Esther McElwee is the experience creator for Yuup, an online platform to browse and book experiences across the city. It launched in Birmingham last summer and experiences include film and TV location walking tours, making your own dumping dipping bowls, jewellery making, skydiving, and singing workshops.
IN ONE SENTENCE, WHAT DOES YOUR ROLE INVOLVE? I curate new and novel experiences for the people of Birmingham to try and support the hosts in marketing and selling experiences.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN YOUR CURRENT JOB? Just over 6 months, I joined in June 2022 having returned to Birmingham after living in Bristol and Berlin.
HAS THE FALLOUT FROM THE PANDEMIC PRESENTED ANY OPPORTUNITIES? After lockdown I feel that going back to the things we did before lockdown just didn’t feel as special as before. So now, when people go out they want more, more of an experience, not just going to the pub. People’s social skills were also a bit rusty after lockdown, doing an experience really breaks the ice.
CAN ONLINE MEETINGS SUCCESFULLY TAKE THE PLACE OF FACE-TO-FACE CONTACT? Online platforms are great, but nothing beats real life. Although we’ve got more used to seeing people on our computer screens, I feel that real connections come from seeing people and those incidental conversations you have in person.
HOW MANY EMAILS DO YOU TEND TO GET IN A DAY, AND HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU HAVE TO READ THEM? It really varies depending on what events we have going on. Some of our events, like Belly Laughs (a pop up comedy club in restaurants and bars) are super popular. The important thing is that when a host emails me, I’m keen to get back to them, and get them on the platform seamlessly so they can start growing their business.
HOW DO YOU HOPE YOUR COLLEAGUES WOULD DESCRIBE YOU? Most of our team are based in Bristol, at our HQ. The team has expanded really quickly, we’re now in three cities which could make collaboration tricky but we’re all open and friendly so I felt like I am considered very much part of the team.
HIGHLIGHTS OF YOUR CAREER SO FAR? This job for sure. There’s no micromanagement. I have plenty of freedom to work out the strategy in Birmingham and implement it.
PET HATES? Slow replies to emails! It doesn’t take long to ping a response. If a task takes less than 2 minutes I try and get it done straight away.
IF YOU COULD GO BACK AND GIVE YOUR YOUNGER SELF SOME WISE ADVICE, WHAT WOULD IT BE? There wasn’t a clear cut career path based on what I was interested in. If you’d asked me a year ago if i was going to be an experience curator I wouldn’t have any idea. If I’d rushed into a job that wasn’t right then I wouldn’t be here now. So I guess, just trust the process and that you never know what is around the corner.
HOW DO YOU RELAX AWAY FROM WORK? Probably by doing more work! I run my own events and projections or make videos.
WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE IS SPECIAL ABOUT THE BIRMINGHAM BUSINESS COMMUNITY? How interconnected it is. Everyone in Birmingham seems to know everyone. If you don’t know someone, you will know someone who does. It's approachable, not snobby, people want to help you.
TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOU THAT MOST PEOPLE PROBABLY WOULDN’T KNOW. I decided to move to Berlin, and a month later I was there. I’m quite spontaneous like that!
YOU CAN TAKE ONE BOOK, ONE FILM AND ONE CD ONTO A DESERT ISLAND – WHAT WOULD THEY BE? The book would be Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason. CD would be Old friends, new friends by Nils Frahm, I listen to it every night when I go to sleep. Film is tricky because I studied Film, but I think it would have to be Pierrot le Fou - it’s always been my favourite.
YOUR FIVE DREAM DINNER PARTY GUESTS, DEAD OR ALIVE? ES Devlin, the stage designer. David Hockney, the artist. David Douglas Duncan, photographer. Andrea Arnold the filmmaker and Tacita Dean the artist.
WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO EAT FOR YOUR LAST SUPPER? Sea bream curry – Bengali coconut curry with mustard seeds and fish, it's really popular in restaurants across the city.
