MVP Of The Month: Melanie Stewart, Project Manager – The Shift Corp
This month we caught up with Mel Stewart from The Shift, previously at Ironman and Fairfax.
How long have you been in the events industry? 12 years
What do you love most about the mass participation sector? The complex logistics and the visual impact to see it all come together on event day
Who are you inspired by in our industry? I'm inspired by the events themselves. A colleague once told me we were just custodians of the major event we were working on and part of it's 50 year history. The participants, volunteers and locals were the real owners and the community behind the events. It's really rewarding and humbling to be part of something that big.
What is your 'can't live without' piece of technology at an event? Give me a runsheet and a contact list and I can solve any problem!
If you weren’t in Mass participation Events what do you think you would be doing? Losing my job in 2020 made me think long and hard about this. I think I'd be in project management, I need to be working towards something and it has an end date, that's where I get the most satisfaction, seeing the end results!
What’s your favourite event that you have attended or worked at? I was lucky enough to work one of the Invictus Events as an ops contractor. It appeared to be a big budget event but organised with a charity budget perspective. The focus on the athletes and their support teams was front of mind for all areas of the event planning and really brought an amazing feel to the whole event. My favourite memories are hiding in an old building while a crazy storm passed over and the many chats with servicemen and women who were more than happy to share their experiences with you.
What do you see is the future of our industry? I don't like to go too far ahead of myself but I hope that 2022 and beyond are the busiest we've ever been in this industry and we can bring the joy of events back to Australians around the country!
Favourite App / Book or Podcast I'm an ops nerd at heart and can't function without Google Maps.