A Day in the Life of a Facilities and Venue Operations Manager

Hello, I’m Natalie the Facilities and Venue Operations Manager at Horizon Leeds. As of October 2024, I’ve been with the organisation for 10 years, from starting out as an operations assistant to now managing the site. I bring many years of knowledge and expertise not only to our client’s events but to the development of the venue and service we provide.

As I work across Horizon Leeds and NHS Confederation managing the operational running of both the venue and the office sites my role is super varied. I cover multiple areas from health and safety, and financial management, to events and client management. It keeps me on my toes most days, however I love the challenge.

Most days, I’m usually at Horizon Leeds by 6.30 AM – an early riser, I know. The quiet of the early morning is my favourite time of day, it allows me to get a head start on ensuring everything is perfect for our clients. My day always starts with the biggest cup of Ringtons coffee, americano – obviously, a little ritual that sets the tone for the busy hours ahead.

Coffee in hand, I’ll complete my venue checks, ensuring all the rooms are set up to fit the client’s brief. I’m very particular about how the rooms look—final details are everything and crucial in creating a welcoming environment. For me, it shows we go the extra mile for our clients, as close to perfect as possible is always the aim (there’s always room for improvement).

Next, a full health and safety run-through is an essential part of the day ensuring the space is a safe environment. This includes checking the set-ups meet safety standards, assessing H&S documentation submitted by clients plus the daily checks; fire exits, equipment safety, and risk assessment actions. Health and safety is a top priority when you’re managing a venue and looking after hundreds of delegates.

Once my Ops team arrive onsite the events are handed over, and Emily takes the lead on the day-to-day operations and client management while I tackle my to-do list.

As I manage the full events schedule a key priority is looking through the diary for the next six to eight weeks. Ensuring each client has been allocated an operational point of contact to make their pre-event process seamless. It’s super important to get everything confirmed well in advance to try and avoid any last-minute surprises, even though everyone who works in events knows surprises happen.

I always have daily dedicated time for client meetings and tend to look after our larger bookings, and events for 130 + that have lots of moving parts such as exhibitions, dinners, or across multiple days. This is where I thrive, meeting the clients and making sure they get the most from the venue. I love using the space in different ways to achieve the desired outcome, so when clients come up with a weird and wonderful brief, it’s time to get creative to make it happen. These meetings are crucial in building a rapport and ensuring every event we deliver is a success.

Once the client-facing tasks are ticked off, my attention turns to real fun and important stuff including finance, policy, and health and safety. In my role money matters, I keep a watchful eye over all venue spend, whether that be for the premises, project work, or the day-to-day running; catering, coffee, and tech to name a few.

Health, safety, environmental, social and governance (ESG) are regularly taking the top spot of my task list and project work is always going on behind the scenes to keep the space safe, compliant, and as environmentally friendly as possible.

Before the day ends, I have a de-brief with the team about the events that happened in the venue that day, it’s a great way to get valuable feedback to not only ensure our clients are happy when they leave but to ensure the product and service offered at Horizon Leeds is continually developed and improved.

By the end of the day, it’s time to head home. But my day isn’t over yet—it’s straight to the gym for a cross-fit session, the perfect way to unwind and stay fit.

And that’s a typical day in my life as the Facilities and Venue Operations Manager at Horizon Leeds. If you’re looking for a meeting space in Leeds, we’d love to welcome you to our venue and ensure your event is a success!