A few months ago, I received a phone call from my former Uni tutor, informing me of an amazing work opportunity at the Canterbury Festival as a marketing and box office assistant. I had to be quick: I didn’t lose a minute, called them to demonstrate my interest, filled the application form overnight, and after an interview and a few days of stress, I got the job!! This is how an incredible journey with the Festival started.

As a young Canterbury Christ Church University graduate, new to the UK, I find it really hard to shift from getting ‘student jobs’ to getting a permanent job that would enable me to make the most of all I learned during my master’s in Arts and Cultural Management. With no proven success or professional experience, it is tricky to find one’s own place in a saturated world of work, where there will always be someone else who’s done something more. For once, I was trusted to learn quickly, and everyone at the Festival was always keen to show me the ropes. Especially Rob, the Marketing Manager who always took time to explain and support me when needed.

Three months at the Festival might seem like a short time, but I have learnt so much that it would be hard to summarise it all. Marketing-wise, I was in charge of Social Media content, building Facebook ads, drafting press releases, updating the website and analyse campaign statistics for board reports. I also gained experience as a Box Office assistant, selling tickets over the phone or in person, and dealing with inquiries. During the Festival, I had the amazing opportunity to step up as Duty Manager for some events, liaising with artists and managing our amazing team of Front of House Volunteers. All that in the nicest atmosphere, with the opportunity to see so many performances and concerts during the Festival.

I feel like I have grown a lot in such a short amount of time, and this is all thanks to the fabulous Canterbury Festival Team. I can’t wait to keep being creative and progressing over the years, and I hope to be back to work on new projects with the Festival in future! This is not a goodbye but a see you later.  

Melora