Meet Laia, the DICE Fan Support Team Lead with chorus girl credentials

There are those among us who choose our career path early and stick to it. And then there are those like DICE Fan Support Team Lead Laia, who hop from interest to interest with admirable dexterity, committed to their current task but always primed for the next challenge. Armed with degrees in linguistics and translation, she’s worked as a writer, teacher, translator and proofreader, before following her love of live events to DICE. We sat down with her to find out more about this journey and her creative leanings.

On her musical upbringing 

My parents don’t have any formal musical training, but there’s always been music at home, especially Valencian folk music. My dad’s always singing and my mum’s always whistling, and I am both a very good whistler and a very good singer. Or at least I used to be a very good singer: I took lessons as a child and was in a choir until I was 16, when I decided I wanted to do other things with my time. I still have a nice voice though, even if my technique is rubbish. Up until a couple of years ago, I was singing in bands either as a lead or backing singer, and now my main performances are singing and playing ukulele at my friends’ weddings – one day I’m gonna have to start charging them.

On transitioning from teacher to Team Lead

Most of my mum’s side of the family are teachers. Originally, I thought, “No, no, I’m not going to be you,” but in reality, I – like most people who’ve studied linguistics and translation – ended up becoming a teacher, specialising in Spanish and English. I only did that for two-and-a-half years, but my teaching background still comes through in my work at DICE. I’m quite empathetic, not only with fans, but with my reports: I understand that they have lives and their own stuff going on. And I’m quite patient when it comes to explaining new processes and new information to anyone that’s just coming into the company. 

On her crafting obsession

My current obsession is ceramics: I learnt how to throw on the wheel last summer. But since 2017, I’ve been working with jesmonite, an acrylic resin with a texture similar to cement but smoother. Unlike ceramics, you don’t really need a workshop to do it as you don’t use a wheel or a kiln – you pour the liquid into moulds (I make my own) and they dry in 30 minutes. I’ve created a lot of coasters, trinket dishes and small items; but during lockdown, when I had a lot of spare time, I made an entire table.

On learning to translate her Spanish communication style

Because I’m Spanish, I might be a bit more straightforward in the way I approach people. But over the years, I’ve learnt to communicate in a more British way. Now, unless I need something in a rush, I do a bit of, “Hi, love. How are you?” and then ask my question. It’s like cultural translation. I laugh at this a bit because it’s obviously not something I’ve grown up with, but I do think that there are some benefits to it: there’s no harm in being nice to your colleagues.

On growing at DICE

I was originally hired as a Spanish Fan Support Agent just as we were about to launch in Spain. I was one of the first hires for that market, and I could see the potential for me to grow with the company. I’m not that ambitious of a person – I don’t need to make it to the very, very top – but it’s definitely important to feel that you still have options. That doesn’t necessarily need to be growing in a vertical direction: you can be growing laterally as well. I still have a lot to learn in this position, and I love that I’m trusted by everyone in the company to make certain decisions, and that I feel my opinion is heard.

On small venues versus big stadiums

When I go to gigs, whether that’s jazz, soul, post punk, indie rock or electronic, I tend to go for smaller venues that feature smaller bands. In Valencia, there’s one called El Loco that has been open for as long as I can remember, probably more than 25 years. I’ve performed there, I’ve been to loads of interesting gigs there, and I’ve made very good memories there. In London, I love MOTH Club for the same reasons – I’d always rather go somewhere like that than the O2.