From protecting the event equipment from monkeys to facilitating a team building programme for 140 managers, event management can require a lot of different skills.
Sir, I'm afraid your are over your weight limit.
Trying to explain to the curious staff at the Virgin check-in desk quite why we needed two aluminium pyramids, 65 hoola-hoops and 140 white baseball caps was the easy part…… Managing to make 200 lengths of rope, 35 pencil cases, staff uniforms, assorted event equipment and a bundle of paperwork meet the strict baggage restrictions was not so easy.
The look on the honeymooners’ and holiday makers’ faces as we struggled across the terminal with our peculiar luggage was priceless at 5am in the morning. Little did we know what lay ahead; we faced a 9 hour flight sitting with the Barmy Army England cricket supporters also on their way to the Caribbean . Let’s just say we got no sleep whatsoever!
The venue itself was a former sugar plantation that is steeped in history. Whilst a group of us were setting up the afternoon ‘s activities in the orchard area, it dawned on us that none of us knew whether Barbados had lethal creatures such as snakes or spiders. Being able to wear shorts on an event suddenly lost its appeal. Fortunately, the only close encounter we had was with a curious monkey that obviously wasn’t familiar with Fresh Tracks outdoor team activities.
The actual event for the client went incredibly well. They were fun-loving and competitive by nature, and had an infectious work hard/play hard attitude that made the Fresh Tracks programme, focusing on having fun in the work place, memorable for all of the right reasons. My lasting memory will be the winning team jumping up and down, chanting on stage, with medals around their necks, smiling from ear to ear, holding aloft an inflatable trophy. A job well done.
