Working Under Pressure: A Day In The Life Of Chab Events

It was 2.15 am and I was in a room in the middle of Bhutan. A dream for many but to me, this was beginning to feel overwhelming. I had been up for nearly 24 hours and the weather outside was not helping. With the rain pouring outside I wanted to just go to bed and rest my mind. 

“Why are you even awake right now, Nico?” I asked myself as I looked back longingly on the precious hours I had spent with my head on the pillow.

I was up before the crack of dawn the morning before. I reassured myself that everything was going to be ok. I went back to staring at a transportation schedule that I needed to send to our client. They were patiently waiting for updates but with a time crunch this real, it meant having to deliver on tight deadlines. 

I consoled myself that once this hurdle was over I would be able to get some rest and it would all be back to normal. Little did I know that I would be lucky to even sleep 6 hours over the next four days. I’m not sure how our production team does this weeks on end. But to see the end result come to life makes it all worth it.

It was an introduction to the events life. I was out of my comfort zone and certainly felt out of my depth! As brutal as the week seemed to have been, it now stands as one of the most nourishing experiences in my professional career. 

The beauty of the working world is having a chance to learn no matter where you are in your career. I welcome such opportunities that humble me and keep me grounded. Having spent 20 years in sales, pressure is not a foreign concept to me. In the past, it has been tied to long-term objectives of the company. I daresay I have perfected the art of multi-tasking and delivering a favourable outcome to the best of my ability.

As a Sales professional, I can boast about the 20 years of experience that I have accumulated. I have worked under pressure but those relate to more long term objectives that I had to meet. Known as the “sales guy” my team and I have been perceived as the ones who get the business home. That’s our sole objective and that is where our biggest challenge ends. We are not usually seen as the ones who get our hands dirty so when I was asked to assist the production team I saw it as the opportunity to establish a connection with them. 

In sales, there is a method to mastering your pitch and sales approach. With some practice, you find yourself confident in your delivery and knowing most questions shot your way. Having been immersed in the production side of things, I now have first-hand knowledge of what it takes to run an event. 

I was in the eye of the storm and that meant having to learn some basic tasks that event planners can complete in a heartbeat, be it co-ordinating transportation or show-calling an entire show. Today, I can confidently say that this has made me a more reliable member of the team. Not only can I go out for sales pitches, but I also understand what it takes for this team to put together their complex events. It isn’t pretty but they make the end result worth it.

I left Bhutan with a newfound respect for the Event Production team on the ground and renewed bonds with my team. Young, they may be but I know full well that they will have my back in any given situation. This sense of camaraderie means that I never over-promise to a client and leave my team members in the lurch. 

With the Chab family, I now welcome any and all instances out of my comfort zone. Give me the challenge and I know I can ace it because, at Chab, we’ve got each other’s back.