GC Career Story: Laura Mason

As a Food & Beverage Graduate Trainee, my journey with Marriott started out in banqueting. By 2004, I’d progressed to Assistant Restaurant Manager, and in 2006, I stepped into my first team leader role as Conference and Banqueting Manager – a position I held for two years. In hotels, your title only tells part of the story. You find yourself involved in every corner of the operation, supporting each other like a true community – and that spirit of teamwork was something I truly loved.

An opportunity arose to join the 5-Star London Marriott Hotel West India Quay as Director of Event Management – an exciting opportunity that allowed me to combine hands-on operational experience along with working in the event planning office.

I held the role from 2008 for nearly six years, and it was packed with many fantastic memories. Highlights include hosting the NBA during their European tours and being the official hotel for NBC – the US broadcaster – for the 2012 London Olympics.

After a decade with Marriott International, I felt it was time to expand my hospitality experience beyond hotels.

Coming back to the North, and opportunity to promote a city

Following my time with Marriott Hotels, I moved to the role of Events Co-ordination Manager at Twickenham Rugby Stadium leading the event planning team for non-match day hospitality. It was an exciting couple of years, but eventually I felt the pull to return home and back up north.

After returning north, I spent eight months as Operations Manager at De Vere Hotels in Cheshire while settling back in. Then, I came across a role at GC that immediately caught my eye – Senior Client Services Manager with Marketing Manchester’s Convention Bureau. I thought, “Wow, this is something different.” I’d promoted a hotel and even a stadium… now I had the chance to promote an entire city.

I applied for it – and got it. And, from 2016, I headed-up the venue finding and accommodation booking services team within the Manchester Convention Bureau. It allowed me to stay connected with hotels and venues while also working closely with clients to match them with the ideal locations, drawing on Manchester’s unique strengths.

I’ve held that role for nine fantastic years, and just last month, stepped into my new position as Head of Business Tourism. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of being involved in globally recognised events – from Olympic parades to the MTV EMAs. One particularly meaningful chapter was during the pandemic, when I was one of just six team members not furloughed. I helped secure accommodation for key workers and people leaving hospital care – work that truly reminded me of the impact we can have beyond the events themselves.

Supporting my ambitions and giving back

I'm always keen to learn, grow and explore what's new, what's next, what's important? That mindset led me to take a new direction in 2019.

Reflecting on my journey, it was clear that it was the people I’d met along the way that had made the biggest impact – especially the lecturers whose passion and support left a lasting impression. I wanted to become that kind of influence for others: to share my experiences, inspire, and give back.

So I pursued a PGCE in Further Education with our GC Education & Skills Team. It was an eye-opening experience that helped me understand different learning styles. It brought me back to basics, allowing for a deeper understanding of where people are starting out in their career journey.

Following the course, from 2019-2022 I was an Associate Tutor for the GC Education & Skills Team delivering modules for the FdA Business Management Course through Staffordshire University. I'd finish my shift at MM and head straight to teach an evening class.

This period also opened me up to a network within Manchester Metropolitan University’s event management and tourism programmes where I've since taken part in student round table discussions and sales networking events. All of this inspired me to embark on a Masters in Management Practise, delivered as an apprenticeship programme through the Alliance Business School at the University of Manchester.

Collaboration is our strength 

One of the things we talk about a lot in Marketing Manchester, in a very genuine way, is our collaboration. We collaborate with so many people, and that's what I see us doing across the rest of GC – it’s a key part of what we do, which I love.

Wherever you work at GC, it's about loving the place that you're in and supporting and contributing to it. In the office, you might be sat next to somebody in a completely different work sector, but we're all striving to achieve the same goal. It's about supporting the bigger picture, and the values of what we all stand for.