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A Day in the Life of... NICEIC's Senior Marketing and Events Engineer
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With a name like Tony Cable, and a personality that’s larger than life, it seems only fitting that this electrical industry expert is the leading presenter in the Marketing and Events Department of the NICEIC Group.
Born and raised in Morden, Surrey, Tony has been in the electrical industry for over 50 years. “I left school at 15, as you did back then, and didn’t know what I was going to do,” said Tony. “My dad suggested becoming an electrician…we didn’t have career advice then.” Following his father’s wise words, Tony started a five year apprenticeship to become an electrician. It wasn’t easy.
“The first firm I worked for didn’t have an electric drill. We had to cut everything by hand…it was terrible,” said Tony. “And when they finally got an electric drill, you had to book it at least six months in advance.” Tony’s apprenticeship then led him to work in the industry as a chargehand, foreman, electrical engineer, and an estimator.
At 39, Tony decided to share his knowledge through teaching electricians at South Thames College in Wandsworth. From there he moved on to take charge of the electrical installation section of East Surrey College, where he taught adults and apprentices.
Despite taking an early retirement from teaching at 54, Tony opted out of leisurely golden years. Instead of boat cruises and fishing (Tony is a big fan of carp fishing in many of England's lakes and every year has a week of fishing in France), he joined the NICEIC as an operations engineer. This position included working on the technical helpline as well as supporting ten area engineers. This is when he also got a taste for marketing and transferred to the Sales and Marketing Section.
There was no turning back, and now Tony is spreading the word of the NICEIC through to colleges, tradeshows, and roadshows. And although he denies it, he seems to be the face of NICEIC, modelling in promotional posters and appearing in training DVDs. Joked Tony on his recent industry fame: “I’m a bit upset really, that this happened so late in life.”
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7:00am: |
Tony wakes up and gets ready for his very busy day setting up and presenting at the NICEIC’s Registration Roadshow. |
| 8:00am: |
After a simple breakfast of toast and butter and a cuppa, Tony waits for the neighbourhood children to head to class, as living right next to a school means lots of school rush hour traffic. |
| 9:15am: |
The traffic has dissipated, so Tony then heads to Tottenham Hotspur Football Stadium, where today’s NICEIC Registration Roadshow is being held. This event is just one of six roadshows the NICEIC are running in the UK. It gives electricians and opportunity to learn about the NICEIC Group, registration, and training. |
| 11:00am: |
Tony arrives at the Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium. After parking, he unloads all the brochures and equipment needed for the event from his van…which is made a little more difficult due to the “very small lift” and the fact the roadshow is held on the third floor in the Bill Nicholson Suite. |
| 1:00pm: |
Tony and the team continue to set up the presentation hall, lining up chairs, setting up tables, and sorting out the projector and presentation. The team is preparing for plenty of attendees, as 171 people have already confirmed a place. “It’s going to be very full,” said Tony. |
| 3:00pm: |
Tony remains calm and collected despite experiencing some laptop problems. Thankfully a spare PC was on hand, and the presentation is back up and running. He then goes over the presentation with NICEIC Marketing Coordinator, Julie Blake. |
| 3:15pm: |
With just about an hour to go before attendees are expected, Tony changes into his presentation clothes. “Those stairs nearly killed me,” puffed Tony after changing and trekking back up the never-ending stairwell. He then helps event sponsors, Metrel and Socket and See, set up their stands, where their wide array of tools and testing equipment will be displayed for attendees. |
| 4:15pm: |
Despite the roadshow not officially starting until 5pm, attendees have already begun to arrive. Tony makes them feel right at home and begins mixing and mingling. |
| 5:00pm: |
The room is filling quite quickly, and people then have the opportunity to chat with NICEIC staff, register, purchase books, enquire and enrol in training, and meet the sponsors. |
| 5:30pm: |
Tony takes the stand and the seminar begins. He explains to attendees what the NICEIC does and the schemes that they offer. Tony also talks about what is included with the enrolment fee, including Connections magazine, the Electrical Safety Council technical manual (and helpline), pocket guides, and a PR Toolkit to help market your business. Tony then discusses how the NICEIC promotes the use of their contractors to specifiers, landlords, local authorities, and the media. He then finishes off this part of the presentation with information about pre-ordering the 17th edition toolbox (which includes the 17th Edition of the Wiring Regulations, DVD, and guide). “On the 1st of January you don’t have to be at W H Smith’s at midnight,” joked Tony about the benefit of pre-ordering. |
| 6:15pm: |
The presentation breaks, and Tony mingles with attendees while they are given another opportunity to register and check out products, training, and books. |
| 6:45pm: |
Tony gives the final part of his roadshow presentation, and discusses the much anticipated 17th Edition of the Wiring Regulations “Don’t shoot the messenger,” said Tony after going through the main points of the revised regulations. |
| 8:00pm: |
The show was a great success! After a smooth sailing presentation and lots of mixing and mingling, Tony and his team close down the room. They then pack everything up and reload the van. |
| 9:00pm: |
Tony drives back to his home in Banstead, Surrey, where he lives with his lovely wife, Frances. |
| 11:00pm: |
After an incredibly long day, Tony passes on dinner and unwinding and heads straight to bed. He needs his beauty sleep for tomorrow’s eventful day- talking to students about the NICEIC at Milton Keynes College. “I have a wonderfully varied life,” said Tony. “No two days are the same.” |
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| Source: Francoise Snobel - Voltimum |
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