In September, I travelled to Asia for the Thailand Open. My first event abroad in a working capacity and an opportunity to learn from an event outside of the UK. 

I honestly don't know where I would be without Faye and Eleanor from The Emilia Group. They have offered opportunities I would never have imagined possible for me, and provided guidance I am so grateful to have received. This time, the opportunity was to fly out to Bangkok for the Thailand Open to represent the team as a Media Manager. 

In a hop, skip and a jump, I was on route to the host city of the tournament, Hua Hin. Located in the northern part of the Malay Peninsula in Thailand, Hua Hin is known for its culture and beaches and of course, the international tennis tournament. 

Before getting into the nitty gritty of the tournament, I want to share just how incredibly welcoming the Thai people were. I had the pleasure of working alongside local Thai media, primarily from Channel 7. It was an honour to learn more about Thai culture from them and I even managed to add a few Thai words to my vocabulary! Greek, P Nut and P Ning - Khob khun krab! A special mention also to Patrick Jacobs. Patrick is a local, well-known photographer in the Hua Hin area who covers the tournament every year. He gifted me one of his photographic books of Hua Hin, something I will treasure for years to come. 

Onto the tournament itself. The main priorities were interviewing players following their matches, writing daily press releases and managing the Masters of Ceremonies (MCs) alongside Centre Court production. 

A unique characteristic of the Thailand Open is how it maintains a relaxed feeling around the venue whilst striving towards the highest of standards. This is credit to the local Arena Hua Hin (the venue) team and the APG team operating the event. it no doubt helped me carry out my duties, as more chilled out players makes for a much easier job on my part. This is certainly a realisation that I will take into future tournaments, that you can find a good balance between calmness and striving for tournament operational greatness! 

It was my second time producing running orders and scripts for the MCs on Centre Court, following my first time in Birmingham earlier this year. The MCs were actually doing it for their first time which meant my guidance was crucial and I was glad it put more pressure on me to do a good job. As we know in the tennis world, pressure is a privilege! It just so happened that one morning, the MC couldn't make it in last minute, so I jumped in and introduced the players onto Centre Court for the first match of the day. I think that's what made us a great team is that we could manage whatever was thrown at us. 

Thank you to The Emilia Group for having me and to the Thailand Open team for being the best bunch to work with!