...and I'm being generous with three whole stars!…read more
It was supposed to be a glorious evening, attending Brown Bags to Stardom, cheering on my calabash niece and her performance. While the wind blowing through the palms was nice, and the sun setting was pretty, and the cruise ship was a nice backdrop, there was lots left to be desired.
First, the seating:
Not enough of them, and they 'pre-sold' the tickets. How do you not have enough seats for all attendees? It was planned to be a 5:00pm to 9:30pm event, so some folks were to stand for 4.5-hours? Not good planning!
Second, the food line:
Loooooong, and slooooooow! When I got to the front of the line, I was able to see why. Three folks back there serving ala carte, and cooking, and replacing, and cash register, and...a completely inefficient way to serving food. Not good planning!
Third, the tent:
Yep, they plopped a pop-up tent right in the line of site for a third of the audience. I understood the need to protect the computer and audio equipment from inclement weather, but it was literally BLUE SKIES! That, and why not put that stuff in the back of the stage instead of right there in front!?!? Not good planning!
Fourth, the audio:
More than half of the performances, and nearly all of the MC commentary, could not be heard. This was supposed to be a Johnny Kai Productions' production, a professional event, and you don't get the audio piece right for a mostly singing competition!? Not good planning!
Do you see a rhythm to my review? I'm generous with the three stars because of the talent. Some of the kid performers were absolutely fantastic, including my calabash neice (my daughter's BFF). That part was lots of fun.
So, Johnny, next year, please take this critique of your event and make some simple changes: more seats, a more experienced caterer, move the tent, and improve the audio - now you're the winner of Brownbags to Stardom!