Catherine Duhaut has worked in event management since 2007 with a specialism in outdoor. In 2014 she co-founded BeaconHouse Events and has brought together a team that now delivers more than 100 events annually, working with companies such as Fenwick, Bridgestone and the Great Run Company.
What was your first job (and what did it pay)? My first job was a summer job at Broughshane Daffodil Farm. I worked with my brother and some local kids from our village to dig (in all weather!) daffodil bulbs, they then got dried, we cleaned them and then packaged them to send all over the world. We got paid £2.50 per hour, worked five days a week, got to play on their tennis court during lunch and had apple pie for elevensies - it was a dreamy job. Some of the daffodil bulbs cost hundreds of pounds per bulb - so when we were digging and accidentally put a garden fork through one…
What is the best advice or support you’ve been given in business? Be present. Whatever you’re doing, no matter how many clients you’re working with, how many jobs are on your to do list or what your priorities are - be present then and there. This really resonated with me, working in an industry which is fast paced and ever-changing. While running a business it’s easy to always find other things to distract you and prioritise but if you give your everything to the meeting you’ve scheduled, the task you’re accountable for or what you are doing in that moment then you will feel much more productive and get so much more meaning from everything.
