Creative Access Showcase Experience

Let me start off by saying that this was one of the most inspiring events I have ever attended! This event left me super excited to get on with my degree and start my career in publishing - it also helped me in figuring out how I am going to get there.
I'll describe my whole experience from the initial application to the night, so you have an understanding of the process!

The Application
I can't actually remember how I saw this opportunity, it was either an email I was sent, their socials or their website. Once I had reached the application page it only took me a few minutes to complete it. The application was very easy to navigate and full of information.

The News
A week before the event I was sent an email to confirm my place at the Showcase. So, I would recommend that you ensure that you have the day/evening off once you have applied because you do not get a lot of notice.
Also, I was mean to receive a 'further information' email a few days later (once I had confirmed my attendance) which did not arrive. This meant that I had to chase them up quite a bit (via email, twitter and phone), and it was not until the morning of the event that I received this email.

The Day
I spent the day in London from about 1pm and just thought that I would experience the capital by going to the Natural History Musem, some bookshops and some standard tourist attractions! The event was at Channel 4's Headquarters and the location was fab and super easy to get to! It is a 10-minute walk from Westminister Abbey and across the river from the London Eye. There are plenty of tube stations around, but the car parks are very expensive! I have linked a cheap carpark, that I have had a few experiences with, at the end of this post!

They recommended arriving 30 minutes beforehand and I would second that! I arrive at 5:30pm and there was a small queue but I got through easily and registration was really simple and easy. I would definitely say to get there early as you have a greater chance to get a good seat and to settle before the event. There were free refreshments throughout the programme (although some food would've been good) such as water, juice, wine and beer. The venue was super relaxed and not intimidating whatsoever, the staff were really nice and I even got to making a friend as well!

The speakers, while I only went for one, were all inspiring in their own way! So amazing to see people like myself making it in the industry. They were all so lovely and happy to talk! I went there to talk to Natalie specifically (who works in publishing) and she was so lovely and ready to impart her words of wisdom to me. I really appreciated how lovely she and easy to talk to she was, which made me feel super comfortable. I asked her questions about my CV and how to differentiate myself on paper, her advice was super helpful and made me think of applications in a new light.

As well as the speakers, it was really lovely to speak to other people who were interns or employees within the industry and to be able to network with them and ask for advice.

Thoughts

This was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. Following this showcase, I felt ready to conquer the publishing world and make my mark (a long way off that but still it’s good to dream!).

To anyone out there debating what to do and wondering how to start, I say signing up to this showcase is a step in the right direction. You can tell that the creative access team genuinely want to help everyone get their dream job, and will try their best to help you out.
This is the car park I used: https://citipark.co.uk/car-parks/london/bell-street