Introducing our Events Support Officer… Deanna!
Deanna has been working at Swansea University for a year, and it’s been an interesting experience so far!
Deanna’s past experience involves working on the 1000-year-old Saint Michael’s Mount, located on a tidal island in Cornwall, where she worked as a Tour Guide for almost a decade (we know, wow!) and had the opportunities through that to become a supervisor and live in Castle Steward! As you can imagine, Deanna has some stories… her favourite things about working at the Mount include living there, of course, and inevitably, the incredible commute to work, which you can view here and is not to be missed (notice the Swansea University shorts?)
We managed to steal Deanna away for a 20-minute Q&A session and find out what she loves most about managing events at Swansea University!
What inspired you to work in the Events industry?
I have always been fascinated by the inner workings of events and therefore tried getting involved in the running of as opposed to being part of the events. This interest in the goings-on behind the scenes has resulted in me working in Event Services!
Can you tell us a bit about the favourite event you have looked after since working at Swansea University?
I shall let you know next year… however, my second best event has to be Brass Band. I enjoy hearing the band live in concert and seeing all the hard work come together for the performance. It is a large ensemble, and very impressive, with musicians from all over – not just from the UK, but also America, Germany, Scandinavia. The fact they open up the concert to the public makes it a very special evening to finish the week of preparations and rehearsals!
What’s your favourite thing about Swansea University?
Having been an undergraduate at the University, I feel like I have a special relationship with it and so it means more to me to work here. Also having grown up by the coast in Cornwall, it was always important to me how close the University is to the coast. In this sense, Swansea has always kind of felt like home!
In your opinion, what is the best recurring event at the University?
The most interesting has been the Terrorism and Social Media Conference (TASM), as it’s quite a specialist subject area and high profile for the University. It will always be one of my favourites as it was the first major conference that I organised, which happens bi-annually.
If you could organise an event yourself, what is a must-have feature?
The Great Hall bar balcony. I love the views. It’s a wonderful place, even if the event is in the Auditorium, guests can step out for fresh air, especially in the summer when it’s quiet, it’s serene. There’s also the private stretch of beach on Bay Campus which is owned by the University, where I often wander on lunch breaks!
And finally, what do you love to do outside of work?
Something that ends with the word board! bodyboarding, snowboarding, you name it – this month I’m going to the French Alps, i.e., a welcome break after doing three ski seasons in France and Austria! Another hobby of mine is surf photography, which I love.
We hope you enjoyed gaining an insight into Deanna’s role and experience, up next… Charlotte!