INTRODUCTION

We are living in interesting times, dealing with the unexpected and having to alter our normal routines and procedures to accommodate COVID. Recently we were working on a very large event, with a great team of crew and superb florists, and it was the first time in a very long time that I have felt a little nervous before an event. I am used to project managing all types of scenarios, I like nothing more than clever problem solving especially for big events, but in this situation there were too many factors that could have been out of our control. I thought I would share with you the key learnings and also the solutions that we worked with, in the hope it might help one or two others.

THE EVENT

We had planned carefully and brought in between 15 and 20 florists, and 6 and 10 crew each day. However, in the few days before, we lost four florists and four crew members - either they had COVID or a close family member had and they were isolating. We had anticipated losing some people, so we had a reserve list of florists and we worked with an outsourced team of crew, which had the ability to pull from a larger team of people at short notice, than we ordinarily would be able to ourselves.

We had been working very closely with the venue to access the spaces earlier than we normally would, which gave us an extra 24 hrs for the installations. We also hired a large studio space very close to the venue, during the week before, which gave us extra time to work on the designs off site, to ensure we were constantly ahead of ourselves.

And our whole team remained adaptable, jumping in whenever needed, including my husband who just after arriving home, drove four hours back again, to help make up the clear team when we were short.

I had appointed an incredible Project Manager to support me during all the planning and whilst on site. I also had two experienced back up Project Managers working with us as part of the florist team, so just in case I was suddenly unavailable, or our Project Manager was poorly, we had two experienced team members who could quickly step into the management shoes.

I have written in my T&Cs that we are excused from outside impacts, which covers us for COVID related causes, but it is absolutely my responsibility to have every possible measure in place to ensure we deliver the designs as promised.

DESIGN CHOICES

There were three other large designs that I would have loved to have included, and in normal times, I would have suggested these to the client, but I wanted to ensure I didn’t over stretch the team and deliver what we promised. It is always more important to underpromise and overdeliver than the other way around. In hindsight, it would have been fine to have included these additional designs, but it wasn’t a risk worth taking and I am glad I made my initial decision.

THE UNEXPECTED

And then, just over two weeks before the event, my family suddenly came down with COVID.  At the time I was away working on another project, and the night before I was due to come home, my husband called to say that he had been feeling poorly and had just tested positive. Our children subsequently tested positive. To minimise the risk and to ensure I could be on site, I had to stay away for the full two weeks before the event. It was really tricky and very difficult to be away from everyone, particularly when they were poorly, but I had to do what was possible to ensure I could deliver for my client. This was a particularly large event, the size I would normally do once or twice a year, so it was an exceptional circumstance.

KEY LEARNINGS

My advice to anyone planning large scale events is to ensure you have a small back up team at the ready, including a key project manager who could step in to takeover your role if needed.

Make sure your design brief is fully prepared to show the team in advance of the day, plus a detailed timeplan for each day.

Underpromise and overdeliver. Don’t add those extra designs if you think you will be at all stretched to create them, in the possibility you lose a few team members.

Work closely with the venue, ask for extra time where possible - even just a few hours can make a huge difference.

Be prepared for the unexpected.  Think through every possible scenario, so you already have back up plans in place.

I would love to hear your experiences over the last 18 months, and if you would like to email kate@philippacraddock.com, we’ll share the best and most insightful solutions so that everyone can benefit.

Much love,
Philippa x

YOUR SHARED EXPERIENCES