Northstar

INSIGHTS | EVENT PLANNER'S DIARY JAN-FEB 2018 49 MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS • MCMAG-ASIA.COM Who says you can't be big and nimble? Words Meetings & Conventions Asia Paulina Che from Sands Resorts Macao shares how she and her team successfully pulled off a mammoth event that saw over 8,700 delegates in three days. MEMORABLE MOMENTS The International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) in 2009 was a particularly memorable event as it was my rst round-the-clock three-day event. I had to ensure that celebrity guests were taken care of from arrival to departure, and the managing of their luggage to ensure they were on time for their ights (after an all- night after-party) was a major logistical exercise. But even so, I remember that the welcoming of guests to the hotel was really impressive as we had managed to arrange 130 team members in various uniforms – almost like guards-of-honour – to greet VIP guests at the Porte Cochere main lobby. For the after-party, we utilised St Mark's Square at Shoppes at Venetian – a lot of coordination was required as we had ve tenants renting the area and needed to incorporate their restaurant menus as part of the food and beverage being served to our guests. This was also the rst-ever Green Carpet introduced – to represent an environmentally friendly event. A CREATIVE MINDSET For a VVIP's birthday party, my team and I had to put on our creative thinking hats to create a special event logo that ran through all collaterals including menus and guest letters. We also arranged a ve- day programme with activities that were representative of Macau's culture – this included a Macau tour, Portuguese egg tart-baking session and Chinese tea-making class. For the night of the gala, we used a 360-degree screen as backdrop and even ew in a group of 99 entertainers from Russia. CHALLENGING SCENARIOS The Tupperware Brands Corporation's Asia-Paci c conference "Celebrate Success, Dream it – Do it!" back in 2014 was both unforgettable and challenging as it was the largest group event since the opening of The Venetian Macao, with over 8,700 delegates. Taking place over three days, it was also the largest banquet food and beverage meal service operation to date. As guests came from all parts of the world, menus had to accommodate and suit diverse taste buds. The eventual theme was family-style dinner with an international menu. The logistics of the Gala Dinner were also challenging as thousands of guests had to be guided back to their respective hotels. After the dinner, we had to ensure e cient crowd control at the hotel to ensure everyone's safety. IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS 1. Always work as a team with event planners, making sure everything is in place well in advance of delegate arrival. 2. Collect all information regarding the programme, try to build up a complete picture of the event, and communicate clearly with other departments and involved parties. 3. Stay fresh with a clear mind during all events for any last-minute issues. 4. Have a security plan in place and share it with the event organiser. NAME: Paulina Che COMPANY: Sands Resorts Macao NO. OF YEARS' EXPERIENCE: Over 14 years NO. OF EVENTS ORGANISED: Over 100 events EMAIL: paulina.che@sands.com.mo "Collect all information regarding the programme, try to build up a complete picture of the event, and communicate clearly with other departments and involved parties." – Paulina Che, Sands Resorts Macao Sands Resorts Macao

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