Case studies: Sales promotion senior account executive: Rachel

Rachel studied event management at the University of Gloucestershire and works as a senior sales promotion account executive for an event management agency.

My degree in event management incorporated an eight-month sandwich placement, allowing me to gain experience within the marketing industry. The placement allowed me to develop my skills on the job and led to part-time employment with Circle agency when I returned to university to complete my degree. I used my experience to undertake a dissertation directly relevant to experiential marketing, which in turn led to a full-time position as a senior account executive with the same agency upon graduation.

Having been in the job for six months, I have already found that the role has developed and I now find myself working on more in-depth campaigns. The work continues to provide me with real-life experience with regards to budgets, logistics, strategy and return on investment. With more confidence and knowledge I have become more capable, and consequently have been trusted to take on advanced responsibilities.

Working for a fast-moving business, my role can change quickly and often involves the introduction of new and exciting tasks. I love the fact that no two campaigns are the same and I have different challenges and tasks to do each day. Staff at Circle have formed a close-knit bond and I enjoy the friendly and sociable atmosphere in the office. I feel this helps us work better together to produce results for our clients.

I always wanted to work within the events industry as it's dynamic, interactive and allows you to learn a vast number of different skills. At university I thoroughly enjoyed the marketing modules, so working for an experiential marketing agency offered me a perfect combination of all my interests. Working for Circle has allowed me to experience different types of campaigns and brand sectors and has ultimately progressed my career over a very short period of time.

My degree provided me with a range of transferable skills. Those which were most relevant to my current job include:

• basic account management skills;
• human resources;
• marketing.

In addition, I learnt how to be flexible in managing my time and my workload, something that is proving very useful in a fast-paced event management agency. As part of my degree, I also ran events, which gave me a feel for the scale of tasks and the level of organisation required to achieve success. All of these skills and experiences helped contribute to securing my current position. However, it is my belief that when an individual has some relevant experience but also shows determination, motivation and enthusiasm, this ultimately will ensure they are successful in their career.

For people who are interested in securing a job within the experiential sector, I would recommend undertaking a wide-reaching approach. This should include contacting companies whose work interests you through their human resources department, or applying for part-time promotional work to meet the company and impress them. Also, undertake online searches through recruitment agencies and via magazines (such as Marketing Week  and Event ) that have job listings. However, I found my job through work experience, so wherever possible I would recommend taking advantage of any work opportunities too.