HFT3519 Event Services

1. Case Study
7
All Hail (Or, Oh Hell) to the Man
Who Would Be King

2. September 5
• Jake has a high-end client whose
multimillion-dollar multimedia events present
welcome creative challenges.
• The team enjoys strategically designing and
effectively staging these events, but the
client, “The Emperor”, tests their patience,
endurance, ethical business boundaries, and
discretion.
• The Emperor’s headquarters are overseas
• Their goal is to be number one, making the
team’s mission to use events as
communication, marketing and sales tools.

3. • The Emperor has a solely male executive
board at his beck and call.
• Jake was brought in to run a different
program for the Emperor but when the TWO
previous event planning companies “fell out
of favor” that’s when the team stepped in and
won the Emperor over with a brilliant sample
proposal, a summary of the company policy,
and a breakdown of cost.
• It also didn’t hurt that Jake was a “macho
man”, since the Emperor and his team
preferred dealing with men.
• Jake served as a female-to-male interpreter

4. • As sexist as this was, the team was willing to put
up with it because the opportunity they had to
plan the spectacular themed multimillion dollar
events made up for it in their eyes.
• The team thrived under the pressure, it caused
them to grow and produce events that exceeded
all expectations.
• The Emperor and his men were so delighted
with the mock-up theme built around
Inuksuk's, which symbolize responsibility and
dependence on one another, because it
expressed what they wanted their company
to stand for.

5. Imagine…
• A room bathed in darkness draped in black from
ceiling to floor. Steam rising from the floor
creating an atmosphere of stillness like the
Arctic Tundra.
• Icy, almost neon blue and white accents in each
table setting and light fixture
• Native menu offerings
• As drinks/coffee are served a pool of blue light
will shine on the entertainment on stage
• Each guest takes home a miniature Inuksuk
figure and autographed CD as a momento

6. Over the years the team
learned…
• The Emperor favored destination that offered access
to world-class golfing, gambling, water-skiing and
deep-sea fishing and disliked locations where he
would be obligated to spend time with family
• The Emperor must be booked in the best suite at the
hotel with no one on the same floor as him or any floor
higher than him.
• Sandy the Emperor’s “friend” was hired as a
“freelancer” for each event and was to accompany him
on his private jet or limo when requested. Mistress
Sandy could do as she pleased and was to be at his
beck and call and never mentioned to the Emperor’s
wife. She sported a tramp stamp and was paid “salary”

7. • Once, a slipup almost occurred when the team
had to try to delay the returning Empress on the
escalator as Mistress Sandy was quickly shuffled
out.
• The Emperor appreciated when the casino dealers
spoke his native language.
• “Clean Rooms” must be specifically requested at
some casino resorts they do this to get patrons
down in the casino’s rather than straight to their
rooms.
• A car can explode in an underground garage when
it reaches a specific heat while the windows are
rolled up.
• Fire can sometimes break out regardless of how
much care was given in preparation… i.e.
flammable confetti.

8. • The Emperor’s gift from Em and the team was
misplaced in the airport by one of his very own,
employees. Dee Dee, one of Em’s team members,
was able to duplicate the very special personalized
plaque. Teary-eyed Dee Dee was surprised
Emperor’s employee was so grateful that she had
rescued him.
• In return for that kindness Dee Dee let us in on
something we had suspected all along…the Emperor’s
board room was bugged and had two-way mirrors so
he can hear & see his unknowing staff/clients.
• In order to get rid of the Emperor’s employees calling,
Em and the team must stop what they are doing and
answer the phone. The employees call to prepare
themselves for questions that could be asked at
meetings. It amazed Em how these employees will do
anything possible to save face, a lot of the corporate
culture is showing.

9. • Em or a team member would fly where they were
needed to, in order to get an entrée of the Emperors
personal choice and standard.
• The Emperor must meet all Private Entertainment Artists
after their performance, and one male artist did not
comply with the Emperor’s request for him to come to
the room —they met half way courtesy of Jake’s
negotiating skills. It is now included in the talent’s
contact.
• Expecting the unexpected is always important, a Head
Office elected to fly to the event; the whole company
came, 27 name badges! Wow.
• Special requests without fair warning. The Chairman will
not go onstage to speak without a hair product that is
rare now-a-days, good thing we are prepared! American
Express “don’t travel without it”.

10. • Every year there is a new promotions employee who is
eager to work for the Emperor for longer than one
year, but never seems to make it. This new employee/
committee is assigned to work with the Emperors team
& we did not tell them the meeting rooms were
bugged, which could of contributed to a longer stay.
• When you want to get away, like Jake tried to do (by
turning off his cell phone, pager, and walky-talky) you
may not. Jake had the obligation of ensuring the
Empress was taken care of, to his dismay Dee Dee
found him and escorted him to the Empress.
• We must be able to budget an event down to the exact
penny.
• The many men we provided for the Emperor to
communicate with us was a perk, when Jake was not
in the vicinity.

11. September 14
• We are preparing for the next event, with
caution now that we are aware of how the
Chairman likes to travel. We will place a
tracking device in Jakes shoes just in case
he attempts to disappear again.

12. Nature of the Problem
• Difficult Client
– SEXIST, temperamental, irrational, abrupt.
• Intricate Event Program
– Multimillion-dollar multimedia events
– Theatrical special effects
– Private top-name entertainers
– Get people to attend their event over the competition
• Short amount of time to impress client
• Must work well under pressure

13. Potential Obstacles
• The Emperors’ culture - planning an event that
meets his cultural standards could be challenging
• Pleasing the Emperor each and every moment
might take the event planners’ focus off of the
event itself
• Having only a short amount of time to plan the
event since the Emperor left the original event
planner company
• The Emperor does not like to deal with women
and he had to have Jake be the “interpreter" to the
women planners

14. Solutions