Rebecca Brown from the Gulbenkian explains how to get into Business Development in an arts organisation and how her day to day work look like. 

Job title / industry:

Business Development Manager (Arts Centre)

Average starting salary:

£34,000

What qualifications /experience do you need?

Experience of Sales & Customer care management, Account management, basic Finance qualification & HR qualification

In a nutshell, what is your job?

I handle all the venue hires for the arts centre, networking and developing leads for potential future business, identifying new income streams. Also handle HR for the organisation and I am part of the operations management.

Best part of the job ?

Variety!

Downsides to the job ?

Not really any – but the constant fast pace of the organisation can be tiring at times!

What does a typical day look like?

I do not have a typical day – I really don’t! My days can consist of meeting clients, networking activity, interviewing, HR procedures, putting up gazebos, teching a film etc…!!

How did you get into Business Development?

I have worked at this organisation for 15 years, starting off as an administrator with HR responsibilities, I then took on a more finance role and studied for an accounting qualification, I then moved into management and took over Business Development, utilising my sales experience from previous roles.

What one piece of advice would you give to someone wanting to go into Business Development?

Be prepared to be flexible… working in an arts organisation isn’t 9-5 and isn’t just a desk job (even if you are an administrator), however – that is also what makes working in an organisation like this so much fun!