The Big Day

Well, after months of planning (which I came into the tail end of) West Coast Blues n Roots festival happened on Sunday. And I have to say, went of without a hitch. Well, only a few minor ones. Even my communications manager (who I assist) said that this was highly unusual, and things never normally run so smooth. After learning about events in classes at uni, and hearing stories from the team at Sunset, I was expecting a 20 hour day of chaos and craziness. It was still a long day, I was on site for 14 hours. But most of it was enjoying the fruits of our labours, chilling out backstage and listening to the amazing artists. The only hiccup was the diva-ish antics of headliner Bob Dylan (which was expected), but threw us a but when he announced a total blackout on all cameras in front of the sound booth on his set. Having already checked in our media and photographers, we then had to scour the 20 000+ crowd to find the 35 photographers and tell them that under no circumstances were they to photograph Bob Dylan. This took a while, and mostly everyone was behaved. We were spotting during his set and only had to tell off a handful of photographers who tried to sneak close to the stage. Luckily Mr Dylan didnt see them or we could have had a riot when he walked off stage and didnt return. But luckily, it turned out ok. What did I learn from my first big event? Never have expectations as to how it might run. There is so much planning that goes into an event, and everything is organised down to the very last detail, but there will ALWAYS be something that is missed, or some variable which changes (like weather or the diva antics of artists). There was so much potential for disaster at the festival, but whether due to our good planning, or sheer luck, everything worked out perfectly. This week has been interesting as we sort through the (mostly good) feedback, and start compiling the media reports for stakeholders. But I can happily say that West Coast Blues 'n' Roots was not only a huge success for Sunset, but was a lot of fun and a huge eye opener for me.

Its been fun working here at Sunset, as I'm drawing closer to the end of my placement, I find myself wanting to stay longer (which I think I will). It took me a few weeks to get a feel for the company and how they operate, and it took a while for me to find my place here. But as I get more established, I am given more important jobs, and I am feeling more like part of the team, rather than an outsider just here for a short holiday. I can honestly say that this has turned out to be a fantastic experience. I can definitely see myself working in a similar role to this. its fun, exciting and challenging, and I am glad I chose to spend my time here at Sunset Events.