Event Industry Open Day – Sharing Our Passion with the Next Generation

Here at Red Occasions, we are driven to educate, train and nurture new talent. On April 8^th, we launched our very first Industry Insight Open Day and welcomed upcoming talent in the AV and event production sector through our doors. We invited students studying relevant courses from local higher education institutions at local universities and colleges.

Hosted at our warehouse, we delivered a day dedicated to the events industry and all things tech. We focused on the process of event production and provided deep dives into everything lighting, audio, video, set, staging and power. With presentations, Q&As and kit demos, the aim of the day was to inform and inspire the next generation. The event gave participants an insight into the exciting world of audio visual equipment and event production, where no two days are the same!

Technical wizardry

By taking the students out of the classroom and lecture theatres for the day, the event gave them the chance to take the theory they’re taught and apply it to real-life application. As well as hearing from various speakers, the day involved inspiring interactive sessions. It provided the pupils with a chance for hands-on demos of the kit. We included an array of Yamaha digital consoles, Pioneer DJ kit, lighting, and a range of L’Acoustics speakers from 5XT right up to our Kara line array.

Putting the practice into action

With our DJ kit, the students enjoyed live mixing a band from a multitrack record and programming an Avolites desk to control a range of generic, moving and wireless lighting. We erected video switchers, projectors and screens to give the participants a chance to view and learn all about the technology. We also produced some problematic scenarios and challenged the students to fix these issues. They relished the chance of solving some of the real-life problems that our team encounter day-to-day.

The event allowed us to expand our reach and work with local institutions to promote the live event sector and all it has to offer. As well as providing the attendees with a better insight into the industry, we were able to offer jobs and work placement opportunities at the same time.

Roll on the next open day!

We had a fantastic turnout and were pleased to be able to offer both a full-time and part-time position with us, as well as two work experience placements. We’d like to extend our thanks to University of Bedfordshire, University of Northampton, Bedford College, Milton Keynes College and Cambridge Regional College for helping us to put on such a successful event.

“Having the opportunity to go out and actively engage the next generation of skilled labour within our industry has been a really fulfilling process. Getting to offer a variety of work opportunities to the people that really deserve it, is an even better feeling. 

With key connections within the education institutions in our area now established, we hope that this program will help bridge the gap between education and the world of work for many years to come!”

– Jamie Miles-D’Arcy, Production Manager

Join something special

Part of our aim with these open days is to identify and offer opportunities to local graduates and students, and we’re pleased to have been able to offer full time paid positions and work placements to a number of the attendees – a fantastic result for our business and the guests.

Would you love to work in the live events and event production sector? Following the success of our first event, Red Occasions plan to host these open days regularly. The next open day will be in August. For more information, keep an eye on our careers page or drop us an email and we will add you to our mailing list.

Red Occasions offer events production in Northampton, Milton Keynes, Bedford and beyond. If you require lighting hire, conference production, audio visual equipment or staging hire in Northampton or anywhere else in the UK, we can help. Get in touch to discuss your requirements.