E L L I E R U T H E R F O R D’S

L I P A P L A C E M E N T J O U R N A L

Date Posted —
25.11.2019

Posted by —
Ellie Rutherford

Hi! I’m Ellie and I am currently in my third and final year studying Management of Music, Entertainment, Theatre and Events at LIPA {Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts}. The first term of our third year we have to complete 310 hours of practical learning hours on our practical management placement. So here I am, lucky enough to be completing mine at Deco Publique alongside this amazing team.

Always having a love for working in hospitality and events, I started to find a passion for wanting to be in the organising and managing side of events, rather than just working the hospitality side. It was at this point Deco Publique began to help me start finally doing what I knew I loved! Lauren informed me of this degree at LIPA, helped me with my personal statement and before I knew it- I had a place! 

From starting my degree Lauren had a lot of helpful pointers and really has been there for me every step of the way, from contacts to experience to helping with the dreaded budget modules! Over the first two years of my degree I got involved in the National Festival of Making and Vintage by the sea, and my love for Deco and everything they do has continued to grow since then! Completing my placement hours somewhere where I have previously worked, to me, feels like such a big advantage. The planning and preparation for the National Festival of Making and Vintage by The Sea is a continuous year-long cycle which consumes a lot of effort and energy from everyone behind the scenes. You really appreciate the work that goes into these events when you witness everything from start to finish! Lauren and Elena really do a fantastic job, which is a fact, because I’m currently on placement at the winning company for Cultural Organisation of the year 2019! 

For this year’s National Festival of Making, I was the volunteer manager, which took a lot of planning and preparation but there was still room for improvement for next year’s festival. One of the main projects I have been working on throughout my time on placement has been the volunteer programme for NFM. Starting the programme with a lot more time to plan and prepare and have the ability to thoroughly research through different volunteer programmes has really driven me to see this project through as a successful one. Which will hopefully be the case for NFM 2020. 

I am unfortunately almost coming to the end of my placement period, the whole experience has been invaluable, and I don’t want it to end! With my placement needing to be completed through the ‘winter months’ there was no festival delivery – but nonetheless no two days in the office were the same! I have really enjoyed working in the office and seeing/being a part of the research, preparation and administration side to this industry. The majority of experience gained whilst at university is hands on delivering festivals which is obviously great but knowing what goes on the other 360 days of the year is extremely useful. 

Big thanks to Lauren and Elena for the most amazing placement so far, and I’m sure I’ll be back with another blog post <3