Rachel Azzopardi
Job title: Head of Catering & Events
How long have you been at Regent’s and what do you love most about your job?
Too long!! Nearly 9 years, but had 2 roles within that time. I love the variety of the job – no two days are ever the same, which is fab. Seeing the summer events on the lawns is always fun and seeing clients leaving very happy is the most rewarding feeling.
What’s the best event you’ve ever helped put on at Regent’s?
It has to be the LFW Topshop event – so many different suppliers to deal with and of course the ‘fashionistas’ that was an experience! They certainly had high expectations but the whole event was great fun (not least the star spotting – Anna Wintour, Cara Delavigne, Kate Moss etc…), a huge challenge but really rewarding.
What’s the most elaborate/unusual request a client has ever come to you with?
The petting zoo and snakes were interesting…
Have you ever saved an event from near disaster? Tell us the story…
A client turned up one day without a booking but had 30 people arriving within the next half hour. Luckily we had a room available, galvanised the whole team and had the room set up within 10 minutes and catering organised within 15. They were very grateful.
Tell us one thing your colleagues and clients probably don’t know about you?
I have a phobia of snakes. I can’t even see a picture of one I get that freaked out.
What is your biggest, professional or personal, claim to fame?
I met Muhammed Ali, which was pretty awesome!
Rafael Azzopardi
Job title: External Events Manager
How long have you been at Regent’s Conferences & Events and what do you love most about your job?
I’ve been involved with the Events here since 2008 and permanently on the team since 2015. I like weddings the best. Making a couples’ day really special does give me a lot of satisfaction
What’s the most elaborate/unusual request a client has ever come to you with?
We had a request for a stand alone door with a frame for a theatre company. It was an essential prop for the production but the client hadn’t checked before the day whether we had one or not. Luckily we did.
Have you ever saved an event from near disaster? Tell us the story…
When working for a government department I received a phone call at 11am to ask if everything was alright for the cocktail reception that evening at 5pm for 300 people including visiting ambassadors, Lords, MPs , cabinet ministers and a few celebrities. I pointed out that the gentlemen on the line had not responded to 5 emails, 5 phone calls and a visit to their office asking him to confirm whether the planned event was going ahead or not. We referred him to an email we had sent a month previously confirming that as he hadn’t responded to any of our various requests for confirmation we would be cancelling the enquiry and not supplying anything for him. He apologised profusely and asked if there was anything we could do as it would cause embarrassment for the government and cost him his job. I asked the long-suffering chef to produce canapés from his kitchen and neighbouring kitchens. I rang our flexible staffing agency and we delivered on time without the guy’s boss knowing.
Tell us one thing your colleagues and clients probably don’t know about you
I once swore in front of Diana, Princess of Wales
What is your biggest, professional or personal, claim to fame?
I am a Maître de Sabrage.
Filippo Viti
Job title: Conference & Events Assistant Manager
How long have you been at Regent’s and what do you love most about your job?
I have joined Regent’s last October, so I am quite new here. The best thing is the variety in terms of the clients one deals with and in terms of the range of events, from conferences and corporate meetings to kids’ birthdays and summer parties. Every day is different from the one before.
What’s the best event you’ve ever helped put on at Regent’s?
I love the kids’ birthday parties, but I am looking forward to working on my first season of summer parties.
What’s the most elaborate/unusual request a client has ever come to you with?
Once when I was working for a communication company in Italy, a client asked just two days before the event to have a wonderful fall of snowflakes. The only problem was that the event was in the middle of August in a small island in the south of Italy. It took a while to find a supplier able to realise this request, but at the end we managed and it really was remarkable.
Have you ever saved an event from near disaster? Tell us the story…
Fortunately I have never had any disaster which I had to deal with, I don’t know if this is because I am a good planner or just because I have been lucky… probably the second one!
What is your biggest, professional or personal, claim to fame?
Definitely it has been when I decided to leave my comfortable life in Italy to start a new personal and professional experience here in the UK. It took a bit to settle but at the end I made it.
Elena Ortiz Gil
Job title: Conferences & Events Coordinator
How long have you been at Regent’s and what do you love most about your job?
I started working at Regent’s in October 2018 and what I love most about the job is the people I’m working with. It’s such a privilege to come to work with a smile on my face, knowing that I can rely on my colleagues.
What’s the best event you’ve ever helped put on at Regent’s?
I really enjoyed delivering a Family Fun Day on the lawns for one of our corporate clients. The weather was lovely, the music was playing at the background, kids were running all around and food smelt so good. The good vibe of the event set me up on a high for the rest of the week.
Tell us one thing your colleagues and clients probably don’t know about you:
I did a pottery course and now my house is filled with different types of hand-made pots, mugs and vases. I’m still making up my mind about what will be the next artistic course I will enrol myself on. I want to work on my creativity since my artistic skills need some training!
Shareena Sattaur
Job title: Conferences & Events Coordinator
How long have you been at Regent’s and what do you love most about your job?
10 years. I’ve been very fortunate to work with great people at Regent’s. The Conferences and Events team are the most genuine, hard-working, fun people to work with.
What’s the best event you’ve ever helped put on at Regent’s?
The annual Graduation Ceremonies have played a big part in my working life. You never know who is going to be in attendance, from footballers, Paralympians and designers to high-profiled individuals and members of Royal Families.
What’s the most elaborate/unusual request a client has ever come to you with?
A graduate had ripped her tights and had asked for moisturiser to be ‘leg ready’ for her time to walk across the stage!
Tell us one thing your colleagues and clients probably don’t know about you
I love baking. And F1.
Esta Verzoviti
Job title: Conferences & Events Coordinator
How long have you been at Regent’s and what do you love most about your job?
I have been at Regent’s a little over a year now and what I love the most about my job is the events we host on the lawns. We are incredibly fortunate to work in such beautiful surroundings.
What’s the best event you’ve ever helped put on at Regent’s?
There have been too many for me to narrow it down, but I generally love organising corporate summer parties on our lawns.
What’s the most elaborate/unusual request a client has ever come to you with?
I once organised a fantasy mediaeval dinner for a client. It was very surreal seeing all the guests with costumes and horns coming out of their heads, walking the same corridors as our regular clients, dressed in normal clothes!
Tell us one thing your colleagues and clients probably don’t know about you
I was a professional show jumper back in Greece.
Elliott Dobbs
Job title: Internal Events Manager
How long have you been at Regent’s and what do you love most about your job?
I started here in the long hot summer of 2018. The thing I love most is the end to end execution aspect of the role, from discussing ideas at the initial stages of the event, through to being there on the day throughout the delivery process.
What’s the best event you’ve ever helped put on at Regent’s?
I would have to say our graduation ceremonies and receptions. We spend 12 months preparing for graduation and it’s hard work, but the most rewarding jobs always are.
What’s the most elaborate/unusual request a client has ever come to you with?
I was once asked for a cup of water by a guest at an event I was working at, not an unusual request until I realised it was for his pet iguana. It turns out iguanas can be quite sociable creatures.
Tell us one thing your colleagues and clients probably don’t know about you
I’ve been to Machu Picchu in the Andes Mountains of Peru.
Rachel Liu
Job title: Internal Events Coordinator
How long have you been at Regent’s and what do you love most about your job?
I started my new role as an Internal Events Coordinator at the end of June 2019, and one of the things I love most about my job is that there is an exciting amount of uncertainty because not every day is the same as there are always new and different events going on within Regent’s University London.
What’s the best event you’ve ever helped put on at Regent’s?
A few months into my role, I was tasked with orchestrating the annual Grand Autumn Party for all staff and students at the University. It was a fun-filled evening with great food, music, dancing and entertainment and a chance for everyone to mingle with one another!
What’s the most elaborate/unusual request a client has ever come to you with?
I haven’t had one as of yet, but I’m sure the time will come soon…
Tell us one thing your colleagues and clients probably don’t know about you
Fluffy cute puppies are my weakness.
