Events/Experience

Equally at home leading projects or working as part of a team, David consistently demonstrates excellent problem-solving and communication skills.

He has managed a wide range of events all over the UK, in town and city centre locations, as well as beaches, shopping centres, greenfield sites, parks and festivals.

Hopper Events Ltd.

  • David is a co-founder of the Sheffield based experiential events agency Hopper Events ltd
  • Hopper design and produce events and campaigns for creative clients, including the BBC, CBeebies, CBBC, Radio 1 Academy, Hull City of Culture 2017, BBC Three, Nivea, Disney On Ice, Glenlivet, Campo Viejo, Dollar Shave Club, Affinity Water and Aldi
  • Hopper was one of the core event management companies working on the Hull City of Culture 2017 project, and they delivered three key events, including the VIP Press Launch (in Sept 2016)
  • Hopper was founded in 2015; David’s role now is mainly operational in terms of delivering the live events, managing staff on the day, health and safety planning and operations.
  • The case studies from Hopper events often inform his teaching sessions.
  • See www.hopper.uk for more details

Previous Role: Events & Tour Manager

Creator International Ltd                                                                                         April 2012- April 2015

David has also delivered events and tours for BBC Learning, CBeebies and CBBC across the UK, from Belfast to Cardiff, Kilmarnock to Maidstone, Sunderland to Redruth. David is experienced in visiting sites and site design and working with local SAGs to create safe and enjoyable experiences for customers. He has worked all over the UK, delivering high profile city centre events and tours for the BBC, including:

  • 2012: CBeebies Mr Bloom’s Get Set Grow tour.  A 5 date summer tour, aimed at providing experiential learning environments for 3-11 year-olds; attracting 45,000 people at 5 locations.
  • 2013: CBeebies Mr Bloom and friends.  This tour was an expanded version of the 2012 tour, with the addition of a live outdoor show from Rastamouse, with 125,000 people at 8 locations
  • David also event managed the 2012 and 2013 C-Beebies Pantomimes in Sheffield’s Tudor Square.
  • 2014: World War One at Home. This tour was designed to demonstrate what life in the UK was like 100 years previously at the outbreak of WW1.  The tour had two components: 1) an eight-date larger tour running alongside 2) a 25 date regional tour.  The tours worked with local radio and community groups to provide the content.  235,000 people attended.
  • 2015: Make It Digital tour for BBC Learning, launching the new micro bit computer and engaging families and young children in programming and other digital activity

Previous Role: Senior Events Manager

Sheffield Students’ Union                                                                                         April 2002- September 2013

  • David was responsible for the management of the entire programme of events at Sheffield Students Union – widely recognised and regularly voted as the number one Students’ Union in the UK.
  • This amounted to over 300 events per year, attracting over 250,000 people per year
  • The range of events included club nights, live gigs, special events, charity events, international students event, black tie dinners, beer festivals, fundraisers, outdoor BBQs, LGBT events and outdoor events
  • David was responsible for managing the long-running undeground credible midweek clubnight The Tuesday Club for 11 years, from 2002-2013 – bringing high profile hip hop, drum n bass, house and other underground artists to Sheffield; including international acts such as Mark Ronson, Annie Mac, Jazzy Jeff, Pendulum, Chase n Status, Rudimental, Disclosure and Clean Bandit
  • David also developed and managed experiential marketing events for Smirnoff, Jack Daniels, Corona, Sol, Red Bull, Orange and Nokia
  • David line-managed a full time permanent team consisting of 3 assistant event managers, in addition to over 40 casual members of staff and over 100 volunteers on the Entertainments and Technical Services Committees
  • In summer 2021, David used this experience to provide external consultancy for Southampton Students Union and help them recruit a new Entertainments Manager and design an engaging freshers week programme.

Previous Roles:  Events Manager, Events Promoter                                       August 1998-April 2002

  • David was an independent events manager and live event promoter, organising clubs and gigs in various venues in Sheffield
  • He was the Assistant Manager at Brown St Nightclub from January 2001-April 2002
  • After his graduation in 1998, he oversaw a 1 year public arts project, teaching disenfranchised 16-18 year olds how to DJ, called Creative Challenge 2000.  This organisation was the first to obtain accreditation for DJ mixing in the UK, through the Open College Network.