The University is a finalist in this year’s London Venue & Catering Awards 2021.
Date: 30 September 2021
The Estates Team at London Met has been shortlisted as a finalist in the London Venue & Catering Awards for Best Staff Support During COVID-19 category.
The Commercial Events team were redeployed across the Estates department to work on reopening the campuses in 2020 and 2021. They took on roles from business services and reception, to wayfinding signage and administrating our Covid-19 asymptomatic test centres.
During the first lockdown, the Estates Team co-ordinated wellbeing calls for everyone in the department, where the switchboard would call everyone on a Wednesday to see how they were doing, which was highly beneficial for team members who lived alone. This was kept up during the second lockdown, with the addition of small support groups of Microsoft Teams, where weekly video sessions were held in the place of ‘water cooler’ breaks.
Annabel Galligan, Events Co-ordinator, said: “At the start of lockdown I had no idea of the effect Covid would have on the Events industry. But I am one of the lucky few who, thanks to support from London Metropolitan University, have been able to not only work through but create a new role and add many new skills learned during the pandemic.”
Elizabeth McGowan, Head of Events, Hospitality & Business Services, said: “It is an honour to have been shortlisted in this year’s London Venue and Catering Awards. It is great to see that the care and concern London Met shown all its staff during the pandemic is being recognised. I am proud that, as an events venue, we are leading the events industry in looking after staff wellbeing.”
The winners for each category will be announced on 19 November 2021, at the awards night taking place at the Kia Oval, in London.
