Jess Gould
Event operations on a big scale
Delivering the infrastructure behind shared experiences, from 60,000-capacity festivals to community events that connect people to place.
Lead UK Event & Operations Manager
About Me
I have 12 years' experience creating and delivering the systems behind events that build community.Combining event operations with a love of technology, I deliver the infrastructure that makes large-scale experiences work. Access control, ticketing strategy, payment systems, onsite technical delivery - the less glamorous machinery behind moments people remember.I've led delivery across 60,000-capacity greenfield festivals, international touring productions, and city events. Currently Lead UK Event & Operations Manager at Weezevent, where I manage a portfolio of major UK festival accounts including Boomtown, Lost Village, and Valley Fest.Before that I was Head of Ticketing at Boomtown, Production Lead for Arcadia Spectacular's international touring show across Burning Man, Miami, Australia, and Taiwan, and Event Manager at Tokyo World. Twelve years of increasingly complex delivery, with PRINCE2 and NEBOSH along the way.Outside the day job, I produce community events for local authority and heritage partners in Somerset through Field Note Studio - smaller in scale, but rooted in the same belief: that well-designed public events create connection that lasts beyond the day itself.
Expertise
Twelve years of operational delivery has built deep specialism across five areas:
Event Technology Systems
RFID infrastructure, cashless payment systems, access control, and ticketing strategy at scale. Implementation, configuration, and onsite delivery across 20+ major UK events annually.
Large-Scale Operations
End-to-end operational planning and delivery for festivals up to 60,000 capacity, city events, and international touring productions. From pre-event planning through to post-event reconciliation.
Client & Stakeholder Management
Senior relationship management across major festival accounts, local authorities, and heritage organisations. Commercial proposal development and long-term account growth.
Team Leadership & Training
Leading and developing operations teams, including post-acquisition onboarding and cross-company knowledge transfer. Mentoring junior staff in technical and operational delivery.
Arts & Heritage Events
Programme production for local authority, cultural, and heritage partners. Designing and delivering events that build community connection and support place-based engagement.
Career Highlights
Lead UK Event & Operations Manager, Weezevent managing 20+ festival accounts including Boomtown (60,000 cap), Lost Village, and Valley Fest.Head of Ticketing, Boomtown Festival owned ticketing strategy and live operational delivery for one of the UK's largest independent festivals.Production Lead, Arcadia Spectacular led international touring production across Burning Man, Miami, Australia, Taiwan, and Europe.Event Manager, Tokyo World planning and onsite delivery for a 20,000-capacity multi-stage city eventCommunity Programme Producer, Field Note Studio designing and delivering community engagement events for local authority and heritage partners in Somerset.Credential
PRINCE2 Practitioner · NEBOSH General Certificate · 12+ years senior event operations experience
Insights
I speak and write about operational intelligence in events - how the data flowing through ticketing, access control, and cashless payment systems can inform smarter decisions, not just smoother logistics.Particular interests include the role of technology in large-scale public events, post-acquisition integration in event tech, and designing operations that serve community as well as commerce.
Panel speaker, Event Production Show 2026
'Boomtown x Weezevent: Turning real data into operational impact'
Topics:
- How we can utilise data to predict commercials, operational demands and resource requirements
- Real examples of use-cases in live show
- What is next for data in events?Written Article, Events Unplugged 2026
'Operational Intelligence: How unified ticketing, access, and cashless data creates competitive advantage'
Topics:
- Data-driven operations: from ticketing and RFID to real-time operational insight
- Cashless payment systems in festivals: implementation, adoption, and what the data tells you
- Building operations teams through acquisition and integration
- Community events as infrastructure: what the festival industry can learn from local programmingInterested in having me speak at your event or contribute to a panel? Get in touch using the button below.