I think you learn on the job a lot; I've been doing it for four and a half years now and I feel like, only like in the last year and a half that I really found my feet and know what I'm doing a bit.
You never come across the same problems twice, there is always like something new to learn and it's a very like annual learning curve as well, where you only get to see the festival happen once a year; so it's quite a slow process.
The best part of my job is getting to see loads of bands live, especially going to see different festivals over the summer and seeing fans in that outdoor environment and seeing it all come together like watching the audience have good times. Definitely. My favourite bit.
My boss said he gave me the job because I'm passionate and not an idiot.
Emma works as a festival programme director for Bluedot Festival. The job entails project managing the festival, which includes choosing and booking the bands and working out the programming schedule. It also involves a lot of budgeting and negotiation skills and using a lot of spreadsheets so maths skills are important
Whilst working as a civil engineer, Emma started working at festivals in her spare time. She had a light bulb moment when she realised she could do this full time and get paid
Having worked for four and a half years in festival management, she says it was only after three years that she felt she really came into her own in the role. This is because it's an annual learning curve meaning you only get to see the whole process once a year
As part of her research for Bluedot, Emma sees a lot of different bands performing live and goes to several different festivals. As well as being great for planning, it's one of the perks of the job she really enjoys
The best part of the job for Emma is the satisfaction of seeing all those that attend Bluedot enjoying themselves. It's the culmination of all her hard work for the year
Emma's advice to anyone wanting to get into festival management is to be passionate and use common sense. The rest, she says, you can learn on the job.
A similar role to a festival programme manager is an events manager. Event managers organise and run conferences, exhibitions, promotions and business and social events.
What to expect if you want to be an events manager
- Events manager average salary: £23,000 - £40,000 per year
- Events manager typical working hours: 37 to 39 hours per week including evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
What qualifications do you need to be an events manager?
You could get into this role via a university course, a college course (such as a Level 2 or Level 3 Diploma, or a T-level – England-only), an apprenticeship, working towards the role, volunteering or applying directly if you have relevant experience. Check with your course provider which alternative qualifications they accept.
Sources: National Careers Service, GOV.UK
This information is a guide and is constantly changing. Please check the National Careers Service website for the latest information and all the qualifications needed and the GOV.UK website for more on T-levels.
For careers advice in all parts of the UK visit: National Careers Service (England), nidirect (Northern Ireland), My World of Work (Scotland) and Careers Wales (Wales).
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