Директор по мероприятиям отеля Sheraton в Сиднее делится секретами успеха в индустрии событий

Meet Giselle Chen, director of events at Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park in the CBD. How long have you been in the events industry? Six years. Where did you start your career? My first role was banquet attendant at W Brisbane. What does your role involve? My role is to oversee the smooth planning and execution of all events at Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park by leading the events team and working closely with clients throughout every stage of the event journey. This includes allocating and tailoring contracted events to team members based on everyone’s expertise and strengths to achieve the best operational outcome and client experience. A key part of my role is building strong collaboration between the sales, banquets, kitchen and audiovisual teams, plus other stakeholders, to ensure a seamless and memorable event experience is delivered to guests. I am also responsible for driving events revenue and profitability through strategic planning, effective events management and maintaining strong client relationships to encourage repeat business and achieve catering budget targets. Currently, I am managing a variety of events and projects simultaneously across different months, including MICE group events, weddings and social events. Internally, we are also working on several strategic projects, including our hotel events venue showcase and the development of new events packages designed to enhance guest experiences, drive business opportunities and strengthen our market positioning. What do you enjoy most about your role? No two days are ever the same and I meet a wide range of people, plan different styles of events, and provide different ideas based on each client’s expectations. It is rewarding to see an event come to life from the initial planning stage through to successful execution, while knowing the experience has created memorable moments for guests. What advice would you give to someone entering the events industry? Be creative, be bold, be adaptable and always pay close attention to detail. What is the biggest lesson you’ve learnt during your career? The importance of empathy and perspective. Putting yourself in other people’s shoes helps you better understand their expectations, pressures and emotions, especially in a fast-paced events environment. Whenever I feel frustrated about something, I make a conscious effort to pause, reset and consider how I would feel if I was experiencing the same situation. Over time, I have come to understand that no job is without its challenges, no team sets out to underperform, and no client is intentionally difficult. Often, clients are navigating their own pressures and expectations. It is not about saying yes to everything, but about engaging thoughtfully with clients and internal teams to explore better solutions before you say no, which ultimately leads to better outcomes. Where is your ultimate bucket list event destination? That’s a hard one as there are so many. But I love Villa Cetinale in Tuscany, Italy. It’s a 17th century baroque villa and Italian garden, which is a natural romantic venue to host weddings and social events, and there are 29 villas that can accommodate different sizes of groups onsite. Another is The Ritz Paris, in France, which is a historic luxury hotel renowned for its opulence and rich history. Established by César Ritz in 1898, it has redefined luxury hospitality, hosting notable guests such as Coco Chanel. The property has 15 different events spaces, and my favourite is the outdoor space called The Grand Jardin, which can accommodate up to 400 guests and is very suitable for garden parties, weddings and social events.