Charly Andrews joined the Bath & West Showground team as Head of Commercial Sales earlier this year. Here we find out more about Charly and her vision for the showground.

Can you tell us a bit about what you were doing before you joined the Bath and West?

Just before I joined the team here I was Venue Sales Manager at Ashton Gate Stadium in Bristol, home of Bristol City Football Club and Bristol Bears Rugby Club. My role there was to secure business for non-match days, so I worked on a variety of events including big concerts, graduations, gala dinners and exhibitions. I was also responsible for securing the first Mass Vaccination Centre and worked closely with the NHS to get this up and running at the stadium, something I will be forever proud of.

Before that I worked my way up with Searcys catering company in Bath, starting as a maternity cover event coordinator, and ending up as Senior Sales and Marketing Manager – the youngest senior manager they had ever had!

In another life though, before my time in the events world, I actually worked as an Entertainer overseas! I sang, danced, hosted gameshows and played games in and around the pool for families on their holidays. I did this for a few years, spending my final year abroad as Entertainment Team Leader for Spain and the Canary Islands, then topped it off with a Winter season in Lapland!

What does your role as Head of Commercial Sales involve?

Fundamentally, finding ways to utilise our amazing space for commercial value, whether that be by working closely with our Marketing Executive on making sure our messaging that goes out is accurate, reaching out to new and potential businesses or clients, conducting site visits or working hard to understand the needs of an enquiry to convert that business. Our aim is to show people just how amazing the Showground is, and that the possibilities really are endless!

I also manage a team of incredible people. I am very lucky to have the opportunity to mentor some brilliant people who I am also learning a lot from. I am also very proud to say that as of this moment, the Senior Management Team (myself, Head of Shows and CEO) are all female.

Why did you want to join the Bath and West team?

It was the next step for me and a hugely exciting opportunity for my career that I could not pass up! The events world is so versatile, with so many different types of venues out there, and it felt right for a Showground to be next for me. I have worked within sport, a museum, hotels, so this was something I wanted to put my skills to.

I am also really passionate about helping people, the community and charity work, so working for a Society with as rich a heritage as we have just felt like the perfect fit.

It also sounds so cliché, but there is a real family feel here which is so apparent as soon as you walk through the door. Everyone cares about each other, the Showground and the success of everyone and everything we do. It's a very special place to be.

What do you like most about the job?

The opportunities genuinely are endless, and I find that so exciting! If one day I have a crazy idea, there's no real reason why I couldn't make it happen. The space we have really is just second to none. We have different buildings of different sizes which are so versatile, but it's the outside space that does it for me. Large open spaces, the main ring, a lake and a beautiful woodland area. One day I would love to see a wellness festival making use of the beautiful woodland; imagine meditating amongst the trees?! Gorgeous.

What plans do you have?

We are about to launch our brand new campaign, 'Bringing the city and countryside together'. It's all about showing people that we can do both. The world has changed now and events have changed with it. Gone are the days of companies bringing everyone together to sit in a plain room for 8 hours to watch a PowerPoint Presentation. People are looking for something different, something fun and something safe. If the pandemic taught us anything, it's that life doesn't need to run at a constant high speed at all times. Slowing down slightly is more than ok, and that's what I believe we have. We provide the opportunity for companies to still get everybody together (because human connection will always be important) but gets them out of the hustle and bustle of the city life and into the wild outdoors. We've got the facilities to still do the PowerPoint where it's needed, but then we've got so many opportunities to do something fun afterwards. Maybe a team building activity, segways through the woodland, archery on the main lawn, tug of war or kayaks on the lake. We've even got ample space to camp over if people really want to make the most of it, not to mention the thousands of parking spaces available…

We are also really keen to work with the community so if there's something you want to see at the Showground, reach out! Nothing is impossible!

I am really excited about what's to come for us! I know this is just the beginning of great things… watch this space!

What is your favourite thing about Shepton Mallet?

Just being in and amongst the countryside to be honest. It is a really beautiful part of the country. I live in Bristol so had become quite accustomed to my city life, but now I love getting the best of both worlds when I come into the countryside during the week. I am also really fascinated by the prison! I've not managed to pay a visit yet but I definitely want to go and have a look around.

How is the Bath and West involved in the local community?

Playing our part within the community is hugely important to us and remains at the heart of everything we do at the Showground and within the Society. Planning has just started kicking off for our next Field to Food Learning Day next year. This event will see around 1,500 primary school pupils attend the Showground to learn all about farming and food production. It's such a brilliant and important day surrounded by the next generation.

We have also continued our sponsorship of the local football team, Shepton Mallet 'Team Black' Under 11s which is so great to be a part of.

We are currently looking at new ways to support the local community and keep them well informed with our plans at the Showground, so watch this space for more details coming at the end of the year!

How difficult has it been for the Bath and West to bounce back after Covid?

In some ways, very difficult, but then in others it's provided a new opportunity. I am ever the optimist!

The events industry was affected so hugely by the pandemic, so naturally our business took a huge knock. Some of our events haven't bounced back fully yet which is really sad to see, but we have remained human throughout and helped them as best as we can. Everyone has struggled, so it's important to stay kind. Finding new business is more difficult than ever too. A new music festival for example might have been ready and raring to go before Covid, but now they are understandably unsure on whether it will be as successful as they had first thought. Post covid, and with the cost of living crisis, people are spending their money differently, so this has made lots of people in the events world really re-think what makes their event special. That's what we are here to try and do; work with our existing and new clients to find what makes it unique and provide an unforgettable experience.

It also means we can get creative, which I love doing.

Times are hard, but people will always want to attend events, and that's an amazing thing to be a part of.

The Bath and West Showground is the Shepton Mallet Nub News What's On sponsor. Without community-minded partners like the Bath and West Showground we would not be able to produce the locally-relevant, clickbait-free news to the people of Shepton Mallet.