Meet Lauren Faraday, Head of Seasonal Venues
Lauren has been with Smart for almost 8 years, she started her journey in the Christmas Party team and is now in the Smart Venues team working on events at Evolution London and Oceandiva London. We had a chat to learn a little more about her time at Smart…
LETS START BY ASKING HOW DID YOU START OUT IN THE INDUSTRY?
I studied Event Management at the University of Derby, graduated with first class honours, then took a big leap by moving from North Yorkshire to London to embark on a magical events career… A year down the line I had made as far as St Albans (not quite London) and was working in a corporate in-house events role. A role which taught me a lot, but also made me realise that I am not destined for the corporate world!
WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO SMART GROUP?
I was in my first events role for about a year and it wasn’t quite what I imagined, so I was manically applying for jobs in the city and attending every interview I possibly could. Then one day, Smart Group reached out to me on LinkedIn, they were looking for a Sales Assistant. I snapped their hand off when they asked if I would like to come in for a chat and as they say, the rest is history and I’m still here 8 years down the line.
LETS TALK MORE ABOUT YOU, WHAT IS YOUR IDEAL WAY TO SPEND A SUNDAY?
Ahh Sunday! Naturally, it would be to wake up bright and early with my daughter, then putting on a Disney film whilst we all enjoy breakfast as a family. We’d all head out for a walk in the sunshine, followed by a pit stop for coffee or a red wine (dependent on the season). We’d come home to one of my dad’s roast dinners which we would eat, then nap, then wake up for seconds.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE LONDON VENUE?
Such a hard question! I want to say Oceandiva London, but as it’s not here quite yet I will say that Freemasons Grand Temple is absolutely spectacular, especially over the Christmas season.
WHAT EVENT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVOURITE?
I’ve been lucky enough to experience some incredible events through Smart. A stand out one for me was the BT Sport Awards when I first started working here – I had never seen so many celebs in one place and that was mind blowing to me at the time! Prince Harry was there, along with so many sporting legends, I just remember feeling really excited that I was in such a cool industry.
FINALLY, WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE FOR PEOPLE STARTING IN THE INDUSTRY?
Network, network, network. Talk to anyone and everyone, the more people you know in the industry, the easier your life will be!