Meet the Team

Michael Aldridge

General Manager of Events, London
Michael has worked within Events for the past 20 years and has included time at The Ritz, Imagination (a key Design and multi media company), Tussauds group and Merlin Entertainments. In his spare time Michael has a passion for politics, can still be seen dancing across the globe and still thinks Kylie is a goddess! Michael has over the years assisted and guided charities in setting up events and making them work for all stakeholders. Michael’s favourite line at present is “Keep It Simple Stupid”.

Carolyn Mason

Senior Events Manager
Carolyn has had a varied career in Events spanning the last decade. Having graduated from one of the first ever Event Management Degrees, she started her events career at an Events Agency in Pinewood Studios. She then moved to another agency based in Teddington Studios (sharing the offices with Harry Hill, Trisha and the IT Crowd!) and ending at the Magic of Merlin Entertainments.... now that’s show business! She has worked in most London venues, the most unusual being the Big Brother House! However, the job that topped all of these was when she got to paint men’s bodies in the Matthew Bourne adaptation of Swan Lake in her previous theatre life!

Emma Greenfield

Events Manager
Emma has recently re-joined our team after previously completing her placement year with us which formed part of her Event Management degree at Bournemouth University. She then went on to graduate with a first class honours and relocated to Milton Keynes to one of the UK’s top event agencies, her experiences included a month product launch in Paris. However Emma could not stay away from Merlin for long and is thrilled to be back on the team as Event Manager. Emma has always been passionate about travel through both leisure and work, her favourite country in the world is the beautiful Laos in Asia and she has even previously been an air hostess. Chicken or Beef anyone?

Natalie Westbury

Events Manager
After completing a placement year with us alongside Emma, Natalie returned to the Manchester Metropolitan University for a further two years of study. Within a few days of graduating with a First Class Honours degree in Events Management Natalie was invited back to re-join the team! Natalie has worked within the Merlin Entertainments group since she was 16 years old, her first job was making donuts at Thorpe Park, jammy or what!

Samantha Burton

Senior Events Operations Manager
Since graduating from the University of Gloucestershire in 2009 with a First Class Honours degree in Events Management Sam has worked as an event coordinator for a Live Events Agency specialising in public sector events; including the Police Bravery Awards. This has allowed Sam to work at a number of venues across the country including Lord’s Cricket Ground and the NEC, Birmingham. When the opportunity to join exciting world of Merlin Entertainments came along Sam jumped at the chance to become part of Magic! On her weekends off Sam can be found practicing her baking skills in an attempt to become a blonde Nigella!

Imogen Kirwin

Events Administrator
Imogen has recently joined the events team as a placement student as part of her events management degree at Manchester Metropolitan University. Imogen has worked for outside catering companies for the past few years, working at festivals, sports event and corporate and private functions. She is looking forward to getting stuck into a new exciting area of events!
In her spare time, Imogen likes playing hockey, cooking (occasionally – and not that well) and travelling, something that she spent her gap year doing – helping her to build her networking and team work skills.

Victoria Fawcus-Robinson

Events Administrator
Victoria has recently joined the events team as a placement student as part of her Events Management degree at Bournemouth University. Having realised her organisational nature would be most utilised in the events industry, she has since gained invaluable experience working at events ranging from festivals to charity awareness campaigns. Her passion grew as she became co-founder and president of the Events Society at Bournemouth University, where she enjoyed meeting a diverse range of people and seeing the benefits the students gained from attending the events. In her spare time, Victoria continues her performance arts background, taking part in classes of different dance genres. Victoria is thrilled to have the opportunity of working with her ‘dream’ company for her placement year and said that she is still ‘pinching’ herself!

Gareth McTiffin

Events Operations Manager
After graduating with a Marketing degree from Aberystwyth University, Gareth started as an Operations Coordinator at Merlin Southern Parks. He was responsible for delivering day time and evening events at THORPE PARK, Chessington World of Adventures and LEGOLAND Windsor. He was then promoted to Event Operations Manager for the three venues. Following two seasons at this position he went on to an event sales role at the Holiday Inn Chessington generating contracts for conferences, private events and weddings. A highlight of Gareth’s career so far is appearing as an event manager on 'Don't Tell the Bride'!!

Patrick Hoey

Event Porter
Patrick remains ‘very busy’, Pat has been part of the Madame Tussauds family for thirty years. He is the first person to welcome event partners into the attraction and assists with the ‘get in’ of events. With so much experience, Pat knows where everything is and what is happening in the Attractions. He has met Princes and celebrities and he is one of the people that make Madame Tussauds such a special place to work.

Event Kitten

Event Kitten is an integral part of the Merlin Events team. This jet-setting feline is the cutting edge of events with her paw on the pulse. She joined us in 1998 as a placement student fresh from Bournemouth University where she received honours in Event Management. She took a couple of years out travelling around SE Asia and also popped back to her parent’s home of Japan to visit her relatives.

Now living back in London (her favourite city in the World) she has rejoined the Merlin Events team. She makes the most of her weekends by visiting friends & eating Dim Sum (especially the Spicy Cod at Dim T). She loves nothing more than spending weekends in London; you will often find her in one of London’s best art galleries! She is still taking Japanese lessons and attends 2 evening classes in the week.

The Event Kitten is always keeping an eye open for new trends and aims to keep the Merlin Events team a pioneer in their field. She has a hot desk here; however she is often on the go with her ipad in tow. Become her friend on facebook here www.facebook.com/#!/EventKitten