Getting to know... Simon Hainsworth

In the latest instalment of Bdaily's Getting to know feature, which looks at the person behind the business profile, Simon Hainsworth, founder and managing director of Birmingham-based Corporate and Sporting Events (CSE), talks about his pride in delivering major sporting events, his love of Leeds United and racing Linford Christie...

We know you as the founder and managing director of CSE, but who is the person behind the title? Tell us a little about what makes you tick… 

I’m a Leeds United fan and also love the glamour and excitement of the Formula One race in Monaco.

I spent 180 nights a year in hotels worldwide managing and planning our major events – out of all the places I’ve been, Barbados is a destination I particularly love.

My career has given me the chance to take part in a number of sporting challenges, like going around the velodrome in Manchester on a bike with no brakes (I am yet to recover!) and racing Linford Christie at the Alexander Stadium, in Birmingham, in the mid-1990s.

I’ll leave it to you to decide who you think won…

Within the events sector, I’m particularly passionate about encouraging Olympic sports among younger people, and advocating the growth of women’s sporting events. 

We know major events have the ability to increase participation, as well as regional economic growth, and I’m proud to play our part in helping those events take place.

Did you always want to work in events management?

I have always taken an interest in event logistics following a career in travel management. 

It was a natural progression once I had found my feet with a solid service industry like travel. 

My initial involvement was with incentive and conference travel logistics, which has very exacting demands and then, following the first Gulf War (when travel stopped overnight much like COVID-19), I found opportunities in sporting services which continued annually regardless of geopolitical worldwide issues.

Logistics in the areas where my team and I specialise (corporate and sports events) does have very time driven deadlines, but I have always enjoyed this aspect, as well as meeting suppliers and clients worldwide.

What’s the best bit about your job? And the worst?

The best parts include working with professional sports organisations and major corporate businesses to enable them to deliver events to the highest standards.

Other highlights include major clients providing referrals which drive the business forward, and finding solutions when the client believes there are none.

Undoubtedly, the worst part of the job is when unexpected issues occur – such as strikes or weather delays – which cause perfect planning to be disrupted through no fault of our own or our clients.

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?

I’d definitely look back to 2017 for that, when CSE was able to deliver the World Athletics and World Para Athletics Championships over the same summer in London to universal acclaim. 

I’m watching with keen interest to see if the UK will be successful in its bid to host the 2029 Championships.

How do you relax outside of work? 

My main passion is Leeds United, so when I’m not working you can find me watching and supporting them. 

Like every fan, I’m eager to see them repeat their 2019/2020 Championship winning and record-breaking season again soon.

Tell us something about you we didn’t know…

As well as running CSE, I am also the managing director of Luxe Rentals. 

We own and rent unique buildings to tenants, which include a 1799 mill in Yorkshire and a 17th century thatched building in Shakespeare country. 

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