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Business Rule #42:
Plan On the Unforeseeable
December 8, 2005
by Caroline Pfouts
The game is down to Randal Pinkett and Rebecca Jarvis, and things are heating up. Almost as soon at these finalists got the good news that they were the last two standing, they had to choose up teams for their final task.
Randal’s lack of forethought was clearly evident. The first three names that stumbled out of his mouth were Josh Shaw, James Dillon, and Mark Lamkin. Rebecca, on the other hand, had anticipated the question and had her three potential staff members at the ready: Josh, James, and Chris Valletta. With quick negotiation, Randal got Josh in exchange for Rebecca getting James. Then, however, Randal decided that Chris was a better choice than Mark and demanded to have him on his team. Negotiations stalled, and only after Randal lost a coin toss did he begrudgingly accept Mark to his team—a sure sign that Randal hadn’t given it much thought beforehand.
The special events that Rebecca and Randal are planning this week are truly nerve-wracking. The organizers get only one shot at getting it right. There is no opportunity to benefit from past experience and no second chance to show how much they improved. It’s the definition of “sink or swim.”
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I know a fellow who used to promote rock concerts in Los Angeles. He’d pay upfront, out of his own pocket, to rent a venue for a Saturday night and book a roster of new, hip bands. Since he would collect 100% of the ticket revenue, his plan was to draw a large enough crowd to make a respectable profit. Some of the tickets were pre-sold, but the majority of people just paid at the gate when they showed up—if they showed up. The last concert I remember him doing had the bad luck of getting rained out. It was an indoor venue, but in Los Angeles, rain is uncommon enough to keep most people home if they don’t absolutely have to go out. He had the artistic satisfaction of hosting some great music that night, but financially he lost his shirt. He has since moved on to great success in another field. It’s tough to bank on the success of a special event. There are just too many unforeseeable variables that can spell disaster.
This week, Rebecca and her Capital Edge team were on top of everything they knew they needed to address. They mapped out how best to use the physical layout of the venue, decorate the space, and met with the celebrity host, Joe Piscopo, getting him excited to help raise money to fight pediatric AIDS. Not a bad start. Sure, there was a little hiccup when the Yahoo! execs said they didn’t want their VIP sponsors to be overtly solicited for contributions to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation—it’s hard to run a fundraiser when you are not permitted to ask for funds—but a silent auction might do the trick.
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It’s tough to bank on the success of a special event. There are just too many unforeseeable variables that can spell disaster.
