Alumnus Guglielmo Della Porta Helps Organize Ryder Cup
Born and raised in Rome, alumnus Guglielmo Della Porta graduated from JCU in 2021 with a B.A. in Marketing and a minor in Business Administration. Guglielmo currently works as Assistant Project Manager at Ega Worldwide, the company that recently contributed to the organization of the Ryder Cup, the biennial men’s golf competition held in Rome in September 2023.
What have you been up to since graduation?
In September 2021 I began working with EGA Worldwide on their EXPO Dubai 2020 project, where the company was tasked with managing the events and personnel of the Italian pavilion. Between September and December 2021, I worked from EGA’s office in Rome as assistant to the Accreditation Manager. In January 2022, I replaced the Accreditation Manager and moved to Dubai for three months. I managed all accreditations by myself, checking the number of accreditations requested by our guest organizations, collecting all the required documents for each person, and communicating with the EXPO accreditation office to get all the passes approved in time.
I’ve always had a passion for golf, so I try to keep my summer months free so I can work in Scotland as a coordinator for a local golf camp.
You work as Assistant Project Manager at Ega Worldwide congresses & events. What does your role entail?
In March 2023, I joined EGA on a longer-term contract as part of the team managing event requests issued by Sport e Salute (the public events section of CONI – the Italian National Olympic Committee). The team is composed of my Senior Project Manager and me, with other colleagues pitching in to help if they do not have other projects of their own, and the occasional intern lending us a valuable hand for the few months they are with us.
Some examples of the events we worked on are the Rome Tennis ATP 1000, the Piazza di Siena Equestrian event in Villa Borghese, and the RTL Radio Zeta concert that took place in Foro Italico. My role is to work side by side with the Senior Project Manager on all aspects of the projects, such as contacting suppliers and clients and managing the database. I’m also responsible for recruiting hospitality personnel and managing their payments and work shifts, as well as managing the events on-site.
You recently worked for the contractor that supplied the hospitality staff for the Ryder Cup. Tell us about this experience.
EGA won the bid to supply hospitality staff for the Ryder Cup Premium Hospitality services. There were seven structures in the event, for a total of about 150 staff members. In addition, we were the reference point for all the personnel requests issued by sponsors of the event who had lounges/suites/pavilions of their own. We provided over 220 staff members. The event week was very tiring, I would leave my house at 5:30am and return at 8pm but as a golfer it was a dream come true, the cherry on top was team Europe winning.
What were the main challenges and rewards of working on the organization of such a large-scale event?
The main challenge in such a large event is to complete the puzzle on time without losing a single piece. Contracts, invoices, shifts, documents… there are many components, and they all have to be carried out properly otherwise the event can be spoiled or the workload can double due to poor planning.
I mentioned that the Ryder Cup week was very tiring due to the long workdays, but because we did a good job leading up to the event those long days were mostly uneventful, aside from the golf competitions. This is incredibly rewarding because it is the ultimate proof that our hard work paid off.
How did your studies at JCU prepare you for your current role?
At JCU I honed my teamwork skills, I learned the fundamentals of business communications, and I also fixed the bad procrastination habit that had plagued my high school years. I’m now a quick and efficient worker, I’m not afraid of delegating tasks to others, and I take responsibility by talking face-to-face with clients to solve issues.
What are your plans for the future?
My current objective is to work at EXPO 2025, which will take place in Osaka, Japan. EGA has been involved in most EXPOs since the 1980s, and had a major role in each of the last three (2010 Shanghai, 2015 Milan, 2020 Dubai); staying with them for the near future is the best chance I have to work at EXPO 2025.
