Paul Michael , managing director at Coventry Building Society Arena , highlights the need for an active approach to showcasing career opportunities to recruit , retain and advance talent in events industry

rilliant people are the backbone of the events sector and retaining skilled individuals is one of the industry ’ s biggest challenges .

At Coventry Building Society Arena , we have 126 unique job roles across contracted and casual positions and each person is essential to delivering top experiences in business , sport and entertainment .

There has been an industry shift in culture and working environments and , at our UK venue , we have had to make changes to ensure we retain staff and attract new people .

We always see incredible demand for casual roles at the venue and Open Days attract hundreds of people often seeking their first jobs .

Promoting opportunities The challenge is keeping those people in the industry , promoting career pathways and showcasing opportunities .

We have team members who have joined in entry-level positions and are now senior leaders . Our ambition is to be an industry-leading venue , encouraging career growth and opening pathways in hospitality .

In November last year , we ran a major sport event with an all-female led safety team for the first time – two of those leaders began as stewards and are now in leadership roles .

I first came into the industry myself as an hotel operations manager and have had brilliant opportunities over the last 20-plus years , becoming managing director here in 2023 .

You could start out working in one of our hospitality outlets and within a year be supporting our events team or delivering campaigns for marketing or sales .

Across the industry we must better spotlight these stories , breaking down perceptions that working in hospitality and events is only a short-term option and you can have a long , fulfilling career .

This will not only encourage more people to consider careers in the sector , but also keep skilled people in our industry by highlighting career progression and upskilling opportunities .

But individual businesses and

Paul Michael

“ Engaging with young people is something we need to do better as a sector .”

organisations can ’ t do that in silo . It needs to be a collaborative effort – be that at a national level or by working in partnership with local organisations or training providers . It could be through your destination management organisation . For example , last year we supported Destination Coventry and UK Hospitality in the Step into Hospitality scheme and we have been working with the Association of Event Venues to support academic links to Coventry University .

Engaging with young people is something we need to do better as a sector and it is something as a venue we have focused on recently , hosting five days of careers activities with local schools and welcoming 500 students from local universities and colleges joining us on education tours .

This opens eyes and shows people that in this sector it is possible to start small and take your career in a direction you never imagined .

There are endless career opportunities in the events industry and by highlighting this we can encourage new people into the industry and inspire existing team members to grow and develop . This will go a long way to reducing the skills gap and retaining the best people in this exciting industry . n