Opinion
The best out of a
bad situation
EN editor Saul Leese asks Beth Kelly, head of operations, Easyfairs,
about the trials and tribulations of running an operations team remotely
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Operations teams that normally
support each other in an office
setup to ease the stress of producing
exhibitions now find themselves
working in isolation. Beth Kelly, head
of operations, Easyfairs, offers some
advice to other people working in
similar circumstances on how to make
the best out of a bad situation.
What is the current set up in your
operations team?
We have all been set up and working
from our home offices since 17 March.
I usually work from home every Friday
but doing it full time is completely
different. It is working well even though
it can be challenging at times, as it is
a forced environment. I have a great
support network at Easyfairs, which I
am very thankful for. We are all pulling
together as a team in what are quite
unusual circumstances.
What are the challenges working with a
reduced team, and are there any tips you
can share?
Everybody is operating in completely
different way at the moment, but it helps
to know that we are all in the same
situation. We need to talk to each other
like human beings. Communication and
trust are key. Talk to each other, trust
each other, and don’t beat yourself up if
you don’t get it all done or if you need to
take time out; we are all human.
Why is it important to operate as a
family?
We spend a lot of time together, more
than our own loved ones a lot of the
time, so if we don’t work together as
a team then it could all fall apart. We
are a close family and I’m very proud
of each and every one of my team.
Operations comes from the heart and
that is what makes us all so passionate
about what we do. The family stretches
outside to our contractors too; strong
relationships are very important and
we work very hard as a team to support
one another. People are under such
enormous pressure at the moment and
they need our support as much as we
need them.
How do you help the newer staff to get
through this period?
Day to day we have a WhatsApp
group that keeps us all in touch about
anything and everything. I also make
sure I speak to them all individually
throughout this time. It is important for
them to know we are all here supporting
each other, even though we are not in
the office together, but equally I don’t
want to bombard them with calls and
messages; it is all about balance.
We have also jumped on the ‘cheesy
quiz’ bandwagon and have had some
50 — June