Olivia PowellThe NEC Group recently gave students from Solihull school a taste of the live events industry.
Visiting Resorts World Arena on the NEC Campus to celebrate Discover! Creative Careers Week, Alderbrook School experienced the different elements of ‘what makes a live show’, from ticketing at the NEC’s box office, The Ticket Factory, through to light and sound production and rigging at the venue.
Creative Careers Week is designed to give young people an insight into the types of jobs they may not have heard of across the creative industries by introducing them to where they happen, and the people who do them.
The school received a welcome talk from the director of arenas, Guy Dunstan, before being shown how the group’s box office operation works. Students were then tasked with creative roles that help make a live event happen, culminating in creating the school’s very own live production.
Senior learning and development consultant at the NEC Group, Claire Hawker, said: “It’s been a pleasure to show students from Alderbrook School around one of our arenas, so they can get a feel for what makes a show happen. They had a fantastic time putting on their own show – and we certainly had a real array of creative talent on display.
“We hope that we have helped inspire the next generation of creative talent. Whatever path they choose to tread in their careers, we hope that Creative Careers Week has shown what an exciting and diverse industry the live events business can be.”
The NEC Group recently announced its status as a Cornerstone employer, partnering with The Careers & Enterprise Company, meaning the Group is dedicated to working with schools and colleges in order to inspire young people across the area.
The partnership aims to help young people across the region to engage with employees from departments across the NEC Group and gain work experience to help them make informed choices about their futures.
Assistant headteacher from Alderbrook School, Anna Allen, said: “We were thrilled to be invited to the NEC Group as a part of Creative Careers Week. Our students had such an exciting day of activities and it was clear to see how many opportunities there are within the live events business, from ticketing, to arena staff, to sound engineering and production. The trip definitely helped get the creative juices flowing, inspiring the class and getting them thinking about what the future holds for them in their careers.”