Jazz and Blues

Wow! The event was the 4th and 5th and I am just getting around to writing about it- I spent last week recovering! Even though the event was only two days instead of three like Chocolate Affaire, it wiped me out the most. The event itself went really well, luckily the strong winds died down on Saturday and every vendor was able to set-up their tent. My responsibilities included covering all the tables with plastic cloths Saturday morning (as well as cleaning and replacing the dirty ones on Sunday) then wandering around the event answering questions, looking for problems and maintaining the snacks / beverages in the VIP areas. It was interesting to see how the Jazz and Blues festival differed from the Chocolate Affaire- it was much more laid back for one! There is a difference in the feeling of the crowd when people come to shop as opposed when they come with coolers and blankets to relax and watch performers all day. Here is a picture of me on Saturday 4/5 in my work outfit!

Not the most flattering picture, but I got my Jazz and Blues shirt, VIP pass, radio, and a Chocolate Affaire hat to protect my eyes, very official!

So, the event went well, but of course there were a few problems...

• I had ordered 100 white bath towels for the talent to use, the towel company had called and confirmed the delivery, etc. Well, Friday came and went, no towels. My co-worker, Heidi, who needed the towels (and had given me the company to call) was in contact with our point person and he told us the delivery time had changed and then said they were delivered- we never saw them! One of our sponsors ended up lending us the towels, whew!


• The VIP areas were often quite empty in the early hours of the show and having a lot of shade attracted event goers who wanted to sit in them, an old man cursed me out Sunday morning because I wouldn't let him up! We had security guards stationed at the VIP tents and my guard had happened to be about 20 feet away throwing something in a trash can, talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time! I did make the suggestion to my boss to start selling seats at the VIP tent areas in the future (instead of just reserving them for sponsors and talent)...


• Sunday I was making one of my final rounds at 5pm when I noticed the kids inflatables had been deflated and were being rolled up, even though the event wasn't ending until 6pm. I was considering if the company was supposed to be packing up early and I had forgotten when a confused event attendee who had purchased tickets for his children approached me. I called my co-worker Dory who headed over to the area as the inflatable company definitely wasn't supposed to be packed up. We called the owner of the company, who was incredibly upset that his team had packed up (they claimed the papers said 5p) and issued refunds to the event attendees that complained.


• We had a really unique art installation at the event, a pink porta potty that made noise juxtaposed next to a picture booth- something that would need a bit of explanation. Well, the artists felt if people didn't understand the concept on their own, then they just didn't understand art, and they refused to remain with their piece. If the attitude wasn't enough, toilet paper was ending up on their red carpet that led up to the toilet and started scattering across the lawn- not a nice effect.

Although there were some problems, the event was incredibly successful and we had great attendence (even with all the other music festivals in town that weekend). Here is a picture of our bike art installation which was a huge hit at the event!