| EVENT INTELLIGENCE 06.06.05 12:00 AM |
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| It Happened to Me: A Last-Minute Venue Change |
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FROM NEW YORK In June of 2002, Tatiana Byron of 4PM Events was in the final stages of planning a fund-raiser. A West Side venue was donating its space, sponsors were lined up, tickets were sold out, a surprise celebrity entertainer was slated to perform, and production was in full swing.
The day of the event—two hours before the designated start time—liquor and magazines from sponsors had been delivered, and signage setup was almost completed. Then Byron received a call from the venue's owner, who informed her he was canceling the fund-raiser because he was unaware of the event, and the promoter who offered to donate the space hadn't done the required paperwork and permitting to hold the event. The owner offered to host the benefit at the venue one week later after the proper paperwork had been completed and payment of $30,000—the venue's normal rental and service fee—was made.
"I calmly explained to him that we had almost 300 tickets sold, all elements delivered and accepted by his space, and named six people within his organization that I dealt with on this event," Byron says. "I emphasized that if we paid $30,000, then the charity would lose money, defeating the event's foremost purpose, and to cancel it would be impossible on two hours' notice."
Forty-five minutes before the event was slated to begin, Byron called a friend and asked him to refer her to the owner of a nearby nightclub. "I knew this venue was big enough, was a mere two blocks away, and was probably not booked until much later in the evening. Luckily, I was right," Byron says. "We got our hands on every truck, van, and car, and every available employee and volunteer. We moved the magazines, posters, banners, liquor, and the registration desk."
Change-of-location signs and staff stationed at the old venue directed guests where to go. And a last-minute order to a nearby sushi restaurant supplemented the catering at the new venue.
How did she explain the last-minute change to guests? "A sign that read 'Pipe damage caused water leakage at the other location' was a good enough explanation for everyone," Byron says.
Posted 06.06.05
This story originally appeared in the April/May 2005 issue of the BiZBash Event Style Reporter. |
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