The Unsung Hero: Stacey Morrison
Stacey Morrison speaks to Exhibition News as an Unsung Hero within the events industry
In this series, features and series developer Heather Nicholls speaks to the unsung heroes of the events industry to reveal what really drives their passion and the remarkable contributions we too often overlook. In this edition, Stacey Morrison, our Finance Manager at ICC Belfast features.
Stacey’s first taste of the events industry was working for the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society, which organsises the Balmoral Show. When the show moved to Lisburn, she started looking for something more Belfast-based and a temporary role came up at ICC Belfast, Waterfront Hall and Ulster Hall. She joined the company for three months in 2018, moved onto a permanent contract and has now been there for eight years.
She was attracted to the role due to her love for live music. She explains: “Working somewhere that brings major artists to Belfast was definitely a big attraction. I also love the conference side of the business and the opportunity ICC Belfast gives to us to showcase how much Belfast and Northern Ireland have changed. We can compete with conference and events destinations anywhere else, and its rewarding to play a part in bringing people here and showing them what Belfast has to offer.”
Quick Q and A:
What does a typical day look like for you on site?
Finance is very much a support function, and because the business covers both conferencing and entertainment, there is plenty of variety.
On the conference side, I might be dealing with invoicing, clients and any queries that arise. On the entertainment side, there are event settlements and contact with promoters.
We also support colleagues across the organisation with finance queries and system issues. We’re a very small team, and we recently welcomed a finance apprentice, so a big focus for me at the moment is helping her develop and establish her career.
If your job didn’t exist, what do you think organisers or attendees would miss most?
Obviously every organisation needs a finance function, but I think what our clients would particularly miss is the personal service.
Because we’re a small team, if someone has a finance query, they’re dealing directly with one of us rather than simply sending something to a generic mailbox. They can speak to the same person who already understands the event and the background, rather than having to explain everything again. I think clients really value that continuity and personal relationship.
What’s something most people don’t realise about your job?
People sometimes think finance is just numbers, transactions and spreadsheets, but working in the events industry makes it much more interesting.
One day you could be working on a settlement for someone like Bob Dylan. These are artists who have been famous for decades coming to our venues in Belfast.
For me, it means I can work behind the scenes while still feeling that I have an impact on live music and on Belfast’s reputation as an events destination.
What’s one event you’ll never forget working on and why?
The Game of Thrones event at ICC Belfast really stands out. When you see the halls empty, they’re impressive spaces in their own right, but seeing how the events team transformed them was unbelievable. It looked like a completely different place.
We were able to walk around before the event began and see everything finished, and it was amazing to see what the team had created from essentially a blank space. It made me incredibly proud of the events team and the sales team for bringing an event of that scale to Belfast.
Bob Dylan was memorable too because of how quickly everything came together and how much teamwork was required behind the scenes.
What’s been your proudest moment so far?
Being promoted to finance manager. It was something I had wanted to achieve from a very young age, so reaching that career goal within such an established organisation and such a recognised name in Belfast was a very proud moment for me.
What’s the toughest challenge you’ve face during an event?
It isn’t necessarily one individual event; it’s the really busy periods. From around September through to Christmas, activity ramps up considerably and, because we’re a small team, it’s very much all hands on deck.
You need to stay focused, make sure everything is actioned and, importantly, make sure you’re supporting your colleagues. We’re very capable of handling it, but those intense periods are probably the most challenging.
In terms of why her role is vital to the success of events at ICC Belfast, she explains that (such is the case for many of our unsung heroes) finance is one of those functions that people generally only notice when something goes wrong. She says: “We’re dealing with figures, clients and ultimately people’s money, so accuracy is incredibly important.”
She adds: “It’s also about being flexible and developing relationships with clients.
Particularly with repeat business, you learn how different clients and promoters like things to be done. Being able to provide accurate information and a reliable, personalised service is an important part of making the overall event successful.
Stacey also explains that finance help bring everything together behind the scenes, because it is involved from the very beginning of the process through to the very end. She expands: “Once the business is contracted, we may issue the first invoice, and we remain involved right through to final costs, billing and event settlements.”
She adds: “Other teams may become involved at different stages of an event, whereas finance has that visibility across almost the entire journey. It means we get to see something progress from the initial booking right through to completion, which gives you a real sense of achievement.”
In terms of why she believes that people in her position deserve more recognition in the industry, she explains that so much happens behind the scenes to make an event work, and finance is an important part of that. She says: “It’s also important when encouraging people to consider careers in finance.
Finance can sometimes have a reputation for being boring, but there are so many different environments you can work in. You can build a career in finance while still working in an industry that connects with your interests and hobbies.
For me, that’s live music and events, and it makes the job really exciting."
She adds: “All of the behind-the-scenes teams in events deserve recognition. Finance, HR, IT and facilities all do an enormous amount of work that people attending an event would probably never see. Our facilities team, for example, are looking after these buildings 24/7, often with relatively small teams. Sales and events may be the more visible parts of the industry, but there is a huge network of people underneath that making everything possible.”
