A Day in the Life: Sam Fisher, Event Director for Decorex International

My working day: Sam Fisher, Event Director, Decorex International at Informa Markets

Decorex International is just around the corner and planning the UK’s celebration of Interior Design is no easy feat. However, in between lunch meetings and exhibitor catch-ups, Sam finds time for her morning espresso and spin class. 

6am: Three days a week I work from the office, so I get up early, have an espresso and go to a spin class before I head into the office. I have a bit of a lie-in until 7.30 or 8am on the couple of days I don’t!

8.30am I have a cup of tea at the office, swiftly followed by a coffee and read emails, checking the meetings I have that day and work my way through Linkedin and Instagram. Instagram is a really important social tool for Decorex as it’s so visual and I’ve found many new designers and brands on their that we’ve subsequently got involved in the show.

10am: Usually catch up with our sales team of two along with my Event Manager a couple of times a week to see how we’re getting on. Decorex has an application process to exhibit at the show, so we look at these with the committee to decide who is right for the show – we look at the quality, pricepoint, heritage and craftsmanship of each brand and product. With Decorex only a month away, we only have a couple of stands left so we’re just working together on what product sectors we need more of.

11am: I usually have a chance to catch up on emails again, but often have calls with PR companies about their designer/ design brand clients to see who might want to be involved in the show either this year or next. Building relationships within the industry is one of the key parts of my role as Event Director and something I love to do. Whether that’s on calls to explore opportunities or going out to other design shows or other networking events to find new brands/ designers to work with as well as catching up with friends in the industry.

12pm: I usually eat lunch early, either at the office or am lucky enough to go out for lunch meetings quite a lot, it’s a great way to chat about the industry and ideas and concepts for the upcoming show with designers, PR’s and exhibitors.

1.30pm: As we are only a few weeks out from the show, we are spending a lot of time ensuring our feature areas at the show are making good progress. We are renowned as a show for collaborating with designers to create some stunning installations and we’re really excited about this year’s spaces; they will be a talking point for sure! In order for these to come to fruition, we need detailed meetings with our operations team, the designers, the stand builders and my own event management team to ensure that everything is on track and that we are coordinating with the marketing team on joined-up announcements across our social channels.

3pm: Catch up with my team about any urgent things we need to do, these can range from organising the exhibitor party, making sure we’ve got enough speakers and a wide range of diverse topics on the talks programme to working on the logistics of a silent auction and discussing tents to use in the entrance! No day is ever the same and that’s why I really love working in events – you never know what to expect, but it’s always a lot of fun!

5.30pm I try to leave the office (if I’m not at home) around this time, sometimes I’ll go home and log on again if necessary which is mostly always during the lead-up to Decorex, but sometimes will head for drinks and/or dinner with friends or a design event - it’s a social industry and I’ve made some great friends through it over the years.

9pm If I’m at home, I’m in bed early but this time does often change depending on my plans! With a 6am rise, I need my 8 hours to function….

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