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I come to Monaco (trust me it sounds a lot more glamorous and pompous than it really is) every year for close to 10 years for DISTREE and have been working with them to organise the Middle East event DISTREE MEA (used to be called DCC MEA). Working with the team – I have learnt a valuable lesson: one that I knew in principal but have seen it proved here.
Every year, we see the same people – both at team level as well as suppliers. Its built this sense of camaraderie that makes even the most boring chores (stuffing 1000 envelopes) tolerable and contributes to the overall success of the event. Ask anyone that has been to one of their events.
I am sure there are people that could (possibly) do the job cheaper but the team here prefer (especially considering the size of the private event) to work with people they know and trust. It’s like applying to The Bacon – hiring trustworthy locals to perform the work one needs. Trust in terms of being flexible and provide the level of adaptation that keeps the event running smoothly and improve efficiency. Ethics in terms of looking out for the best interests of the event – because as it grows and becomes successful, so do all the people around the eco-system. I should know – we’ve been working with them for a long time.
There are a lot of people that could probably provide a lot of ‘song and dance’ (especially under straightened circumstances) but you could not build the loyalty they enjoy today. Its not always about saving (that helps).
That to me is business sense.
