It’s fair to say director of Homecoming Scotland, Caroline Packman, has a busy schedule. In a year packed full of events, the Buckie-raised but Edinburgh-based professional shares what a day in the life looks like for her.
My morning
This year will be a momentous one for Scotland, packed with international events such as the Ryder Cup, the Commonwealth Games and of course, the Year of Homecoming celebrations.
I feel very privileged to be part of the team putting Scotland on the world map this year. No two days are ever the same, which makes my job really exciting.
My typical morning starts with a quick check of e-mails at home to see if anything urgent has come through overnight and then I enjoy a quick scan of the press. With so much going on this year it’s great to keep abreast of event coverage.
I’ll make sure my daughter is set for school. She’s studying for her National 5s, so I like to make sure she is ready for her day ahead.
I’ll then set off for work around 8am, taking in some of Edinburgh’s iconic sights on my drive to work. It’s amazing how different Arthur’s Seat and Holyrood Palace can look depending on the weather.
My morning at work varies a great deal. I’ll usually start by catching up with my team to talk through the key priorities and plans for the day.
With over 800 events in the Homecoming programme it’s great to talk through results from events that have already happened and look forward to what’s around the corner.
At the moment I’m attending a lot of meetings with event organisers, which is really exciting. It’s fantastic to see events coming together – from artist confirmation to security plans, venue layout to ticket sales – something that wouldn’t be possible without the hard work from a huge number of people who are experts in their field.
My lunchtime
1pm. Time for lunch. I’ll usually grab a quick sandwich if I’m in the office and check my e-mails.
My afternoon
Afternoons can involve a range of different things. These include presenting Homecoming Scotland to key tourism industry contacts, approving the creative for our latest advertising campaign, meeting with journalists to promote the events programme or speaking at a media launch for one of the many events.
We’ve also had a number of product manufacturers join in the Homecoming celebrations, so the past few weeks have included catching up with Connage Highland Dairy, which has developed a Homecoming cheese, and Strathearn Distillery, which has created its very own Homecoming Gin.
My job involves some travel too. Last year, I had the chance to fly the flag for Homecoming at Scotland Week in New York. North America is one of our key target markets we were doing some pre-promotion in April.
It was fantastic to see the excitement and interest from so many people, and meeting Kevin McKidd, Grand Marshal of the Tartan Day Parade down 6th Avenue, wasn’t too bad either. We shared a few stories from growing up in the north-east of Scotland. Kevin is from Elgin and I grew up in Buckie.
My evening
I tend to unwind by catching up with friends for dinner or attending one of the many Homecoming events.
In the last couple of weeks I’ve attended a Feast of the Commonwealth dinner, as part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival, and the international launch of the Kelpies at the Helix Park in Falkirk, and I’m looking forward to attending the Spirit of Speyside opening dinner at Glen Grant Distillery in Rothes in May.
I really can’t think of a better job – celebrating all that’s great about our country isn’t difficult when you have such a unique and much-loved product to sell.
There is truly something for everyone to experience this year in Scotland, whether it’s listening to the bagpipes at Piping Hot Forres, sampling traditional Highland Games at the Inverness Highland Meeting, soaking up the atmosphere at the brand-new Findhorn Bay Arts Festival or enjoying a great day out at the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival in Portsoy.