As part of the graduate programme at Futures, each graduate is expected to complete at least one volunteer opportunity at a leading sporting event. We built this aspect of the programme to give our graduates the ability to diversify their skillset through:

• A better understanding of how on-site event management operates, with a particular focus on how partners activate their assets
• The experience of seeing and feeling the atmosphere around a live event
• The chance to work with global colleagues
• The opportunity to witness some of the world’s best athletes perform

Leveraging our position within IPG, we are fortunate to have access to these events through our colleagues at Octagon – a global sports and entertainment agency with a specialism in event hospitality and activations.

Futures employees have volunteered at events in eleven different cities across a range of sports since 2018, so today we’re going to do a roundtable with some members of the team that have volunteered in 2024 to give you an idea of what it entails!

I’m Daisy Terry and part of my role as Team Assistant at Futures involves liaising with Octagon to see which events they need help with and then identifying the relevant Futures employees that could volunteer on-site. We’ve had nine different Futures employees work across the Wimbledon Championships, The Open Championship, the UEFA Champions League Final and the UEFA European Championship this summer! Isabella Farrell and Ernest Teh each worked at Wimbledon for Stella Artois.

Isabella – could you tell us a bit about what your role entailed?

In the mornings, we welcomed guests at the arrival hub and escorted them up to the suite – where a few famous faces could be seen. I was gutted to miss out on working the Monday when David Beckham was there! In the afternoons, we went around activations at the ground and completed net promoter score surveys with attendees, asking about their experience of the brand at the tournament. Lastly, we helped with their “When it Rains, We Pour” activation, which was possibly the best part! Decked out in our Stella-branded rain gear and Wimbledon umbrellas, we gave out 100 free drink tokens to lucky guests when the heavens opened – seemingly every day at Wimbledon this year! It wasn’t all hard work though as we also had the chance to watch some tennis on the hill and soak up the iconic Wimbledon atmosphere!

Another key volunteering event for us is The Open Championship, with multiple Futures graduates volunteering for the last three years on behalf of Octagon’s client Doosan. The 2024 event was held at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland, and I was lucky enough to go myself. My role was a course greeter, which meant I was welcoming the guests and escorting them to the course. I enjoyed the ability to converse with the guests as well as easily get some steps in! My record number in a day was 28k – but unfortunately, I didn’t quite reach the 32k that Charlie Reed managed last year. Our most recent graduate, Mark Cowling, also joined me at the event but in a very different role!

Rather than walking, I was doing a lot of driving as I transported the guests and their golf equipment to various courses for their tee time. My experience working at The Open allowed me to network with our overseas colleagues, watch some world-class golf, and feel like a millionaire driving a Mercedes around for a week! The time away pushed me out of my comfort zone, from interacting with high-profile clients to collaborating with our Korean team to swiftly resolve any issues. The work exposed me to sides of the wider business that I hadn’t experienced before. It was a rewarding and highly enjoyable week, which I would recommend to anyone looking to expand their horizons! I’m particularly grateful I had this opportunity just three months into my time at Futures.

Whilst volunteering is a requirement for our graduates, many other Futures employees are also keen to experience an event. We've also had non-graduates volunteer this summer - for non-graduates, these opportunities are approved on a case-by-case basis based on interest, availability, experience, and the role itself. We had three people working the UEFA Champions League Final at Wembley this year, with Bob Hayes helping in MasterCard’s hospitality suite whilst both Lizzie Roberts and Ben Arthur worked for Expedia Group’s guest programme ensuring the B2B and B2C guests had an unforgettable weekend.

Ben – you also worked at the UCL Final in Istanbul in 2023, how did the atmosphere differ this year?

From a match atmosphere perspective, it was undoubtedly an improvement on last year’s final which was somewhat limited by its Olympic-style stadium. Spirits were clearly high with the crowd feeling excited to see Europe’s most successful Champions League team face off against a big German underdog. The Dortmund and Madrid fans brought immense passion and energy to a stadium that is perfect for hosting major football matches. As a lifelong football fan who grew up a mere 15 minutes from Wembley Stadium, attending a European final there was definitely a surreal moment!

Our last event of the summer so far saw Shalina Nigam and Ted Croker head to Germany for the UEFA Euros, helping manage Coca-Cola’s guest travel programme. They spent a combined two weeks on-site working across five different host cities, with both lucky enough to see two of England’s most exciting moments in the tournament – the late, acrobatic equaliser from Jude Bellingham against Slovakia and Ollie Watkins’s last-minute stunning winner against the Netherlands! The work was similar to that of the UCL Final, from being the first friendly face they see upon arriving at the hotel for the programme to accompanying them to/from the stadium on match day, but for 51 games instead of one!

Ted – you’ve attended the UEFA Euros as a fan before but never worked at the event, what did you learn from your week in Germany?

As my first experience working at a major tournament, I gained a behind-the-scenes insight into how multi-faceted and complex these events can be from both an operational and commercial perspective. I particularly enjoyed witnessing how sport sponsorships are activated and how impactful they can be. As a volunteer for (and part-time representative of) Coca-Cola, I was able to see the different ways in which people gain exposure to and engage with the brand. To quote their tagline, “believing is magic!”

The summer events aren’t quite over yet for Futures as we get ready for the Olympics and Paralympics! Chris, Lizzie, and Charlie have leveraged their technology expertise to help Octagon with their ticketing requirements. Lizzie will be heading to Paris in August to offer on-site ticketing support and see how our work is being utilised during the tournaments – we look forward to hearing her thoughts from the week!

Thanks to the various teams at Octagon who have made roles available to members of the Futures team, and for their hospitality when welcoming everyone on site. As you can see above, everyone has had an amazing experience! We believe that these opportunities are one of a number of things that elevate our graduate programme and make it a great place to start a career. If this sounds like the role for you, please follow the instructions on the website for how to apply.