A week in the life of... Becs

Monday – well it was an excellent start to the week when we had a slight glitch in the electrics which meant we were computer-less. With our resident IT expert off the premises, the care of the servers etc fell into my lap. Luckily everything ran smoothly and we avoided any issues. Phew!
I spent the rest of the day writing up case studies and copy for future campaigns and press releases.

Tuesday – After a few weeks of saying ‘I really should document how to do this’ for others in the company (and for clients too) I finally got around to writing How To Guides for blogging creating marketing campaigns. I also made a few updates for clients the Manchester Phoenix and Infection 2009.
I left on the stroke of 5.30 (very unlike me) today as I had to get to Manchester to see a band called Phoenix play. They were brilliant, one of the best live bands I have seen in a while (and I have seen quite a few recently). They were supported by a band called Chairlift who I also thoroughly recommend.

Wednesday – Every Wednesday I take content provided by the Manchester Phoenix and put it into a lovely html email template and this Weds was no different.
I was also tasked with setting up Michelle who has joined us to cover Danni whilst she goes on maternity leave with emails and a computer. After my time moonlighting as an IT expert again I returned to my real life as a marketer making email-able invites, again for our friends at the Manchester Phoenix.

Thursday – Holidaaaaay! It was about time but I had a well deserved, if I do say so myself, day off. I had a lovely time catching up with my friend, watching Total Recall and eating Chinese food (If you are ever in the Manchester area and looking for moderately priced, excellent quality Chinese I suggest you head to Sweet Mandarin in the Northern Quarter. Very good stuff!)

Friday – back to work and in an extremely quiet office. Just as I settled in with the heating on high and my favourite radio station in the background thinking I was alone for the day, two noisy project managers turned up to join me! :)
The entirety of Friday was spent catching up on bits and bobs of jobs and completing tasks I had started previously. Was very productive and I feel much more organised.

Its Danni’s leaving day today and I really wish her Good Luck. Her presence in our ‘late lunch club’ will be missed but I am sure she will be back in the New Year to show us the little ‘un.

And that was my week!

It wasn’t a typical week, but then they never are, but I hope this gave you a slight insight into my working life.

Becs

Great South Run

Congratulations to Mand & Ron who ran in yesterday's Great South Run. The duo stuck together and managed an excellent time of 1 hr 55.

The Tea Girl

So I have been here for 8 weeks and I have been asked to write a blog. Not really sure what to write so I thought I would let you know a bit more about me and what I think of Comtec so far :)

I am a 5ft.5 (yes and a half) 24 year old brunette. I love films and I like to give a hundred per cent to everything I do so unfortunately I am not great at taking criticism-but I am human so it is expected that I have faults. Another fault is my love of food-I may be fussy but the food I do love I like a lot of lol. My weakness in particular is cheese, curry and wine.

I live at home with my mum which is good as I get looked after very well but there is a lack of privacy. I am hoping to move out next September which should be a great adventure  I was going to move out this year but I thought that a new job was enough adventure for me.

In my spare time I love to go to the cinema so I tend to go at least once a week-though I won’t watch any horror-it just scares me so I spend most of my time hiding from the screen (rather pointless). Unfortunately I am a bit of a romantic so I do like a good rom com-not going to lie-I am quite girly. However I love action films especially the classics like anything with Steven Seagal, Jean Claude Van Damme or the beautiful Bruce Willis.

So eight weeks. It has gone really quick, though at the same time I feel like I have been here for quite a while. A contradiction but that’s how I feel. I think it’s because of a mix of reasons-how welcoming everyone has been and how much there has been for me to learn.

I have no complaints yet except for the lack of tea making from Sevans and George :) So far I am very happy here and look forward to writing my next blog....if I’m allowed.

Rebecca C

Comtec Maths

There are 25 people currently based in Communications House.

Of the 25...

2 have the surname Gilmour.
2 have the surname Lyons.
2 are named Rebecca.
2 are named Helen.
2 are named Steve.
2 are named Anne.
2 are named Sarah.

So that means that there are 11 people with truly unique names, both first and surname, based in our building. However, we are soon to get a Michelle to cover for Danni when she goes to have her baby which means that Michele Marsh will no longer be the only Michelle.

At least the new Michelle won’t have many names to remember....

Becs

How do you manage to switch off from work?

...I do it with jogging, not for everyone I know and that includes most of the people I work with!

In January 2008 I decided that I wanted to do something to raise money for a charity that was important to me. With a busy schedule at the best of times it took quite a bit of deliberating to decide that maybe I could start jogging. Never someone to do thinks by halves I bought a pair of decent trainers and set about training to do a half marathon in September! I know most people who have only just taken up jogging might have settled with a 10k race to start with but I always have to push myself. I also have to make sure that I tell as many people as possible so that there is no way that I can back out. So the challenge was set.

May 2008 was half way through my training schedule and saw me taking part in the Manchester 10k – a bit of test of my ability. Race went well and I finished in a respectable time. So far so good! The lead up to September was challenging as I increased my distances in preparation for the 13.2 miles of the Leeds Half Marathon. The race itself was quite daunting and very hilly! I feel I fully appreciated just how hilly when I got to the top of one particular hill and a very nice chap told me that I had done well to survive ‘cardiac hill’!!! It was really hard going from 10 miles onwards when I ran out of energy but sheer stubbornness got me through the last 3 miles, still jogging otherwise it was going to take me even longer to get to the finish line! Becs and Sarah from the office were waiting to cheer me over the finish line and it was fantastic to see friendly faces – even if they did want pictures when I looked so sweaty and hideous!! The sense of achievement was amazing and I raised over a £1,000 for St. Gemma’s Hospice in Leeds.

But the jogging had become a bit of a bug and although not so strictly I continued with jogging though the winter when I could get out. So January 2009 sees me deciding that I need another personal challenge and obviously it needs to be better than 2008.

So completing the Great North Run (13.2 miles on the 20th September) and The Great South Run (10 miles on the 25th October – 2 days before my 40th birthday so no early celebrating!!!) was the plan of action.

The Great North Run was an all round amazing experience! From setting off to Newcastle at 6.30am in the morning to seeing Gordon Ramsay arrive also looking excited about taking part to slapping hands with Sting as I went over the start line to jogging with a ‘push me pull you’. The crowds lined every part of the 13.2 miles and their support is what made it such an unbelievable experience. For those that didn’t see the coverage on BBC1 it was a scorching hot day and I did suffer with the heat at miles 5 & 6 but then I managed to cool myself down and get into a steady pace for the rest of the race. I finished it on an absolute high and am now hooked on the Great North Run Experience and will definitely be doing it again next year!

So its now just less than 3 weeks to the Great South Run, training is harder because it’s getting darker earlier and motivating myself to run in the dark isn’t easy!!! But i’m really excited as it’s home territory and a flat course. So on the 25th October when you’re enjoying a leisurely Sunday morning spare a thought for me embarking on my next race!

If you are interested in sponsoring me and supporting St Gemma’s Hospice please visit my justgiving page (www.justgiving.com/gilmours)

North of England Excellence Business Awards

When I first started at Comtec, I was a Project Manager and the North of England Excellence Business Awards was my first event. The event was held in the Hilton Hotel in Manchester and it was a very exciting few hours for me – but it was also extremely tiring! I vividly remember, at 3am perching on the edge of the stage during the de-rig, coiling cables and wishing I was at home, in bed!

Fast forward two years and I was in a very different position. I was sat on the other side of the set, dining in style (foie gras to start, garlic and herb chicken with some sort of wonderful potato side dish for the main course and finally a raspberry mousse type thing for dessert).

The set looked incredible. It was lit in the NOEE brand colours, lots of purples and pinks with two 42-inch plasma lecterns at the front. Star cloth behind the set twinkled as the awards were handed out and it was such a different feeling to two years ago. I had time to take it all in and be proud of what the Comtec staff had achieved. From the first moment we are handed a contract, the teams work hard to design and build the perfect set, put together a slick presentation, and of course, to deliver to the clients expectations.

The Leeds Armouries was the back drop for the North of England Business Excellence Awards and what an incredible venue that is! The evening began with a drinks reception and we were treated to a demonstration by some of the staff dressed in replica armour from centuries ago and armed with some pretty heavy-looking swords! The demonstration was a lovely touch and was a very original way of kicking an event off. The host for the evening was BBC North West’s Dave Guest and swept through the presentation with his usual wit and charm!

Unfortunately for me, the night ended in a very similar way to the way it did two years ago. Perched on the edge of my seat at the table (which was sporting a lovely red wine stain thanks to not-so-steady hand), I nursed a glass of water and looked forward to going home to bed. Sadly, it was only 10:30pm – I think I’m getting old!

Rach