An “event” in time!

In the summer of 1994, I made a decision that changed the course of my life. I resigned from a job at a publishing company, which I had held for four years, to start an Event Management Company. I do not regret the decision, but I must confess I did not have a clue then about the way things would go, because it was hardly smooth sailing in the years that followed. The business is in my past now, and I am in a new country facing other challenges.

Let me take you back to a time when I was ready to conquer the world with my ideas and my imagined brilliance. The company was created in May 1994. Soon after I had registered it as a proprietorship I met someone who seemed to be as enthusiastic about this venture as me. So we changed the documentation and made the company a partnership holding. There were now two of us leading the parade. We were comfortable as partners sharing the responsibility of and jointly planning for events from start to finish.

It is difficult for me to explain what was right about the things we did and where we went wrong. From 1994 to 1998 we seemed to be on a roller coaster ride. The highs and lows were equally scary and mind numbing. The first series of events came in rapid succession and we were euphoric. Even before we had reached any significant milestone we felt we had "arrived." Then, suddenly, without notice, the tide turned. We had to vacate our office premises due to lack of funds and work from our individual homes. We were just six months into the business at that time. It seemed impossible that things would turn out so badly so quickly. Another two months passed without any business offers. We felt it was time to end this nightmare. The day we finally raised our arms in despair we received a phone call. It was such welcome news that our joy knew no bounds. We had just been awarded a significantly large project. The profits would guarantee our acquiring new office premises plus extra for personal spending.

You would think this was a fairy tale and what had just happened was the start to the happy ending. Unfortunately, we were so foolishly convinced too. It is amazing in retrospect to realize that we would go through the experience of that year in the exact same way for the next five years. So it would be no surprise to learn that we changed offices four times in those five years, stayed home for four months each year and were ready for the loony bin being completely befuddled by these experiences.

But more was yet to come. We had not yet experienced "The Event" that would be the last chapter in a story that made no sense then. However, it has great significance now in the background of my new self-knowledge.

In January 1998, the coaster carriage being at its peak then, we decided to expand the business and bring in a whole new batch of employees. Until then we had had only two employees fulfilling the company's basic needs of a receptionist and an errands boy. The new set was going to be responsible for generating more income and reaching out to clients we had not already covered.

We held meetings every day to discuss event concepts based on our knowledge of a certain client's products and services or company profile. We were seeking to cater to a specific need, as we understood it. One such meeting produced a gem of an idea. We drew up the draft of the concept. Soon we were ready to present the draft to our client. With much trepidation based on earlier rejections, we sought an appointment with the client. To our surprise, he readily agreed.

The meeting was successful in that the client demonstrated his eagerness at executing this "event." He directed us to return with a complete idea covering all aspects of the event from plan to execution with costs included. It took us two months to cover the ground on all the requirements for this project. It was an enormous task we had decided to undertake. For some inexplicable reason, we were confident of its successful outcome despite all the problems we knew we would encounter. We had been through too much to pretend that things would go like clockwork. Murphy's Law ("If something can go wrong, it will!") had become certain in our lives by then.

Finally, in June of 1998 we were given the go ahead. The project was to create "The World's Biggest Coffee Mug" for a coffee company and pitch it for an entry into the Guinness Book of World Records.

The giant Mug was to be unveiled for public viewing on August 14th, 1998 a day before India's independence day and it was to be on display for three following days. We had chosen to conduct the event in the garden of an old palace that had been converted functionally to an events' venue. We supposed that the majesty of "The World's Biggest Coffee Mug" set against the façade of the palace would be a media event in itself.

The giant ceramic Mug, with dimensions 20 feet high and 14 feet wide (diameter), 11-feet long handle distanced at 5 feet from the Mug's body, took 2 months to create and was made in a ceramics factory 20 miles away from the city center. This meant that transporting the Mug, when completed, to the event venue would be quite a challenge. The making of the Mug was an intricate process involving burning, carving and molding. Forty-two men worked to create the Mug, and the final product was a sight to behold.

It was decided that the Mug would be moved on the 12th night, giving us time to handle any last minute problems at the venue. We had hired a large trailer to accommodate the size of the Mug and a crane to lift it onto the trailer. The Mug was to be moved in the middle of the night so that traffic would not be held up on our account.

The procedure began almost like delicate surgery at midnight. Ropes had been tied across the Mug in a crosspatch pattern to secure the Mug while it was being hauled up. The crane was positioned to lift the Mug, and its hook was readied to link through the ropes. Suddenly the crane slipped off the road and sank in a ditch that bordered it. A hundred eyes whipped across the road in shock at the sound. A hush fell over the 50 people assembled. Then they all heaved a collective sigh of relief. The Mug was safe!

The driver of the crane now had to haul his own crane out. The worst part of it was that he needed another crane for it. After hurried phone calls and tough negotiations, another crane was arranged, but it would not be available until the night after. We were in a panic about our client's response. Thankfully, the client's representatives, who had assembled at the factory to oversee the transportation of the Mug, said that they would handle the task of explaining the situation to the client. One matter was settled for the moment at least.

The whole of next day was spent in getting the venue organized and it’s décor set up for the event. It was midnight again, and this time the Mug just had to be moved. We had used up our buffer time. We were quite astonished to see that this time the new crane did its job effortlessly and the Mug started its journey to the venue sitting snugly on the trailer cushioned with foam.

Along the way branches of trees were hacked to allow the top half of the Mug to go unscathed, power lines were disconnected with the connivance of the power authorities, and late night traffic was redirected. The trip from the factory to the venue, at a slow moving pace, took over 3 hours. There were two entrances to the venue. We entered through the back entrance. Imagine our relief and our surprise when we learnt that news photographers had been lurking near the front entrance of the palace awaiting our arrival. A lot of media hype had been generated by releasing teaser advertisements in the leading dailies of the city and country. Some newspapermen were eager to catch the first glimpse of this exciting "thing" we had suggested was being unveiled. This event was going to be bigger than we had imagined.

The Mug was supposed to be set on a large dais we had created, but as we started to set the Mug down we heard a snap. One of the ropes had come off. This was a precarious situation. It was time for a quick change of plan. The Mug was set on the ground instead in front of the dais. The ropes were untied and a veil was pulled across the Mug. Now all we have to do was wait.

The evening arrived at last! "The World's Biggest Coffee Mug" was unveiled in a carefully choreographed dance sequence. Light bulbs flashed all over the place and cameras rolled as my client and his representatives addressed the media. They announced that the Mug was being considered for the Guinness Book of World Records, and they praised us for our efforts in the successful completion of this project.

Finally, before we realized it, it was all over. Suddenly I started to shake with severe emotion. I reached for the nearest chair and sat down. Then I started to cry because out of the blue I felt that the whole experience was a huge waste. I was shocked at this thought. When I was done with crying, I looked at this giant Mug we had created and mentally rehashed the whole exercise we had undertaken.

Unexpectedly I was seeking answers within. Why do so many human beings desire fame and money? At that point, with a wonderful event to my credit and having spent five years seeking nothing else, suddenly I did not want either.

A month later I quit the business. Today, I know that if I had not gone through the emotional experiences of my business years I would not have gained the sensitivity to know myself. It was in creating a World Record for personal gain that I recognized my potential to do bigger things that would help others.