MY WORKING LIFE
KIERAN HUGHES
The director of newly created Daclus Woodworks
on entering the industry, meeting his partner and
the exciting future ahead
I was born in a small town in South Wales called Cwmbran.
My family is very large. We were, and still are, a tightknit family with
a humour that can only be described as ‘close to the mark’. I was the
youngest of four boys (poor mother) so as you could imagine, I was
spoilt the most by my parents and beat the most by my brothers!
Thanks to the exhibition industry, I met my partner nine years ago
working on the Ideal Home Show at Earls Court and never looked
back (my god I’m punching).
My mother worked for a charity for many years growing up until
she fell poorly with Chrohn’s Disease. She may have struggled
with the disease but she certainly kept all of her humour! My
father worked in exhibitions and did so for many years.
My very first job was cleaning Octonorm beams for an old
exhibition company; my eldest brother got me in for the summer
so I could get some money. After that finished, I went on to get an
apprenticeship in carpentry working for a company that designed
and built bespoke beds and furniture – really enjoyed it there.
Cwmbran had and still has a lot of exhibition companies within
a radius of about 10 miles, and was a big employer. This gave a lot
of people an opportunity to learn a trade whether it was carpentry,
electrical, decorating, graphic design or labouring.
My new company – Daclus Woodworks Ltd – only started in December of
last year so my team and I have some exciting times ahead. The company
is an exhibition and CNC woodworking specialist. We have the capacity
to work with organisers, architects, designers and the general public.
Without a doubt the thing I enjoy most about the industry is the people.
I truly believe we have the strongest industry in the UK for people
gathering together to help each other. I have met some fantastic long-term
friends during my 22 years in the industry.
For me personally I would like tenancy times to be a bit more lenient. I
feel build-up and breakdown times for the industry are getting tighter
and tighter. At the same time, I realise that the show owners also have a
budget, the industry is getting bigger and that venues are getting busier so
require a quicker turnaround to create their revenue.
Music is my number one choice for letting off steam. Could you imagine
a life without music? Boring. I also clean the house from top to bottom
making sure I don’t miss one speck of dust (I only put that part in to see
Jenna’s face when she reads the article!)
I love walking our dog Bert over the Ashdown Forest, seeing him having
such a good time really makes me happy.
I’m not married but nothing would make me prouder than to have Jenna
as my wife in the future. I have a 15-year-old son who grunts a lot. He is
definitely a chip off the old block – not sure if that’s a good thing or not!
In 2017 I booked a trip to New York to celebrate my 40th birthday, only
to later discover after a telephone conversation with my mother I would
be 40 in 2018. EN
exhibitionnews.co.uk | January 2019
17