Confessions of an Event Planner: Case Studies From the Real World of Events--How to Handle the Unexpected and How to Be a Master of Discretion

by Judy Allen

  I learned: That “I’m parched” is code for “we need to order another bottle of champagne.” And one bottle of champagne in the limousine was not enough. We once had to make a champagne run in the middle of nowhere because we had run out. The limo driver found an off-the-beaten-track store that sold liquor and proudly came out clutching a dusty bottle of champagne in his hand. He had been a man on a mission and was happy when DiamondDiva quietly settled back down to enjoy her warm champagne—not stopping long enough to let it chill.

  I learned: That other than seeing all the suites that had been blocked for her group and the two main dining rooms—to decide which color and decor scheme she wanted “her kids” to experience—DiamondDiva had pretty much seen all she wanted of the ship, with the exception, of course, being the champagne and caviar bar, the casino and the nightclubs, which were nightly rituals. She didn’t want to see the spa, gym, nightly entertainment—unless it led to dancing—or even just sit and enjoy the view from her private balcony, which I was longing for both her and me to do, but separately. On the other hand, she did like the fact that her suite came with a bathtub. Note to self: Check out the availability of bath butlers at future site inspection resorts in the hope that the enticement of a luxury bubble bath will buy me or whoever else is on-site a moment’s peace.

  I learned: That even being caught in a major storm at sea—where the glass doors to outside were tied closed in some areas and the elevators were shut down for safety—would not deter DiamondDiva from wearing her Jimmy Choos.

  I learned: That even though it is not in your job description, you may be required to hold back your client’s hair and keep their diamonds out of harm’s way when they are being sick—not from rough seas, which would be understandable for first-time cruising tummies, but from switching to drinking Don Julio 1942 tequila out of a champagne flute. The lime should have clued me in that something was different and that DiamondDiva was not just drinking champagne any longer. Or perhaps I should have paid more attention when DiamondDiva started insisting that all the men in the club call her Rosita, which in no way was a variation of her name. It was the Latin bar that did DiamondDiva in.

  And sometimes you will find yourself—with a resort or cruise medical staff member brought in for assistance as a legal precaution—standing by with large plastic bags at the ready to hold the clothes your client is taking off in front of you as they prepare to step into the shower assisted by medical staff to “freshen up” after throwing up all over themselves. Thankfully I could just hand over the clothes being dropped in said bag that desperately needed cleaning after their Rosita encounter to someone else to deal with, along with a large tip.

  But alas, my duties did not end there. Someone had to sit and look after the now incapacitated missus to make sure that she was alright. DiamondDiva begged me to stay and not let the crew see her that way, and with the medical assistant’s OK I finally did get to see a glorious sunrise over the incredibly turquoise blue ocean from a balcony—just not mine and not done in the soothing meditative manner I had hoped, followed by a yoga workout session. Unfortunately this sunrise was experienced with the doorway leading out to the balcony wide open to air out the room, while keeping a careful eye on DiamondDiva and the champagne bucket by the bed that was now serving another purpose. No matter how beautiful the sunrise, it’s not quite the image you want to linger in your mind.

  DiamondDiva’s biggest concern in the morning when she recovered was hot coffee and where had she lost one of her artificial nails. She was on her own for that one and she would not consider going to the ship’s beauty shop to have a manicure. She proudly told me that she always does her own hair—cut, color and ’do (and favored Texas pageant hair; that I had long ago guessed)—manicures and pedicures, and would never consider spending money on having them professionally done. We all have our little quirks. DiamondDiva would pay thousands and thousands every day on a new bauble or designer gown without blinking an eye but not a couple of hundred dollars once a month to achieve a more polished look. Maybe Daniela could take her under her very refined wing and teach DiamondDiva the value to be found in those life pleasures and how they can complement, not compete with, her other self-pampering passions. Actually, housekeeping did find the missing nail when DiamondDiva returned to her freshly made-up cabin after a hearty breakfast. Does nothing kill her appetite? She happily reported that her missing nail was placed oh so carefully in the middle of her bedroom pillow and she waggled her diamond-filled fingers in my face to show me that it was now firmly affixed again.

  I learned: That DiamondDiva likes to be the center of attention and preferably in the center of a circle of men admiring all her visible assets, be that her diamonds or her double Ds. It doesn’t matter which as long as they are all willing to be her partner in drinking and dancing till dawn. My job was to hold onto her purse, which was now stuffed alarmingly full of her newest acquisitions, to make sure that she made it safely back to her cabin alone, and to do nothing to distract her circle of admirers from paying homage to only her.

  This lesson I learned when another event company owner, on vacation with her husband, stopped by to say hello to me, wearing a very risqué dress that featured a game of tic-tac-toe in faux diamonds across her otherwise bare back. Smoke was practically coming from DiamondDiva’s ears when the men took their focus off her to playfully attempt to play a game of tic-tac-toe on the other event company owner’s back. Seeing that my client was clearly not happy with this turn of events, the other event planner gracefully took her departure, casting me an “I’m so sorry” look before she left. Not surprisingly, DiamondDiva asked me later that night to find out from my colleague who had made that dress and where she had purchased it. Visions of DiamondDiva dressed in that provocative dress—but with the tic-tac-toe done in real not faux diamonds—came instantly to mind and I knew I would very likely see her wearing that same style dress when we returned on the cruise with “her kids.”

  I learned: That where there is will, there is a way and you can only baby-sit your clients so far. I was startled early one morning as I opened my cabin door to go for an early run to see a man in formal dress buttoning up his shirt, bowtie in hand, step out of DiamondDiva’s suite, which was just down from mine. I could hear her giggles coming from inside the room as she said her good-byes. I quickly stepped back inside my room but not before the gentleman’s eyes met my shocked gaze. When we met up later for breakfast, DiamondDiva said nothing about her caller and I never asked. That is part and parcel of being a master of discretion and what she did or did not do was between her and her husband. I was just thankful that whatever took place did so discreetly.

  During one event, one couple, each married to other partners, was caught having sex in one of the men’s washroom stalls. Ever since that time, I have tried to include bathroom attendants in my programs to help limit guest opportunity to embarrass themselves by doing drugs or making out in public facilities. You would be surprised how often this goes on. The coat check area, if left unattended, is another popular hideaway spot, as is behind curtains. One celebrity was discovered by event security (off-duty police officers on pay duty) in a very compromising, hot and heavy clinch with another individual and came close to being exposed to the room (and their respective partners) as the amorous couple got carried away and caught up in their alcohol-fueled lust for one another.

  And I tell my clients straight out why I am recommending they include a bathroom attendant as a program enhancement. Sure, it’s a nice touch to have an attendant there to hand you a towel and make sure that the room stays presentable, but know that one of their other functions is to make certain that guests stay presentable as well and that nothing takes place under their observant eyes that could cause the venue or club to lose their liquor or operating license.

  I had managed to change the subject when my client laughingly asked me during our DiamondDiva handoff if his wife had been a “good girl.” When DiamondDiva ordered one more glass of
champagne for the road I took the opportunity to say my good-byes. This is where I had come in. It was my turn to give a great sighhhhhhh as I walked away after promising to be in touch soon to finalize their cruise details and the other pending site inspections. Wills was waiting to meet me outside—good, good man—with the limousine that was booked to take me to my overnight hotel. Before I could totally relax, I needed to brief him on how to handle his upcoming shopping excursion with DiamondDiva and then the rest of the day was mine to check in with the office, catch up on e-mails and take time to totally pamper myself for 24 hours in this wonderful suite prior to heading home again this afternoon for a quick layover before departing to one of my favorite spots in Arizona.

  YOU WANT ME TO TRY ALLIGATOR, RATTLESNAKE AND WHAT???: Q&A

  Setting Client Boundaries

  Q: How far should you professionally go with a client to meet their personal—not business—wants?

  A: It is important to establish personal and professional boundaries and to have a clear understanding of what you will and will not do, and what, from a legal perspective, you should not do. Event planners have been asked to accompany their clients into places they would never set foot into in their real life. It is one thing to be asked to sample exotic food and another to be asked to accompany them to see a live sex show in a faraway land or set them up with a “booty call.”

  It is also important to establish with company lawyers how to address different issues with clients, be fully prepared in knowing where and what would cross legal and professional business and personal integrity lines, and know when support needs to be brought in to protect yourself and the company from lawsuits. For example, in this chapter, when DiamondDiva was ill from overindulging, medical assistance was called to ensure that the client was okay and they assisted in helping the client to get cleaned up. Failure to do so, had anything happened—such as the client slipping or falling while getting into or out of the shower, dying of alcohol poisoning, or choking in her sleep if she were sick again—after being left on her own would have resulted in lawsuits based on negligence. Choosing to sit by the client as she slept after medical staff had said there was no danger showed care and responsibility, but it may have been advisable to have had professional medical staff sit with her as opposed to an event planning staff member not trained in this area. That is where it is important to know where and what to do to protect yourself, your company and your client, and to know where and when to bring backup in.

  Assignment

  Review the chapter and discuss areas where Em had to make judgment calls as to how to best proceed with her client’s out-of-control drinking and behavior. Em might have left herself open to legal action, e.g., permitting a nonstop flow of champagne to be readily available, etc.

  Selecting Hotels or Suppliers

  Q: On site inspections, what other tests are there that event planners can do to see if the caliber of their chosen hotel or suppliers is up to the job?

  A: Tests range from leaving a glass under a bed or in a hallway to see how quickly they are found and removed, to noting whether or not there is a welcoming message from the hotel showing awareness of your arrival. One hotel’s general manager had cards printed that were placed under the beds in the suites saying, “yes, we check under here too” that I am sure gave event planners using that hotel a smile and showed the attention to detail with which this hotel was run. One event planner did a spot check on his site inspection to see a room being set up for a luncheon meeting and found water glasses being set out that still had dried pulp attached to them, and this was on top of seeing a room service cart sit for over a day, full of empty dishes and leftover food, with no staff members attending to it, although many passed by.

  A site inspection is a dry run by the hotel, your DMC and other suppliers to show you how they operate and to demonstrate the level of service you will receive when you return with your group and usually takes place before the contracts are signed. If they are not up to par then, that’s the time to investigate your alternatives.

  Assignment

  Discuss the different opportunities in this chapter that presented themselves to test the level of service of the hotel and the services provided by the DMC, such as airport arrival, limousines and the cruise ship. What would you look for that would demonstrate top-level commitment to your group?

  Event Planner’s Role on a Site Inspection

  Q: On a site inspection, are you required to be with the client 24/7?

  A: Site inspections are not meant to be a leisurely vacation or shopping trip. Instead, they are designed to be a quick review of the event, all of the event elements, venues and the destination. Generally a site inspection is done within a couple of days and the pace is intensive. You will find that you are with the client from early morning till early morning (after midnight) in order to accomplish all that you need to do in the time permitted.

  A schedule should be worked out in advance with a copy of the site itinerary given to the client that shows them a clear beginning and end to the day. Identify any time at leisure—for them to enjoy the hotel’s facilities, which is important for them to experience as well—that you require built in so that you can spend the time meeting with any suppliers one on one.

  Dancing with the client, minding their purse and valuables while they are up dancing, and baby-sitting them when they are drunk can lead to potential problems, legal and otherwise. It is important that a business tone, not a vacation tone, be set from the very beginning and that a professional demeanor is shown. Each person and each company has different personal and professional boundaries, and you need to know where yours are and what is expected of you as your company’s legal representative.

  Assignment

  Design a site inspection itinerary using sample ports of call aboard a cruise ship sailing out of Miami with a themed event scheduled to take place in each.

  Maintaining Health and Energy

  Q: How do event planners keep themselves healthy on the go?

  A: They make time to eat healthy, to get rest and to have time away from the group to re-center, which is why budgeting for staff single rooms is important. You can’t afford to get sick on a site inspection or during a program, as each person has a role to play. Taking care of you is equally as important as taking care of the event. If you and your staff are running on fumes instead of food that is fuel for your body and mind, not taking mental health workout breaks and not getting sleep when you can, it will show up in the program because you will not be able to bring your best to each day. Going flat out will take a toll.

  One very successful freelance event planner, who travels at least 300 days of the year around the world, eats the same meal every day no matter where she is in the world, only drinks water or juices (avoids caffeine) and after her shift is done, she always takes a workout walk to have space to decompress and then gets eight hours of rest. Successful event planners do not party after hours and only take time out to shop or sightsee on their time off, after they have first taken care of their mind, body and soul. What they bring to events—their energy, their being—is in demand and that is because they are always giving their best because they have given their best to themselves.

  Assignment

  Go back to your site inspection itinerary and look at how much time has been factored in for self-care, e.g., meals, sleep, etc., and where more or less needs to be worked in to give better balance.

  Staffing a Site Inspection

  Q: How many people should be budgeted for on site inspections?

  A: If possible, it is always advisable to have two people from the event planning company go so that one can advance and ensure all is ready—just as would take place on the actual program and again another test of your hotel’s and suppliers’ abilities. Doing so also ensures that one can have time to do follow-up when and where needed while the other is tending to the client.

  Generally, for smaller programs, one client company representative is se
nt. At times a request will be made for it to be a senior executive and their spouse, who can offer a spouse’s perspective as well, which also can be code for “mini-vacation perk.” For larger programs, members of the client’s event planning committee may go and there could be as many as four or more decision makers on the site inspection.

  It is important that the event planning company be fully represented in order to conduct the site inspection and meet the demands of multiple clients.

  Assignment

  Go back to the site inspection as it is detailed in the chapter and look at where having extra event planning staff would have been an asset.

  Ensuring Smooth Sailing on a Cruise Program

  Q: The chapter mentions the importance of having the group arrive early for a cruise departure and overnight in Miami, budget permitting. Why is this?

  A: Cruise ships will set sail at their scheduled time. If planes are delayed because of weather, guests who have missed the sailing time will have to be flown from Miami to the next port of call or the one following that, depending on flight availability and schedule, even though the ship may not reach that port for the next day or so. The same applies if any luggage goes missing. With the ship departing the same day that the participants arrive, the luggage, once tracked down, may take a couple of days to catch up with its owner.