Helping Wedding Teams win. Joining the team in 2021, Carys duckworth has brought her warm Northern energy to our UK Sales Team.
Twelve years working on property in hotels and hospitality, has given Carys the unique expertise and commercial mindset that means she knows exactly what you need in helping Wedding teams increase their revenues.
Based remotely at Leeds, she loves nothing better than being out meeting people and showing them how their Wedding Business can thrive.
WHAT IS YOUR role in the company?
As part of the UK Sales team, I’m here to help venues get the most out of their Wedding Business. We have tools that can really help to organise, manage and ultimately drive revenues.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WITH WEDDINGDATES?
I joined in July 2021, which was a very unsteady time to join a Wedding Industry business. Things were just starting to open up and there was a lot of uncertainty. One year on, and there are still some challenges, but the future is bright and I’ve had a great year.
WHAT’S THE BIGGEST LESSON YOU’VE CARRIED OVER TO YOUR CURRENT ROLE FROM YOUR PREVIOUS JOBS?
I’ve worked at hotels for over 12 years in both operational and sales roles. The experience and understanding gained, means now that I’m working with wedding venues, I can empathise. There’s a level of trust and often a few shared funny stories, that helps me build strong relationships with our clients and network.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF WITHIN THIS ROLE TO DATE?
Our PACE report. I was only a few months into my role when I realised that we extract all the data around clients’ wedding enquiries and bookings, but we weren’t presenting it in the format of a PACE report. I knew, from my time in hotels, that it’s a vital tool to help them know whether they are on target compared to previous years. From the initial idea and research to develop and launch it took just two months. Creating something that I knew would help my old peers, and making my mark with the company with a new feature so early on, is something I am very proud of.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PART OF YOUR JOB AND WHY?
I’m a people person! I love getting out and seeing people in person for site visits and events or simply chatting to clients and hearing how our services have made things better for both them and their couples.
WHAT IS THE MOST FRUSTRATING PART OF YOUR JOB AND WHY?
The status quo mindset of some venues: I often hear “We need more enquiries” and then they seek out advertising as a solution because that’s what they know, that’s what they are used to. I believe getting more enquiries will mean absolutely nothing if there is no person, or system, in place to deal with any increase in volume of enquiries efficiently and quickly. Actually, getting more enquiries could even have a more negative impact on a venue’s reputation, if couples are not being responded to in a timely fashion.
WHEN YOU WERE A KID, WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP?
I’ve always wanted to do something creative. As a kid I’d spend hours staring at shops’ Christmas window displays, exploring every detail to understand how the overall look was achieved. I don’t think I was a million miles away when I started working in events – planning, designing and executing every small detail.
IF YOU COULD WAVE A MAGIC WAND, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR DREAM FOR THIS JOB?
Be a pure B2B hospitality software company because I believe that’s where the value truly is for our clients. We can really make an impact on a venue’s bottom line with tools that ultimately help to manage and drive conversions.
WHAT IS THE COOLEST THING YOU’VE SEEN AT A WEDDING?
It’s got to be seeing my Mum and Dad dancing together at my cousin’s wedding. After 47 years of marriage, they looked so happy and still in love. I’d never seen them dance like that before and it was a really special moment.
WHAT IS THE CRAZIEST/WORST THING YOU’VE SEEN OR HEARD OF AT A WEDDING?
It was a Christmas-themed wedding and the couple wanted a real life donkey. The donkey was brought out as a surprise where everyone whooped and cheered but that spooked the poor thing and it started biting at everyone, mainly the handler, who was trying to calm it. Later I saw the donkey had gone to the toilet on the stage too! Couldn’t have been a very romantic sight or smell on the stage, but the couple had a good sense of humour about it.
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVOURITE WAYS TO SPEND A WEEKEND?
Travelling, spending time with friends and family, trying new things.
HAVE YOU ANY PARTICULAR HOBBIES/INTERESTS OUTSIDE OF WORK?
Films (anything other than horror), singing and dining out.
HAVE YOU ANY GUILTY PLEASURES?
When I’m in the car, I’ll belt out songs, singing along to the radio as I drive. However, I also enjoy having a good shout at middle lane-hoggers too! Both things are a stress release!
IF MONEY WAS NO OBJECT, WHAT WOULD BE THE FIRST THING YOU WOULD BUY?
If I was sensible, a house. Although the first thing would probably be a dream holiday. I’d love to explore China and Japan.
Book a call here or email carys@weddingdates.co.uk for a chat about how WedPro by WeddingDates can further drive your business.
Get to know the rest of the team here.
