For the next instalment of our Career Champions campaign, we spoke with Paul Kaye, Head of Operations at Creswell Crags, about his journey which began with a fascination of in-game building and led him to work at an extraordinary archaeological park in Nottinghamshire.
How did you first enter the industry? Can you share your professional journey?
“I used to love playing Theme Park on my Sega Megadrive as a child and later Rollercoaster Tycoon on my PC. I found it so satisfying turning a blank space into something visually pleasing and something that the ‘peeps’ could enjoy and so create healthy profits to win the game. It’s for this reason I knew I wanted to study tourism at university. The course I chose was Hospitality Management and Tourism at Sheffield Hallam. This course allowed me to study the subject and also gave me the opportunity to work at a theme park in the USA for a couple of seasons in 2003 and 2004, Kings Dominion in Virginia.
After returning home and finishing my last year at university, I applied for a job at my nearest theme park, Gulliver’s Kingdom in Matlock Bath and ended up working there for nearly 10 years. I learnt all about the visitor journey, ride maintenance, staff morale, how the weather can affect visitor numbers and ride availability, special events, developing new ideas, the list goes on.
After nearly 10 years it was time for a new challenge and Creswell Crags on the fringes of Nottinghamshire, needed a commercial manager. I was able to transfer many of the skills I picked up at Gulliver’s whilst still respecting the calmer nature of the site and its heritage”.
Could you describe your current role, including your day-to-day responsibilities?
“Currently I am head of operations, commercial and visitor services. I run all aspects of catering and retail and together with other key team members, look after operations and health and safety too. This can involve anything from risk assessments and site security to choosing new lines for the gift shop and changing the café menu.
The theme I now work with is the Ice Age. We offer cave tours to the public and school children, the site has a pleasant café and gift shop, holds special events throughout the year along with many smaller attractions such as a play area, trails, exhibitions and room hires”.
What aspects of your current role do you find the most rewarding?
“Now I work for a charity, it is really rewarding to know that profits made from the trading arm of the organisation, go back into supporting the charitable aims of the Creswell Heritage Trust. Even though I have now worked in tourism for over two decades, seeing visitor’s happy expressions as they leave never gets old. At the end of each day, we’ve made people happy, educated them about the Ice Age and in doing so, made some profit to put back into the organisation. No two days are ever the same”.
What advice would you give to someone aspiring to join the industry?
“Working in the hospitality and tourism industry, you can’t be afraid of hard work, physically and mentally and you cannot be afraid of change. Visitor’s needs and expectations are always changing and so you must change with them.
During the 1980’s, the Corkscrew roller coaster at Alton Towers was one of the most intense experiences in the country, now look at modern day roller coasters and compare the two”.
In your opinion, what makes hospitality and tourism an exciting career path?
“The skills that you learn are transferrable to almost every other industry. They will help you in life not just at work.
You can end up meeting celebrities, organising firework displays, changing a wheel on a roller coaster, even working on the other side of the world and meeting some amazing people like I did”.
What are your goals and aspirations for the future?
“At the moment we have an exciting opportunity at the Crags to deliver a more immersive and profitable visitor experience which I am working on.
The Ice Age is such an interesting period of our history, and it can create many exciting ways to engage with our audience and give them unforgettable experiences that they will never forget”.
What advice would you give to anyone starting out in the industry?
“Start on the frontlines, tidy the shop, fry the chips and clean the toilets. See what the visitors see and hear what they hear.
I would also encourage you to visit as many other attractions as you can and be inspired, especially at the beginning of your career as there’s a whole world out there waiting to be explored and spending time in other places and amongst other communities will equip you with a wider knowledge of the industry and how it works”.
Paul has had a fantastic journey through the industry and we’re grateful to him for sharing his experience and insights on what it takes to achieve success in the world of hospitality.
If you or someone you know works within the hospitality industry and would like to talk to us about their journey, then get in touch with our team by emailing georgia.cowdrey@visit-nottinghamshire.co.uk.
We are proud to be working alongside Futures on this campaign. Futures provide career advice, mentoring, training, and employment support to those looking to get a head start in their chosen industry or make their next career move.
To get in touch with the team at futures, please email hello@futuresadvice.org or visit www.futuresadvice.org to find out more.
Posted on 31 January 2025