Written by Jacob Timney
I often hear people talk a great deal about variety, balance, and opportunities in their workplace. Whether it’s just HR jargon, or mushy small talk over a client dinner, it can so often be dismissed as everyone presses on with their busy work and personal lifestyles. But at YOURGB, there is an intrinsic variety, transcendental balance, and phenomenal scope for opportunity in the nature of every single event we work on.
I was made aware of this on my first ever day working with YOURGB, shortly before I boarded a plane to Heathrow for an annual Medtech Conference. The client’s keynote speaker was British Astronaut Tim Peake, and it was me, the rookie intern, who was asked to greet and escort him to the conference. It was at this moment I learned that this was not the tea and coffee internship I might have expected. It was inclusive, demanding, and exhilarating.
From handing out lanyards and coordinating registration, to managing entertainment and awards, building artwork, and assisting with stage direction, variety became an incredibly prominent theme. After three days, 700 conference guests, copious amounts of coffee, bonds were made and my induction was complete.
This was reinforced by my second event at St James Quarter’s Edinburgh Seafood Festival. Transporting mermaids through service corridors and assembling clam shells, to managing TikTok-famous chefs and their kitchen setup, every single day was different, and I continued to meet – and be embraced by – the truly fantastic YOURGB team.
Two weeks later, when I (finally) first set foot in the office, I finally met the rest of Team YOURGB, who welcomed me like a colleague, not an intern – something that I valued beyond measure. Hilary and Bronwyn were crucial to this onboarding, and I can’t thank them enough for their support and guidance.
The variety of my work continued, with the planning of Helly Hansen Open Mountain Month – a project that was filled with scope for opportunity. Thanks to Ellie and Jillian, I was given the lead on designing branded assets – ice cream tubs and stickers, creating mock-ups and researching suppliers. The store launch – our first event – gifted rain, sun, wind, and plenty of customers, as we paraded George Street, St Andrews Square and Calton Hill with flyers and free ice cream tokens, offering lessons in sales tactics, pitching and most importantly – to always bring a jumper! Latterly, our two guided hikes proved fantastic successes, and provided several pinch-me moments as my job was to hit the Pentlands under blue skies and sun. I took the helm as social media lead for hike one, vlogging with clients about their experiences with Helly Hansen and posting content from the – a serious responsibility and opportunity that I was incredibly privileged to be offered.
This period became increasingly busy for everyone, and despite this, a true show of balance shone through. I was lucky enough to be involved in several other phenomenal events, including the CHAS Rocking Horse Ball. From table-setting and creating a run of show, to building sandpits and managing auctions, the event was spectacular, The balance between the event itself, task at hand and client relations, seems syncopated at YOURGB, as the fundamental principle at hand is a love of what our clients do. The outstanding work of those at CHAS is a prime example of this, and it was a genuine delight to be able to mix business with networking as we gauged potential new opportunities for such a vital cause.
But balance has, as I mentioned, remained prominent throughout my internship, particularly through our networking events. Despite being an intern, Gilly, Amy, Katie and the entire team have encouraged me to attend these opportunities, including Hopetoun’s Summer Garden Party, and a stunning evening of Ballet with Capital Theatres. Meeting other industry leaders and consulting their expertise surrounding event spaces, AV tech, client transport and bespoke experiences has been an unparalleled opportunity to delve into the endless branches of the ever-progressing events world. As an intern, it has been a once-in-a-lifetime chance to onboard knowledge from true experts in real-world scenarios.
Most recently – and perhaps one of my favourite events of all – the Pride of Scotland Awards rolled balance, variety, and opportunity into one. Thanks to the brilliant Emma Stout, I was generously offered a red-carpet role, meeting and greeting celebrities on behalf of P&O Cruises to get interviews and media content. Meeting not only childhood heroes – such as Navid from Still Game, but the real heroes of Scotland, who have overcome unbelievable hardship was a heartwarming and humbling experience that signified to me the extraordinary privilege I have had at YOURGB. Engaging with unbelievably resilient young people, heroic emergency service workers, and coordinating interviews with Scotland’s first minister was not on my 2025 bingo card. Organising venue walk-throughs and assisting in the P&O cruises installation, the event was a prime example of the balanced, varied opportunities that this internship has offered me.
I simply could not be more grateful.
