Trivandi’s Sam Spittle on the opportunities the Glasgow Commonwealth Games offer

The 2026 Commonwealth Games are being hosted in Glasgow, and consultancy Trivandi is event delivery partner for the showpiece. For Sam Spittle, a project director with the firm, who launched his career when Glasgow last hosted the games, it is a reminder of the opportunities sport can bring to the city.

Taking place every four years, the Commonwealth Games is an international multi-sport event that brings together athletes from across the Commonwealth of Nations. The political association comprising the majority of former territories of the British Empire has changed extensively since the first games in 1930, but the event still brings together thousands of competitors from around the globe.

In 2014, the 20th Commonwealth Games was hosted in Glasgow – with more than 4,000 athletes across 261 events and 18 sports. And the 2014 edition received acclaim for its organisation, attendance, and the public enthusiasm of the people of Scotland – leading with Commonwealth Games Federation Chief Executive Mike Hooper to hail them as "the standout games in the history of the movement".

The 2014 event also provided major employment opportunities for Glasgow residents. One of them was Sam Spittle – who took what he thought would be a temporary job after university during the games, but which turned into an international career that has seen him play a part in delivering some of the world’s biggest and highest-profile events; including the Men’s Rugby World Cup, the and the Men and Women’s Cricket World Cups.

Spittle recalled, “I was brought into Glasgow 2014 through the organising committee’s assessment centre – it was my first introduction to a mega event. 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. 

Returning from roles in the Middle East, which most recently included COP28 UAE, he is now playing a key role in helping the next generation of Glaswegians to take advantage of the opportunities the Commonwealth Games – which returns to the city this year – presents; and leaving a lasting legacy in the city. 

He enthused, “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. 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 getting involved with the major global sporting events coming up in the next few years.” 

Trivandi is doing its part to help ensure that, too. As event delivery partner to the Commonwealth Games, the company is recruiting for up to 200 jobs in the build-up to July’s competition. These are primarily focused on the planning, design and operational delivery of the games, on behalf of the organising company.

Trivandi has set a target of recruiting the majority of its workforce for the Games from Glasgow and its surrounding areas, with dedicated opportunities for unemployed residents, students, and people with accessibility needs through local social enterprises and education providers. And to open up opportunities to as wide a cohort as possible, Trivandi is recruiting candidates at all stages of their career - whether they recently left education or are seasoned events professionals.  

Recruits will be provided with support through the Trivandi Academy, which will use its Chartered Management Institute-accredited programme to train people in major event planning and delivery. They will also be provided with internationally recognised certifications to help boost their careers post-games.  

Spittle concluded, “There’s not long to go until the games and our recruitment campaign is going to ramp up significantly in the coming weeks. It’s a huge opportunity for anyone interested in sport, events, and a wide variety of other areas - not only for this summer, but to build long-term careers too. 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.”