Saturday, January 18, 2014
It's pretty surreal how 15 weeks of preparation and hard work ended in an actual night that happened too fast.
From Event company management to Publicity to Prizes & Logistics; from Hotel management to Table planning; from Rehearsals to Actual day flow, I am really surprised and proud of our 8-man strong committee that put together the biggest event in our company's history.
At 79 tables, it's the biggest turnout yet. As if it's not already a logistical challenge, there were many more Firsts. It was the first time the Senior Management was bold enough to take on a Magic Opening Act that wowed the audience. It was the first time we secretly made the Managers serve the first dish. It was the first time we tried out another method to manage the Long Service Awards presentation. It was the first time someone was awarded 45 years of service. It was the first time in many years that the event included an external act too. And the list goes on..
Being in the committee, we couldn't enjoy the actual night as much as any other person would: We couldn't take part in pre-event activities; couldn't take nice photos like other guests would; couldn't sit comfortably at the tables and watch the event unfold; and couldn't enjoy most of the food of the night. We also got stressed over the delays in stage setup and scheduled bus transports; we had to manage the delivery and security of the big number of prizes; we had to ensure the emcee engaged the audience (which he did very, very well); we had to ensure all performances went well and also to manage the timeline etc.. There were too many things that had to be looked into, and Murphy's law was always in play.
Having said that, it was a totally different experience altogether. I got to witness the many boo-boos and NGs during rehearsals and the mechanisms behind some of the magic props; I got to work closely with the event company and the hotel managers and also saw how so many people needed to be involved in the background to put up a great event. And perhaps the best part was, to see the big boss enjoying himself throughout the night, and the high level of energy of the audience even at 11:25pm. That was so gratifying.
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Too busy to take photos, so here's the only ones at the moment. Luckily there'll be a DVD of the event for us.
The invitation card (after rejections of a few other designs) & Publicity Poker cards
The entrance
The stage backdrop
The ballroom before the doors opened. The multi-coloured lights on the tables created a magical atmosphere.
First dish - Yu Sheng! Probably the only dish when the full committee was at the table.
When we were masked up
人生是黑白的.
2:22 PM <3
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