Meet the team: Thomas Atkinson, future host manager

Each week ahead of World Routes 2017 we will be profiling a different member of the Routes team. Next is our future host manager Thomas Atkinson.

Q: What do you do at Routes?

As part of the future host team it’s my responsibility to discover and decide the locations of upcoming events.

We like to think we're the most charismatic team within the business... so my role involves working on all events across the Routes portfolio inspecting and selecting the most suitable destinations to host.

Q: What’s the best part of your job?

Apart from being able to leave the office behind! The best part of my job is certainly getting to travel the world and meet some fantastic professionals along the way. The opportunity to be guided by hosts and get an insider’s view and flavour of the destination outside of the usual tourist traps is certainly something unique to the role.

It’s an exciting opportunity to discover new locations and hear the reasons behind a desire to host, whether that be new developments or to create or even change perceptions of a destination. No site inspection is the same and every bidder operates differently meaning the role is anything but dull.

Q: What’s the most difficult part of your job?

The most difficult part of my role by far is informing a bidder they have been unsuccessful. Our processes are very competitive, and despite having fulfilled the criteria and having met some wonderful people in an amazing destination there are always unsuccessful bids; undoubtedly informing those organisations forms the hardest part of the job.

Q: What are you most looking forward to at World Routes 2017?

We’re in a privileged position where our industry feels very much like a community and it’s always great to see friends and colleagues from across the globe, especially in a spectacular city such as Barcelona.

Routes presents us with the opportunity to conduct great business but socialise with friends and colleagues in the evening. However ask me the same question on the Tuesday evening after a busy event and I’m sure my answer will be the flight home!