The power of problem solving when things go wrong
I’ll never forget this install, it was definitely one of the more challenging ones. Most Sydney venues have really tight bump-in timeframes and we were really pushing the limits with such a massive install to complete in a short amount of time.
We ran into some problems with the truss installation which put us hours behind. As we bagan installing we realised that we had to change the install plans very quickly. This might not seem like a big problem, but when we had the lights custom made to fit the truss measurements and height, it was a huge problem.
I’ve seen Geoff under pressure many times, but nothing quite like this. With some clever problem solving (one of Geoff’s strengths) we found a way to pivot and continue on with the install. The team put hours into anchoring the lights.
However with the changes, as we started to lift the trusses, the lights tangled incredibly (it was absolute chaos) and the trusses weren’t able to be lifted the planned height for the lights to reach where they needed to be. We had to come up with another plan. Our clients were calling for updates and photos of the progress, the event start time was getting close.
I was growing concerned that we would have to make the call to pull it all down and refund our clients. This was something we had never had to do before. The fairy light ceiling was the main feature for their event. I kept looking to Geoff for reassurance. He told me to go and have a coffee and get fresh air while he worked it out. Our clients are also friends of ours and we were attending the event as guests.
I was so worried that Geoff was going to throw his hands up and walk at one stage. The stress and pressures were building up. Venue and production managers were starting to question the plan and constantly reminding us of the time. I was desperately wanting to hear Geoff’s famous words “it’ll be right” because those words mean that he’s got it under control. In the seven years that we’ve been in this business, there’s never been an issue that he hasn’t been able to fix. We’ve made mistakes, had to pivot and change install plans before, but we’ve never not delivered.
After some much needed fresh air, I walked back in and couldn’t believe my eyes, Geoff had hustled close to 10 Guys together to help with cutting and removing half of the length from every single strand of light. My mouth dropped. I was in disbelief that this was his plan. I was beside myself, shaking and feeling overwhelmed.
He calmly asked me to trust him. He had sweat dripping down his face and shaking himself. In my mind there was no way that we could achieve the planned outcome in the timeframe! I can remember thinking “what if the strands completely lost their ability to power up”.
He told me that he done the math. He explained that It took 4-6 seconds to cut a single strand and with all of us working together we could get it done in 2.5 hours. Each strand had a certain wire that had to be left uncut to ensure the strands would retain their power and brightness. He handed me some cutters and said “here you go” Again, my mouth dropped, the self doubt was crippling me. I can remember Geoff saying to me “you can do this”.
So there I was cutting, untangling and hustling the guys to keep everyone moving fast. All while I was sending our clients photos and videos and assuring them it was all coming along nicely.
If you can picture this; Your arms above your head, looking up to cut the right wires and trying to untangle severely mangled strands of lights (literally thousands). I thought my shoulders were going to fall off, the pain was so intense for days afterwards.
To add to the stress, I was also styling this event and had to make sure all moving parts were done and ready for the arrival of guests.
Here’s the good part, Geoff was right when he said “it’ll be right” it was right, it was perfect and amazing. I still don’t know how he does it.
Within minutes of the final check over by venue managers, Geoff thanked everyone and walked off to the Green room to suit up and join the event. I looked at him and laughed, then I cried and said we need a champagne after that. We had a great time, we danced, mingled and then got changed back into our event clothes and bumped out. We were on our feet for almost 24 hours for that event. What an experience.
If you have followed our social media channels over the last few years, you would have seen a lot of behind the scenes and end results that I post, often sharing the glitzy lights and the highlights, however there are many back stories that haven’t been shared. Many ups and a lot of downs.
We travel a lot and I have spent hours in the car writing and documenting about various experiences and topics over the years. In a mission to try and show up and be authentic online, I hope to share more of these stories. Thanks for reading.
Ps when Geoff said that he had done the math, what I actually said was “are you effing kidding me” Party shocked but mostly so proud and in awe.
