What’s it really like to work in the world of events? Our next day in the life post introduces Rachel Gregory, the sales manager for the Accountex Portfolio, who talks about the most challenging aspects and best part of her role.
Tell us a bit about your background before Diversified
I’ve worked in sales for 10 years, starting with a commission only field sales role, which was very difficult at first, but helped me get the experience I needed and gave me my first taste of sales. I slowly moved on to a call centre – standard robotic sales role – but again this helped me further build my skill set. Then I had an advertising account management role, which helped me brush up on my organisation skills, where I then wanted to take my career further within the field.
How do you get to work in the morning?
I get the bus from Patcham, it takes around 25 minutes.
Is there such a thing as a typical day for you? If so, what’s it like?
Most days consist of making lots of calls. I structure my day accordingly, mixing up my calls from hot and cold leads. You never know when a company you have previously pitched for might suddenly be interested, plus finding new companies is exciting.
What do you do for lunch?
We’re spoilt for choice where we are located in Brighton, so on most days I tend to go out and buy either a healthy salad, sushi or a burrito. Occasionally a few of us make a trip to Pizza express, as it’s just opposite the office.
What’s the best part of your Job?
Seeing the success of Accountex. Working very hard all year, and then getting to see the finished result of a fantastic show is very satisfying. Also working on a brand-new show, Accountex Summit North, is also very exciting. I can’t wait to see it develop.
What’s the most challenging aspect of the role?
Organisation has to be spot on, especially now we have two shows, our admin has doubled. Transferring all of our data from sales logic onto our sales force was a massive project which took some time to implement, and is still on-going. It takes patience, but we all support and help each other out.
What’s the best thing about working at Diversified?
The people, the company’s values, and the passion everyone has in the company. I have the best team here, and it’s great to see how everyone works extremely hard to get the best results out of all our shows. Also, I’m part of the ‘fun committee’ where we arrange some socials after work – Bingo, the theatre, and cheese and wine night, to name a few.
What are your hobbies/interests outside of work?
I am a massive foodie, so if this is classed as a hobby, then eating out! Seeing family and friends is very important to me, so most of my time is spent travelling around seeing people.
Are you an early riser or a night owl?
Neither, more of an exhausted pigeon comes to mind!
What’s the highlight of your career so far?
Being promoted from Senior Sales Executive to Sales Manager. Hard work pays off!
Accountex Summit North takes place on 6 March 2018 – www.accountexsummitnorth.co.uk/ and Accountex returns to ExCeL London on 23-24 March 2018 – www.accountex.co.uk. For stand enquires, please contact Rachel on [email protected], or call +44 (0)1273 645145