CELEBRITY BLOG - Andrew Daddo

When engaging the services of an events company – a damn good one – you’re effectively purchasing and insurance policy against disaster.  All disaster.  It’s an anti-catastrophe strategy that’s probably been brought on by past events that haven’t gone so well.

You know the kind?  The MD or CEO or the EA to the PA of the DA suggests someone organize a little shindig.  ‘It can’t be that hard,’ they say.  ‘I go to soiree’s all the time.  A bit of music, a couple of speeches.  Beers, wines – they can pay for spirits.  Maybe get Barry from accounts to MC and I’ll take care of the awards.  Piece of the preverbial,’ they say.

And because you’re a good sport your mouth says, ‘why not?’ while your entire being hollars, ‘Noooooooooooooooo!’

Traditionally, a ‘disaster’ is defined as a catastrophic event.  A cyclone or a flood or a rampaging boar through a New Guinea village and no one can catch the damn thing so they can feast upon it.  In corporate land, the definition is a little looser.

A CEO who insists on entering the stage on a motorcycle has all the hallmarks of a ‘disaster.’  No salad wraps in the boardroom, the wrong mineral water in the fridge or a run in the VP’s stocking can all be terrible.  Having seven people on a committee that overseas the function smacks of a ‘no one making a decision type’ disaster.  The wrong band, a crass comedian, an MC who’s just been fired from his network show – all are different levels of disaster. 

How about an airline that decides to make a point by deciding to shut down its entire operation?  You’ve got a show in Perth to put on with talent coming from everywhere (including a band who your CEO’s wife has been in love with since almost sleeping with the singer back at uni and she wants to know if he remembers her) and there are just about no flights to get anyone anywhere.  That smells of corporate disaster, don’t you reckon?

Now, what’s an events company going to do about any of that?  Maybe nothing.  Maybe everything.  The whole idea of putting your faith in a group of people who put on shows all the time is to believe, that should things go pear shaped, they can be relied upon to fix them. 

I’m not sure how I got a flight from Singapore to Perth during the Qantas shutdown or how my rear end got parked in business class for the flight from Perth to Sydney the day after the strike ended.   But, I have a pretty good idea her name was Abbie or Judi and she works for DG Global.  And I know a guy called Jon and another one called Beau who are pretty good at doing corporate function magic tricks as well…  

Andrew Daddo