A day in the life of...
"Exercise. Eggs. Espresso Martinis. The triple E"
Chloe Richardson, head of content at Event Leaders Exchange (EXL), and freelance emcee | strategists | consultant
Describe your perfect day
Onsite - of course! The most perfect work day is when months of planning and stress culminate in an onsite experience where you know you’ve done all you can, so you just step out on the stage and enjoy every moment of it.
At Event Leaders Exchange (ELX) in particular, we spend so long making sure the content, format and design of the event is the very best for our members, so the preparation phase is the hard part, but the delivery is just so magical.
How do you claw back your day when it gets off to a bad start?
It’s funny you ask this - I’m renowned amongst friends and family as having really bad luck (flights cancelled, luggage missing, branches falling on my head, etc) but I always see it the other way around - there are so many things that can always go wrong, that if it’s only two to three things, that’s good luck! However, if the day is really off to a bad start and I’m feeling a bit grumpy, I always make sure I go for a run or a cycle, and the bad mood just lifts.
Do you have any work rituals?
Not rituals, as such, but I have this weird thing where when if I’ve got a large project, I'm not allowed to break to go to the bathroom until I’ve hit the next milestone. I’m not sure if that’s a ritual, but it’s a subconscious process I always go through.
What’s your work Spotify playlist?
I love listening to the Lord of the Rings soundtrack. I used to be a loud-musicals-while-working kind of gal, but now I find I can’t help singing along, and it can distract me from my writing, so I stick with the lyric-less genius of Howard Shore.
"I find the commute such a terrible waste of time"
How do you unwind?
Exercise. Eggs. Espresso Martinis. The triple E.
How do you stay focused?
Luckily, this is something that comes quite naturally, but the above music pivot definitely helps! I also make sure to block out my diary on a daily basis with all key tasks, to maintain a clear focus of outcomes and activity.
How many meetings do you have every day?
About six. In my previous full-time role, it wouldn’t be unusual to have 10-plus meeting a day, so this feels much more manageable now.
Delegator or doer?
Doer. I am a TERRIBLE delegator. Definitely needs work...
What's your take on working from home?
I’ve been working from home since 2013, and I would never accept a full-time role that mandates office work. Not only am I so much less productive when in an office (I am a typical event professional who loves people, so my work rate halves if I’m surrounded by other humans that I want to socialise with!), but I find the commute such a terrible waste of time.
What I think a lot of people forget is that the event industry cannot be compared to other office-based functions, as we spend so much time onsite, that is our office. Being expected to do that and then also spend the rest of the time commuting seems incredibly counter-productive.
What song gets you motivated no matter what?
Any song by Kelly Clarkson. She is a hero. In addition, the last song on my running playlist is Nobody to Love by Sigma, and that helps me get over the finish line every single time.
What’s your dream job?
Head of content at ELX and freelance, doing everything else I love. See - I’m very lucky!
A multi-lingual event advocate of 16 years, Chloe is a firm believer in the power of meetings and events.
In her part-time role as head of content at the Event Leaders Exchange, Chloe works with the ELX team and members to drive strategy, develop member-centric content programmes and emcee events both virtually and in person.
