Being a part of the Olympics, though a small part was
the best element of the past two weeks, and certainly an experience I will
never forget. Being the event manager for the largest event the centre has ever
had was quite an honour – albeit hard work and a little frustrating at times.
And, it goes without saying; I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the many different
people from all different organisations that were involved in Casa Italia.
Seeing the centre transformed was a real thrill – The Armani
Store looked pretty amazing but the third floor (The Business Lounge and
Restaurant) must be my favourite area. The third floor was turned into a plush Italian restaurant – I’ve never seen our space
used in such a way and it has certainly stirred our creativity and given us
some great ideas to share with future clients. It was a private area for CONI
and their sponsors so we are not allowed to publish the photos, but the Italians certainly used their
creative energy and reputation for delivering quality Italian design to full, ensuring
their guests enjoyed the Italian experience in an innovative setting.
Everybody told me before the event that the Italians could
be difficult to do business with, but of course I saw this as a challenge and
knew I could use my knowledge and experience to advise and guide the client.
The event tested our flexibility to the limit – there were
never ending last minute changes and additions to contracted hours. In the end
I don’t think even the client knew exactly what was happening day by day! The
QEIICC team though soon got used to the fact they could be called upon at
anytime to change anything with just a few minutes notice. We don’t get many
public events so it was a different to what we are used to. Being open to the
public also brought its own unique problems too.
I am happy that I was given the opportunity to work on
such a prestigious event. It was very stressful at times but it was worth every
extra wrinkle they have given me.
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