A day in the life of Lynsey Devon
My alarm goes off at 7 am. After so many years of early starts as a ski rep, I’m up and out of bed with an energy my husband still can’t fathom. As the kettles boils, the whirlwind begins: catching up on news, making a start on emails, rushing around the house feeding the dog, getting my son, Fynn’s school lunch ready and starting on the first of, what can only be described as, a tidal wave of tea.
It’s 8.30 am. I’m very fortunate that my office is just around the corner, so if I don’t have a breakfast meeting, I can drop Fynn off at school before hopping on my bike and cycling to work (in just 10 minutes).
We arrive at 9 am. As the girls troop in, we’ll have an impromptu catch up before cracking on. Whilst I’m lucky to have a very talented team, my clients expect me to have as hands-on a role too, and it’s really useful to be able to cross sell each others’ accounts when we’re on the phone to the press.
As it turns 10 am, it’s quite likely I’ll be chatting to one of my clients in another country via Skype…
Moving to 10.30 am. While technology has changed PR in many ways, relationships are still the bread and butter of what we do. I spend a good proportion of the day speaking with our key media contacts to find out what stories they’re working on that we could contribute to, and suggest a few feature ideas of our own.
It’s 11.30 am. Did someone say tea? White, no sugar thanks.
I try and have a quick break at 12.30 pm. If I don’t have meetings with journalists or clients, I tend to pop to the local gym for a session of water aerobics with the ‘Golden Girls’ (a fabulous bunch of ladies who have me in stitches – although that could be from the exercise). During winter, I usually lead a number of group press trips to the Alps. It’s a well-known fact that ski journalists are a competitive bunch – a great incentive to get me on the treadmill!
I’ll be back in the office at 1.30 pm. I’ll eat a light lunch, either from home or the local cafe, and plough on with work.
As the clock reaches 2 pm, I usually put my head down and tackle a PR plan, a press release or a new business proposal.
It’s 4 pm. It’s time to catch up with Quark Expeditions, based in Canada.
Soon it’s 6 pm. Around half of our accounts can be found in the mountains, so as winter approaches, the clients make full use of our in-house events team to promote their latest news. Between September and November, the Heaven Publicity team can be found in central London, either hosting a media event or attending an industry networking evening.
If I’m not out in London, then it’s dinner time at 8 pm. I love cooking for friends and family, even on a school night.
Did the clock just strike midnight? Despite good intentions, I rarely find myself in bed before 12 am. Whether I’ve been socialising with friends, the media, or – after several decades in travel PR – a combination of the two.
