A Catch Up With Bethany Dare

As the hospitality industry is beginning to open up again, we caught up with Bethany as she returns to the office from having been furloughed to find out how the last year has been, and what she is looking forward to most as we look ahead.

Meet Bethany

Bethany is the dedicated Venue Catering Manager for one of our incredible exclusive catering venues, Magazine London. As the hospitality industry is beginning to open up again, we caught up with Bethany as she returns to the office from having been furloughed to find out how the last year has been, and what she is looking forward to most as we look ahead.

Tell us about yourself and your role at Moving Venue?

I joined Moving Venue in October 2019 following the opening of Magazine London to be the dedicated Venue Catering Manager.

I previously had experience in event catering, more towards the operational side, so I was familiar with running all types of events, large and small, across some of the best venues in London. Whilst I loved the job and being involved in the operational elements of events, I decided I wanted to broaden my experience and delve into the world of sales. When the opportunity to join Moving Venue as the Venue Catering Manager for a brand-new event space opening in London, I could not have been more excited to take on this challenge!

My role, in a nutshell...

Is to look after all the catering elements for any event being held at Magazine London. From initial enquiry, through to confirmation I will liaise with the client to see what style of catering is best suited to their event, as well as discussing costs and working to various budgets. Once the event is confirmed, I will then work with the client to build their perfect event. With Magazine London being such a vast blank canvas space, the possibilities for what can take place in the venue are endless. One of the main things I love about the job is that no two events at Magazine London are the same, and I am always excited to see what enquiry comes into my inbox next!

How has lockdown been for you?

Like many in the hospitality industry this lockdown felt like it went on forever, however I was grateful for the opportunity to stop and reflect. Being used to working long hours and losing evenings and weekends to events, I certainly took full advantage of the ‘furlough life’ during the summer months. But relaxing in the sun can only last so long and after a few months I needed to find something to keep me busy. Over the next year I had many part-time jobs ranging from dog walking, hostessing in a bar, experiencing the world of film and TV crew catering, and more recently working on COVID testing sites.

What have you learnt?

Each job came with its own challenges, but it was fun to work with a wide range of people and learning things I never thought I needed to know. Outside of work, it didn’t take long before furlough-pet-fever hit, and my boyfriend and I adopted a kitten. At the same time, I took up knitting as a hobby which was challenging already, without having a kitten to deal with!

Now on the other side of furlough I can look back on those experiences feeling grateful for the opportunities I was given and how lucky I was to remain in employment throughout the challenging time.

What was your favourite event pre-lockdown?

Having only been five months into the role before lockdown, I was lucky to experience a great range of events within Magazine London. From product launches and exhibitions to charity and gala dinners. The most exciting event I had the pleasure of working on had to be the Gay Times Honours 500 in November 2019.

The event was split into two parts – an exclusive award show for VIP guests, where we circulated street food style bites to guests, followed by a night of amazing performances with members of the public joining who were able to purchase yummy food from street food traders.

Gay Times Honours 500

What made this my favourite event was the setup of the venue – guests walked through an LED tunnel to access the main space and the staging set up was so impactful as you can see from the images.

The night was also such a fun celebration with everyone in high spirits and seeing the spectacular venue, it has certainly left a long-term lasting impression on me.

What are you most looking forward to when live events return?

One of the main reasons I love working in this industry is seeing events come together after all the planning and hard work. Understandably, a lot of events which I was in the throes of planning before the pandemic had to postpone and I am now in the stages of picking those events back up and (fingers crossed) planning for when they can take place again later this year.

The feeling of satisfaction of when those events, after years in the making, finally come together will be incredible, for both suppliers and guests alike!

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Magazine London, situated in North Greenwich, offers a striking black blank canvas with a warehouse and industrial feel. Interested in finding out more? Please click below.

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