SC Productions organise the core logistics of many major festivals and events in Wales and the UK – all the behind-the-scenes stuff you don’t even think about when it goes right. George Foster speaks to company director Sarah Cole.

What’s the most difficult aspect of event management?

It can be very varied to be honest. Some of it can as basic as the ground and trying to make the event fit, but sometimes it can be about getting people there and the volume of people circulating. It takes quite a lot of thinking to make sure that that’s right.

Have you ever had any near-disasters?

We’ve had some tricky times from Mother Nature. We had a particularly wet and windy weekend in 2012. Quite a lot of the site had taken a blow so it took quite a lot of hard work to get that back up and open. The customer is paramount.

What’s it like being in such a high position in a typically male-dominated industry?

That’s a myth. There are lots of women working in events. There are many more men visible in the industry, but there are lots of women working in the industry. There were less women when I started but there are certainly more now. It’s about being good at what you do, being confident about what you do and it’s about not taking any shit from anyone.

How do you deal with huge temporary structures, such as the ones used for Massive Attack’s recent Bristol gigs?

We were trying to replicate the idea of an aircraft hangar for the show so that structure jumped out at us. The time of year was a bit of a gamble, but we knew we had time and good ground to work on. We’re really proud.

SC Productions features a penguin as the logo. Why is that?

They are a bird with wings but they can’t fly. They’re very equal in their gender roles. They live in some of the wildest and harshest places in the world. Of the 17 species of penguin, I’ve seen 12 in their natural habitat. It gets a little bit harder and a little bit more expensive to get to the rest.

If you could recommend one place in Wales to a first-time visitor that’s not on the tourist maps and off the beaten tracks, where would it be and why?

Freshwater West is a favourite hidey-hole, particularly when the Pembrokeshire seafood van is there. You can sit on the little bench opposite the war memorial and look out across the bay and it is absolutely stunning.  

Info: www.scproductionsltd.com