Charlie Muir

• Year of graduation: 2012
• Current job title: Freelance Event Manager and Business Owner of chasmevents.com
• Industry sector: Events Management

All aspects of my career after finishing university have been a highlight. A handful that resonates with me the most though would be working as Duty Venue Manager for the Hockey Women’s World Cup 2018, which was the highest attending female sporting event in history with over 300,000 attendees, as well as supporting international events such as the Commonwealth Games/Track Cycling World Cup and Athletics World Championships. I also managed major music festivals for up to 80,000 people, supported NFL in setting-up the Frankfurt Germany Games, and worked across a magnitude of various events whilst being Event Manager at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park – including a 16-day festival for the ten-year anniversary of the park, and managing the Queens Baton Relay.

Another major personal highlight in my career is getting to where I am now – being seen as a leader in my field and being able to share knowledge within the industry. I’m also extremely excited to be able to have the opportunity to come back to the University of Northampton in the 2024/25 academic year as a specialist guest lecturer and mentor to current students and the upcoming talent in the industry.

I chose to study Events Management after performing at an event – breakdancing Red Bull. I loved every moment of it and the idea of doing it as a job in the future. I tracked down the person with a radio and clip board and asked them what their role was. She replied, “Event Manager.” From that moment, I wanted to work in events and create magical experiences like I was part of on that day. I was always planning on going into motor vehicle mechanics but from that point on, my path changed, which was the best decision I made.

Not considering the social life during my time at university… the Events Management course at Northampton provided me with the opportunity to produce an actual event at the end of each year. Most universities who provide Events Management courses only do one event at the end of the final year of study, but for me personally, putting what you’ve learnt into practice is the best way of learning and Northampton allowed us to do that.

My advice for students or graduates looking to get into event management would be that “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Obviously, you need to know what you’re doing to be great at what you do, however in the real world of events contacts are key! Put yourself out there, meet as many people as you can and grow a network of people within the industry. To start out in the event world is tough, but do what you do best, be yourself and create a network of people you can trust and work with – not just in your current role or job, but longer lasting working relationships and partnerships.

Another key piece of advice would be to take all the training you can get – from first aid to project management – a lot of companies will invest in staff and provide training. Utilise these opportunities as best you can and create a CV where you can prove yourself as an expert across all areas linked to events, and not just a degree in events itself.