If u want to do it, do it right

Attended a Malaysian Night in Liverpool last saturday,

It was my first time attending a Malaysian night. My expectations were high since i heard that it was a sit-down event with performances going on on stage. I was thinking of it as something rather formal akin to a wedding banquet in a hotel. They charged 8-10 pounds per entry anyway.

The event has got everything in place ; there were performances, an emcee, lucky draws, Chinese meal, etc. But i was very disappointed on the execution of all those elements of the event.

The hall was filled with the circular tables as expected, but it was left bare. They laid a square coloured paper in the middle, with smaller different coloured paper around the table as place mats. They served the Chinese food in aluminium foil take-away trays with the plastic covers merely placed under it. The food did not look or taste eight pounds.

The emcee has a flat tone, the lucky draw gifts were bought from the pound shop and left unwrapped.. exposing its cheap contents for all to see.

The sound technician didn't know what he was suppose to do, the main performing band......

If you want to do it, do it right.

Since I was just involved in organizing an event, this really got me thinking about the act of organizing an event,

Firstly, and most importantly, I realize the importance of having a vision for what the event could/should be. As the Malaysian night event thought me, its not about the elements that make an event but rather the execution of it. Just getting by does not cut it.

In order for an event to be executed well, the project manager has to divide the event into smaller elements and put under the supervision of elected team members. Therefore it is extremely important that the team members be chosen wisely. Every individual in the team must also share the vision and passion for the event.

The chosen individuals then has to be dedicated and knowledgeable about their responsibilities. In educational terms, everyone must aim for an A, rather than just going for a pass.

Some may argue that the lack of funding is the main cause of not doing things properly, but that is what designers are for really - making things happen in the best possible manner with whatever budget allocated to them. 'Designers' here is not limited to visual designers, this includes designing a nice sound or designing a nice flow of events etc.

As a team of organizers, it is also important to realize and discuss the details and the smaller bits and pieces that make up the event. For example, a greeting smile at the door might just make or break the entire event.

The whole is made out of smaller elements, therefore everyone in the team is responsible in making a successful event.

and I was blessed to be able to be part of a great team.

Cheers.