James Hunter

Senior Director, Project Management, United Kingdom

Meet James Hunter

James is a seasoned Event Designer and Project Manager with over 20 years in event production. Leading the UK Project Management team, he leverages his expertise to bring innovative ideas to life with Encore’s solutions. Passionate about creating magical event experiences, James aims to captivate attendees and excite planners, ensuring Encore’s clients return. His career, born from a love of design, has seen him oversee thousands of events from conception to completion. With effective communication and a deep understanding of possibilities, James collaborates seamlessly with global counterparts to serve Encore’s clients worldwide, crafting transformative events.

During your time with Encore, you’ve worked on a wide variety of events; what’s your favourite?

Being a petrolhead, I have always enjoyed working on motorsport-related events. However, our involvement in the Cambridge College Balls has always been a highlight. I learned a lot while working on these events in my early years as a lighting technician. It’s always great to see the college transform as we add creative lighting and video solutions to architecture that spans centuries. Also, we work in beautiful places, which always provides a pinch-me moment, especially when the sun is out!

Tell us about your role in delivering large-scale events such as the Adobe Summit for Taylor Bennett Partners and the BBC Worldwide Showcase.

I had the privilege of being the lead project manager for both of those events for several years. My responsibilities included managing logistics and ensuring effective collaboration among all internal and external stakeholders. As the glue that held everything together, I used my communication and people skills to work with hundreds of suppliers, venue staff, internal staff, and clients. Although it was hard work with months of preparation and long hours on-site, it was all worth it when we saw the end result and delivered over and above our client’s expectations.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time when you're not busy on-site?

I’m a big fan of motorsports and cars. I enjoy working on my classic cars, attending events such as Goodwood Revival and F1, and racing a car I own with a colleague. I have two boys aged 9 and 7 and a very active 1-year-old working Cocker Spaniel, so life is usually busy with activities, dog walks, and being a chauffeur. I also like going to the local pub, eating good food, and watching racing!