Getting to know Sara McMicking

Meet Sara McMickingSara McMicking Profile Image. Currently the Assistant Sales Manager at Riverland Group (encompassing The Boatbuilder’s Yard, Riverland Bar, Pilgrim Bar, The General Assembly, and Bang Bang RC), she gets to spend her days looking after clients in beautiful venues on the Yarra River. The best event Sara has been to as a guest was Juniperlooza 2019 – Australia’s first festival celebrating gin – and we admit we’re a little bit jealous. So join us as we get to know another amazing event pro, Sara McMicking…

Give us a snap shot of your career to date.

– Function & Sales Coordinator (Hudson’s Famous Food & Functions)
– Sales & Events Planner at Peter Rowland (Gardens House & NGV)
– Assistant Sales Manager (Riverland Group)

The most memorable event you have worked on and why?

We had a full venue hire at Pilgrim not long ago with a few highprofile attendees. There was an enormous grazing table, DJ and plenty of cocktails. It was pretty incredible, made even better with the Yarra as its backdrop. The whole event went extremely smoothly…it really made me proud of our team.

What did you ‘learn the hard way’ when planning an event?

Attention to detail. When I was starting out, I had an event request a particular wine vintage but when entering in our system had accidentally selected a nonvintage variety. I realised my mistake the day prior to the event and we were able to source the correct product, however our acquisitions manager wasn’t my biggest fan for a little while!

What are three personality traits that are required to succeed in the events industry?

Organisation
Flexibility
Communication!

If you could share one piece of advice to those starting out in the industry what would it be?

No event ever goes 100% to plan, just be ready for what you can and learn to adapt.

What song always gets you on the dance floor?

Moves like Jagger

Favourite type of food?

Anything Asian – Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese.

How do you unwind after a big event?

A glass of wine and a debrief with the team

Where do you go for creative inspiration?

Instagram is hard to go past, and always so exciting to see what everyone else is doing.

Favourite restaurant?

Bar Carolina in South Yarra (Bang Bang RC in Elsternwick is a close second!)

When entertaining at home what do you cook?

I think being in events you are always a little stressed so when entertaining at home something slow cooked that is guaranteed to be delicious with minimal effort!

Best event you’ve been to as a guest?

Juniperlooza at The Boatbuilders Yard was outstanding! It was the space that really made it for me, so many cute areas to enjoy a gin, by the Yarra River while still in the heart of Melbourne.

What do you prefer, cocktail party or sitdown dinner?

Cocktail parties, they are less formal and there is more freedom in how you use the event space.

What’s your drink of choice at an event?

It’s tough to go past a glass of sparkling!

It’s event day heels or flats?

In my head its flats, however I seem to always get caught wearing heels!

Best event styling tip?

Work with whatever event space you choose, rather than against it.

Why do you love your job?

Meeting new people
The problem solving aspect – working to find the perfect space to fill a client or event’s needs.
Seeing a happy client at the end of the event