Leading events expert Caroline Medcalf is director of events at brand engagement agency, XSEM.
The Leeds headquartered agency delivers immersive brand-led experiences and major events across the UK and internationally.
With over 30 years experience in the event and hospitality industry, Caroline joined XSEM at the start of 2024 to further strengthen its ambitious plans for growth.
Here, she shares a recent week in her life…
Monday
While I wish I could say I started the day with a 10k run (I didn’t), my reality was an 8.15am arrival at the office. I like to give myself a little time to prioritise my inbox before the 9am team meeting, where we each outline our priorities for the week. I’m not a fan of meetings for the sake of having meetings but I really enjoy this one. Each team in the organisation presents their focus for the week and it’s a great way to understand the operational workload across the business and helps me understand where I need to lend my support.
Next up for me is the sales and account management catch-up. We have some great creative opportunities so use this time to work through different ideas and ways in which we can meet and exceed customer’s objectives. It gets the creativity going for the week ahead. We wrap the session up with an uplifting and motivating ‘Win of the Previous Week’. Today, we looked at the brilliant execution of a recent Aspall Sensory Experience we created and delivered in London. The activation focused on evoking the five senses and taking consumers on the brand journey.
The highlight of my day was a lunch meeting with Paul Priest from the Queens Hotel in Leeds. We discussed future plans and how we can collaborate to create the best experiences for our clients.
In the afternoon, it’s a call with the Meetings Industry Association. I’m one of the judges for their annual awards this year. Having entered and won previously, I understand it’s a privilege to be part of something that brings such value to the industry!
Tuesday
Up early as we’re off to London for a site inspection for an event we’re planning for next summer, on behalf of a blue chip client. I love the convenience of direct trains
from Harrogate, it’s actually a pretty peaceful three hours to get my head into the inbox or other plans. We visited four venues and settled on a favourite. Seeing the space in person always brings a fresh perspective and we’ll start final negotiations tomorrow. I enjoyed a leisurely train ride back home, taking a moment to relax and
watch the world go by.
Wednesday
The morning is dedicated to mentoring a recent events graduate. We’re working on enhancing her CV and exploring volunteering opportunities to gain more experience. She’s based in the south of England and I’m hoping to leverage my network to help secure her some work. I love working with the next gen of event professionals.
Wednesday lunch is lesson time for me this week! We have a golf simulator in our onsite workout area and I have challenged myself to learn to play. Once a week I have a 30 minute lesson with Freddy, from our golf team. He plays off +2 so I am learning from the best. I feel like the luckiest person to get lessons for free!
The afternoon is then project focused. XSEM has a huge event coming up for nearly 1,000 retail delegates, so in the afternoon, the project team and I meet to discuss progress and plans. There are so many moving parts to something of this size including venue specifics, health and safety, eight different hotels for accommodation, show stopping production and audio visual, as well as branding, pre-event communications and on-the-day content. The team is, of course, in a really good place but just talking out loud as a group allows people to raise any questions, queries and share updates and ideas.
Thursday
Another industry meeting today. I am on the board of Beam, one of the UK’s leading event associations, with a collective £70bn spend by its members. We’re gearing up for our Annual Forum at Blackpool Winter Gardens, and I’m thrilled to be supporting the event logistics. We’re planning some unique touches, including vintage trams and fish and chips with mushy peas—because what’s a trip to Blackpool without them? There might even be some UK Champion Ballroom dancers in the line up…
Friday
Friday mornings are all about wrapping up the week and planning for the next. September and October are exceptionally busy months for us, with several high-profile events, across 10 different countries, engaging with several thousand delegates. This Friday we’re holding a project overview session to ensure everything is on track and resource plans remain steadfast for the weeks to come.
In the afternoon, I joined a virtual wellbeing team meeting. Wellbeing is close to my heart, especially in an industry historically known for long hours, weekend work and frequent immovable deadlines. Our team is passionate about promoting a healthy work-life balance, with initiatives like flexible working, healthcare, and even boxing classes during lunch breaks.
We’ve got some exciting plans in the pipeline, including a Wellbeing Day with meditation sessions and a new smoothie machine. That’s a snapshot of my week – busy, varied, and incredibly rewarding. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
