Our wonderful Events Supervisor and Sales Coordinator Ondria Portelli was recently features on the Event Birdie Blog…
Getting To Know An Event Birdie Pro…. Ondria Portelli
Meet Ondria Portelli. Currently the Events Supervisor and Sales Coordinator at Urban Winery Sydney Ondria loves the variety of events she gets to work on. She loves the 90’s and the song that gets her on the dancefloor every time is a 1990 favourite that will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day.
Give us a snap shot of your career to date.
I first discovered my passion for events when starting out in the Hotel Industry as a Food and Beverage attendant, where I worked across the Restaurant, Bar and Conferencing and Events department over 4 years. I then completed my Diploma in Event Management and was lucky enough to work for an inspiring charity as their Fundraising and Events Assistant. As rewarding as that was, I craved the ability to express more of my creativity, which is what lead me to Urban Winery Sydney. I now have the privilege of helping create and run a variety of events in our beautiful Winery and am loving the freedom, hands-on approach and of course, the wine!
The most memorable event you have worked on and why?
Everyone always says it’s impossible to pick just one, which is so true as they are all memorable in their own way. That’s why I will say my first couple of weeks at Urban Winery Sydney were the most memorable, we had a Charity event with famous chefs attending, an inspiring event to raise awareness for Melanoma, one of our biggest sit down corporate dinners and my first Wedding which was absolutely beautiful! It was amazing to see the variety of events I could now be a part of.
What did you ‘learn the hard way’ when planning an event?
Preparation and planning are key! Down to every last detail before the day.
What are three personality traits that are required to succeed in the events industry?
Attention to Detail, Team Player and Enthusiasm
If you could share one piece of advice to those starting out in the industry what would it be?
Explore as many different areas within the events industry as you can, as there are so many different types of events and once you find the area best suited to you, you will love your job!
What song always gets you on the dance floor?
U Can’t Touch This- MC Hammer
If you could time travel, when would you go and why?
Back to the 90’s to experience all the amazing music at the time
What is the most courageous thing you’ve ever done?
Travel to Europe Solo
What superpower would you choose and why?
Teleportation, to travel the world and imagine how much you could get done with big events!
What can you not live without in your life?
Family and Food, specifically Pasta in all different ways
How do you unwind after a big event?
Glass of wine and a Disney movie or a bath
Words to live by?
You learn something new every day and everything happens for a reason!
What do you prefer, cocktail party or sit-down dinner?
Cocktail party as there is more opportunity to be creative with set up and styling
What’s your drink of choice at an event?
Wine every time, unless there are cocktails
Favourite party theme?
Any Theme, I love a dress up!
Best event styling tip?
Always allow enough time
Why do you love your job?
The feeling you get when everything goes well and the client is happy, the ability to be creative and the variety!
