does.

Host the biggest parties in town.

 The Director of Events and Services - what do they do? What are the day-to-day tasks, the items on the work agenda that keep them busy? Before we go into details, a short prelude…

In St Andrews, the smaller events cater to numbers of 200-500, the mid range up to around 1,000, the larger with numbers around 1,200 and the colossal events upwards of 1,300. With budgets ranging from £300 for the mini events to £10,000 for the mid range and anything up to and over £100,000 for the colossal events, St Andrews truly is the perfect training ground for anyone interested in event planning.

Legend has it that St Andrews has more pubs and bars per square foot then anywhere else in the UK. With traditional ale houses, underground club bars, cosy cocktail havens, live music emporia, chic modern spaces and good honest pubs, the range on offer is phenomenal.

Down the alleyways and streets of St Andrews you can find menus that span countless pages and countless destinations, menus from the best seafood restaurant in St Andrews, menus from the best Indian restaurant in the UK, menus from restaurants with Thai governmental support, menus with delights such as deep fried mars bars and menus with traditional hearty wholesome homemade dishes - whatever cuisine you enjoy you can find it here in St Andrews.

So, you have several options:

What if your job was to run the largest and the smallest events in St Andrews, with a turnover that runs into the hundreds of thousands of pounds?

What if your job was to oversee and promote the operations of the largestbar in St Andrews, the bar that has the most staff and the bar with a turnover that is more than several of the other bars combined?

What if your job was to guide the efforts of a beast of an eatery with one of largest capacities in the town and limitless potential?

What if your job was to chair the staffing committee for a registered charity; be the student representative for a group who decide what events occur on University land, from the Opening ball and Starfields to FS:09 and the Graduation Ball; look after and manage the technical assets of a business that has been growing and accumulating worth for over 35 years; be an advisor for groups throwing events as intimate in size as a 30 guest event, to hall committees responsible for events where the capacity exceeds 1,700 people.

What if your job encompassed all these remits and more?

On a day to day basis you plan parties for 1,000 students, speak to the agents for some of the top acts in the world, construct reviews of events and dissect what went right and what went wrong, have site meetings with companies who provide the sound and lighting for T In The Park, write proposals and present your case to the directors of University departments and strike sponsorship deals with major drinks and promotional companies.

This is the role of the Director of Events and Services, and as with all sabbatical positions, no two days are the same. As the event and commercial markets in St Andrews evolve, you have to stay ahead of the game and make sure you are always at the forefront of what students want. It’s a busy, rewarding, engaging, active and sometimes hectic job, but it will definitely prepare you for a life in the fast lane.

It is not a job to be taken lightly, but by the end of the year you will be proud of what you have achieved. Not many students can say they ran the commercial services of an organisation with a £3m turnover. You would be hard pushed to find an event organiser who had been doing their job for years, who had run events with budgets of £40k. What’s on offer is limitless, and few will ever experience what you will gain in one year.

If you're interested, or just want to find out more about what the job entails, contact Phil on doserv@st-andrews.ac.uk.