Tomorrow's Talent Q&A: Charlotte Buckley, ZiaBia Events Consultancy

Charlotte Buckley, event consultant at ZiaBia Events Consultancy, and one of our Tomorrow’s Talent winners, spoke with us to share her ambitions for the future and how she believes the meetings and events industry can continue to promote new talent.

What does it mean for you to be named as a winner of Tomorrow’s Talent 2020?
I am so grateful to have been named as a winner of Tomorrow’s Talent 2020. It means so much to have been recognised for the time, effort and dedication I have put into my job over the last two years, developing my abilities within the events industry.

How are you going to celebrate?
Anyone who knows me, knows that my ‘go-to’ to celebrate for anything is always food. I’m lucky enough to live in a city with amazing food options, so I’ll definitely be heading out for a bite to eat with my family and maybe a couple of cocktails!

How do you think the meetings and events industry needs to adapt to continue to attract new talent?
I think for the events industry to continue to attract new talent, it’s key that opportunities are made for all, not just graduates or people who have had previous experience necessarily. I think often barriers are put up to those who are just leaving sixth form or college and may not want to go to university, or may not have studied a related subject, which acts as a deterrence. Not everyone knows what they want to do when choosing their subjects of study across all levels, but the beauty of the events industry is that the skills you need can be learnt and developed over time.

What’s your advice for someone starting out in the meetings and events industry?
My advice for anyone starting out in the meetings and events industry is to stay open-minded. It’s such a dynamic industry, things are always changing so stay on the ball and make as many connections with other events professionals as possible. Take every networking opportunity you can and as cliché as it is, it’s not always what you know, but who you know.

What are your ambitions for the next one year? Five years? Ten years?
My ambitions for the next year are just to continue progressing within my role and diversifying myself and my abilities so that I can add as much value as possible for each project I work on. In five years, I will be managing my own team, I will make that happen! Ten years is much harder, as it’s nearly half of my life so far, so it seems like a very long way away. If I’ve learnt anything from this year, it’s that the most unexpected things can happen at any moment and no amount of preparation could’ve prepared us for what we have all experienced. So, I guess in ten years’ time I’d like to be happy and healthy and the rest will fall into place with hard work and the right attitude.