NAME: 21st Annual ARIA Awards.
TYPE: a range of activities starting from live broadcast on the red carpet of Video Hits, red carpet arrival, Chairman’s cocktail party, awards dinner and post-show party.
CLIENT: Australian Recording Industry Association.
NO. ON ORGANISING TEAM: Heaps!
PAX: 3000 VIPs and 7000 general patrons.
BUDGET: Top Secret
WHAT YOU DID: Hosting the ARIA Awards for the past five years, Acer Arena offers a full venue service, providing catering for crew, general patrons, Chairman’s cocktail party, corporate sponsors as well as the industry dining program and after party.
SPECIAL TOUCHES: On an event like this Acer Arena never says no! It is essential to ensure that the event is bigger and better than the year before! The food and beverage service was an important part of the evening.
CHALLENGES: The egos! The servicing of food and beverage to 3000 VIPs was always going to be a challenge. Main course service was allocated only 45 minutes for 2000 people but due to the delay in the show, service time was adjusted on the night to 30 minutes to serve 2000 meals. The VIP dining area was also built on scaffolding and then tiered which affected the service.
Adverse weather conditions needed to be taken into consideration for the red carpet activities – strong winds ensured Confetti was blown further away than anticipated! The reconfiguring of lighting and service points, while the main show was in action, to be ready for the post-show party to accommodate 3000 people was a challenge. The guests then needed to be held in their dining areas until general patrons left the building and party areas were ready to serve.
OVERCOMING CHALLENGES: Lots of planning for the unknown! Clear lines of communication between internal departments were needed to ensure changes were communicated quickly to affected areas.
CLIENT’S COMMENT: “A venue, no matter how good it is, only comes to life with a bunch of dedicated, passionate people who are committed to ensuring the very best for every single patron, be they music industry or general public. With Acer Arena the team continues to defy gravity and have continued each year to exceed our expectations, which is exceptional when the client refuses to settle for second best!” – Mark Pope, event producer, 2007 Aria Awards.
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