Glaswegians, and people from across Scotland, are being urged to seize the career opportunities hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games presents, as recruitment ramps up ahead of the UK’s biggest sporting event this summer.
Taking place from 23 July to 2 August, Glasgow 2026 will welcome 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories to the city, combining world-class sport with a future-focused vision. The Organising Company is delivering the Games - which already has a team of more than 180 people - supported by Trivandi in its role as Official Event Delivery Partner.
With less than six months to go, Trivandi is looking to fill up to 200 roles in the run up to July, focused on the planning, design, and operational delivery of the Games on behalf of the Organising Company. Trivandi project director, 
سام سبيتل, is calling on Scots to use the event to jumpstart their careers the way he, and many others, did back in 2014.
Originally from Auchtermuchty in Fife, Sam had just finished a degree in physiology and sport science at the University of Glasgow when he applied for a role with the 2014 Commonwealth Games. What started out as a temporary job has since turned into an international career that has seen him play a part in delivering some of the world’s biggest and highest-profile events.
He said: “I was brought into Glasgow 2014 through the organising committee’s assessment centre – it was my first introduction to a mega event. I have a passion for rugby, so was assigned to the sport competition department and helped organise the Rugby 7s at Ibrox.
“It was a huge learning curve - there was a lot to do in a short period of time to convert the stadium so it was ready for rugby, and even the acronyms flying around were difficult to get your head around. But it was amazing how quickly you picked it all up.
“At that point I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do – I’d been looking at continuing on at university to study medicine among a few other options – but Glasgow 2014 gave me the bug for working on major events. I haven’t looked back since.”
After the Commonwealth Games, Sam used the experience and connections he had built to land a job in the events team at Scottish Rugby, working in sport presentation for the autumn internationals. That led to a role in venue management at the 2015 Men’s Rugby World Cup and a move to London.
Sam then switched to cricket, helping to deliver the Champions Trophy and Women’s World Cup during 2017 and the Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019. What he describes as ‘the defining moment of his career’ came next with a move to the Middle East. Sam worked on Expo 2020 in Dubai, before taking on positions at the COP28 climate conference in neighbouring Abu Dhabi.
Sam said: “The role I took on with Expo 2020 diversified my career from sport and entertainment into international summits and government – and that was probably the defining moment of my professional life. It meant I couldn’t be pigeonholed into one discipline and could move onto more senior roles.
“The event was pushed back because of the pandemic, which meant I got the opportunity to work in different operational areas and it really showed how you can apply the skills you pick up to any kind of event. From there, I moved on to work on COP28 and help deliver the United Nations’ zone – it doesn’t get much higher profile than that.”
Now as director of operations and delivery for mega events at Trivandi – where he has worked on COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, as well as events in Saudi Arabia and Japan – Sam is playing a key role in helping the next generation of Glaswegians to take advantage of the opportunities the Commonwealth Games presents and leaving a lasting legacy in the city.
In the months leading up to the Games, Trivandi is looking to recruit up to 200 people to support the event’s delivery. Roles will come up across a range of different areas – from venue management and spectator services to transport and accreditation – at a variety of levels, whether candidates are graduates or seasoned professionals. The Organising Committee is also adding to its team at the same time.
Sam said: “Glasgow has obviously hosted massive events since 2014, but the Commonwealth Games felt like a real turning point. The whole city got involved, the ‘People Make Glasgow’ slogan was launched in the build up and became a central part of promoting the Games. The legacy has been hugely positive and I’ve seen the evidence of that since returning.
“Glasgow can now host almost any type of event. The people have the skills and the venues are fully capable of adapting to different needs – that’s one of the main reasons we are able to organise these Games in a compressed timeframe. Coming back, I know a lot of my peers who got their break at the same time as me in 2014 and are now in senior positions within event delivery or directly in the 2026 team – it’s been amazing to see.
“We want the same thing to happen this time too. That’s why involving the local workforce is a big aim for us going into the Games. We want people from Glasgow to apply, jumpstart their careers, and use this as a springboard to open up new opportunities – whether that’s in Scotland, the wider UK, or in some of the global sporting events coming up in the next few years.
“There is not long to go until the Games. Whatever role you are interested in, you won’t just be a small cog in a big wheel – you’ll be really involved and get to pick up lots of great hands-on experience that will set you up well for the next stage of your career. It’s the perfect opportunity for a new generation of Scots to take that first step towards opportunities in events across the world.”
Sam’s top five tips for Glasgow 2026 applicants:
- Just go for it – Don’t be put off applying for roles because you think you don’t have the right experience. The events industry has become much more professionalised and you will receive the right training and support through the Trivandi Academy
- Don’t be put off by short-term contracts – The nature of the business is that you deliver an event and then move onto the next project, and that can be daunting for people used to permanent positions. But it also means great opportunities come up all the time.
- Build relationships – Most of my jobs came from meeting new people and making connections through the events I was working on. Use your time working on these major events to meet new people and build relationships that may help you when the next one is coming up.
- Diversify your skillset – A lot of different skills and experience go into making major events a success. Sometimes moving sideways to gain experience in a different area is a great career move in the longer term, giving you the ability to see things from a variety of perspectives.
- Be open-minded to different opportunities – I love rugby and naturally gravitated towards it. But one of the best pieces of advice I received was not to just stick with the sport you love. I quickly realised it was everything around the delivery of the Rugby 7s at Glasgow 2014 that interested me professionally, and that eventually led to working on different sports and other types of events.
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