As a Tio student, he always wanted to go overseas. He went to England for a while after graduating, but things did not turn out quite as expected. Former Hotel and Event Management student Herbert Jan Hamersteen still lives in England six years later and has secured a challenging job in the events sector. ‘I was always focused on going overseas. Now that I work there, I also get to travel regularly, so it’s even more enjoyable!’
Herbert Jan works for Circdata in Newbury, England. ‘Circdata is a market leader in events registration, registration management and data management,’ he tells us about the internationally-oriented company. ‘We work on large events and manage the entire registration process from A to Z. For example, producing registration forms for websites, building apps, generating increased traffic to websites, and events marketing. In addition, we are onsite at events to welcome and register guests with laptops, apps, or touch screens.’
Challenging work
‘I am involved in events registration at Circdata,’ explains Herbert Jan. ‘As an Account & Project Manager, I am also responsible for a number of my own clients. This encompasses strategic planning and management of operational processes before, during and after the project. Each client has different requirements, that’s what makes this work interesting and varied.’
‘One day I could be sitting around the table with a client discussing a concept for an exciting event,’ Herbert Jan continues passionately, ‘and the next, I could be working with Circdata’s data or design team on building apps for events, for example. I thoroughly enjoy the variation and working with so many different people.’
Fantastic time at Tio
Herbert Jan studied Hotel and Event Management. ‘I was very interested in the hotel and events sector because you work with people a great deal and you can do it worldwide. Opting for Tio was a matter of intuition, everything felt right: the university, the lecturers, the students, the small scale. I have never regretted that choice; I had a fantastic time at Tio and learned a great deal there.’
Benefits of the bachelor programme
After he graduated, Herbert Jan first worked for a hotel briefly. ‘I was able to apply much of the knowledge I had learned on my bachelor programme there, such as planning and management. And general things too, like how to deal with people and problems. Later, I went more into the sales and events side. You don’t think about it, but you automatically apply a great deal of what you learned on the bachelor programme.’
Emigrating to England
Herbert Jan has meanwhile been working in England for six years now. ‘I really enjoy it, time flies, but it was not a conscious decision at the time. I was already focused on going overseas and thanks to Tio, I was able to get a work placement in England. I enjoyed that, so wanted to go and work there ‘for a while’ after graduating.’ Herbert Jan laughs. ‘It worked out a little differently, I met someone and am now completely settled here. You never know how life will work out.’
Follow Herbert Jan on LinkedIn.