Behind the scenes at St David's

Cardiff-born Adele Tibbott is senior sales manager at the St David's Hotel & Spa with responsibility for organising events. She moved back to Cardiff in 2000 after starting her hotel career in Birmingham, and has since held roles at the Vale Hotel, Golf & Spa Resort and the Cardiff Marriott Hotel. She joined the five-star St David's in October 2007, after Rocco Forte sold the property to the Principal Hayley group. She now oversees eight conference areas and, since joining, has grown the value of the events income by £350,000, winning new accounts from HBOS and the Welsh Assembly

7.30am I drive into the office to handle emails, run over plans for an event that evening, or maybe have a breakfast meeting with a client - I have to bring in ten corporate clients per week for show-rounds, or present to them.

9am At my desk to return calls and catch up with my team of nine to see if any juicy enquiries have come in. I'll check on their appointments for the day and, for a 'mega booking' (any event over £5,000), I'll accompany them.

10am The 'line up' meeting. Staff from across the hotel come to discuss business that day: meetings, arriving VIPs, events. This is a key communication meeting. We also look at figures to see how we're doing.

11am Off-property appointments with clients to build relationships. I might discuss rates for next year, or update them on changes at the hotel and in the group. For example, we've just finished a £650,000 upgrade of our conference and spa facilities.

12pm I never normally get time for lunch unless I have a client meeting in the hotel's Tides Grill restaurant. Otherwise it's fruit at my desk.

2pm Signing off marketing brochures. Today I had to send an advert for a brochure back to the designer to rework it. For me, it just didn't get the message across.

3pm Reviewing day delegate rates for an email to head office for distribution. My focus is to increase conference business and bring in new local and national accounts. I have to check rates are then updated on the website.

4pm On Fridays we have a communications meeting for the entire staff. It's a great forum for feedback. I present a staff incentive to bring in business to the gym and spa.

5pm I talk over the day's meetings with the team before they leave and update them on a plan for a forthcoming awareness weekend for agents at the hotel. We catch up on business and I thank them for their efforts. After that, I've got some quiet time at my desk to check emails.

8pm Leave for home and I just sling something in the microwave at home, where my Blackberry still goes off. The only place I can really switch off is in the gym.

DIRECTORY CARDIFF
Visit Wales
Contact Amy Cromwell, 029 2047 5202
Email amy.cromwell@wales.gsi.gov.uk
Web www.meetings.visitwales.com