The Studio At Last

After four months we have finally reached the point whereby the roof is on the the basic infrastructure is in place.

Now I can begin to put the studio in order.

2007 will be a big year.

I hope.

South Africa

This guy is a Zulu singing at the entrance to a tourist spot in KwaZulu Natal.

South Africa has been made unpopular as an incentive venue due to the rumours of social unrest and street crime yet most of these have been promoted by the press and oddly by the white-dominated tour industry who profit from the paranoia.

I would say that Johannesbutg is about as dangerous as Sydney or maybe Canberra. Like anywhere you need to be careful and that's that.

Consider South Africa. You will get the greatest service, some of the most considerate staff and an educational experience.

Fitting the Scene

This is a shot from a conference in Bali- the little artistic touches supplied by the hotel and its staff were wonderful.

Each overseas event is a challenge of cultures and logistics.

Thankfully my Honors degree in Social Anthropology and my basic understandings of Philology allow me to navigate this quite successfully.

My usual strategy is to arrive a week early and meet everyone who will work on the event, one at a time or team at a time to prepare them to work as a single team. It can work.

There is an additional expense- it is essential that I do a venue survey as early as possible.

Without this, there can be major problems, like the product launch we did in Dubai. On arrival I discovered that the ceilings were lower than the specifications and were mirrored; the stage and screens were covered in confusing reflections.

Very disappointing. The staging design did not work AND the look was less than professional.

And so?

For a saving of about $4,000 the client risked losing several million dollars in new contracts.

Hardly a sensible economy.

Treetops At the Zoo

Two ideas for venues- The Floating Island and Treetops at Taronga Zoo.

Double click on pic for enlargement.