Katie West will share her memorable moments from her 20-year career
Katie West at the MKM Stadium.(Image: HEY LSIP)
A manager at a top Hull sports and entertainment venue is set to share lessons – and memorable moments – from her 20-year career at a major skills and training event. Katie West, sales manager at the MKM Stadium for Venue Catering Partner Limited, has been hit by a flying football kicked by a former England captain and accidentally tipped drinks over a world famous rock star.
She even revealed how she almost “messed up” before officially starting at the city stadium, after confessing she wasn’t a fan of one of the teams. However, as a key speaker at a forthcoming training event, she will tell how her passion for people has helped her achieve her career ambitions.
The employer forum, organised by Hull and East Yorkshire Local Skills Improvement Partnership (HEY LSIP), is expected to attract more than 100 business leaders to the MKM Stadium in Hull on Monday 9 February to kick off National Apprenticeship Week with a discussion on careers and work experience.
Katie, who marks her 20th anniversary at the stadium in April, will tell the event how she turned down college opportunities to join Chamber Training, part of the Hull & Humber Chamber of Commerce, instead taking the NVQ route to a career which now gives her responsibility for leading a small team organising a variety of events.
After a first NVQ in business administration, Katie took on a second NVQ in customer service and that earned her an interview at the stadium.
She said: “I met the directors of the company and I thought I’d messed up when I said Hull FC were rubbish and I supported Hull KR – but one of the directors was a KR fan as well. I was given a six month placement and after three months they offered me a contract as a full time business administrator.”
Katie continued her NVQs to Level 3 and progressed to sales coordinator and then senior sales executive before becoming sales manager.
She said: “Our job is to make sure the stadium is busy on all the days when there isn’t a match. We do all sorts of corporate events, family celebrations, festivals in the car park, polo on the pitch. And we did Covid vaccinations.”
She recalls a match day when a visiting Premier League player literally kicked out in frustration, and the occasion when a drinks tray went flying.
Katie said: “I was at the other end of the corridor when the ball hit me. It took me by surprise but didn’t hurt. The player waved to acknowledge me and apologise. The first gig I worked on was Jon Bon Jovi in 2006. He requested coffee and water to be delivered just before he went on stage and I was taking it to him when we both tried to go through the door at the same time!
“It ended up all over his outfit. Fortunately he wasn’t hurt but he did have to get changed. He told the crowd that’s why he was 20 minutes late on stage, but he was very nice about it!”
Katie credits the team spirit among her stadium colleagues as the key factor for their continuing length of service.
She said: “Almost all the staff have been here as long as me, and some longer. No matter what role you are doing they always want to see everybody progress. Nobody here ducks out. “
Her advice to young people entering the world of work is to build their people skills.
She added: “A lot of young people now prefer to sit behind a computer. I was the same at school – I didn’t want to talk to anybody. But when I started here it was about picking up the phone, talking to people and then going to see them.
“The teaching I got was all about interacting with people. It’s people skills and now I probably have more knowledge about the person I am working with than about the event they are putting on.”
The LSIP forum will take place at the MKM Stadium on Monday February 9, with registration at 9am and optional pitch side tours. Presentations will also be made by The Careers Hub about the recently announced Modern Work Experience Programme, Humber Learning Consortium about their Educational Portable Escape Rooms, and The Tigers Trust on its reach into schools across the region.