Working Oktoberfest was a fantastic learning experience. It was my first event with Peak Events and although it was a busy and exhausting couple of days, I had so much fun and learned what all goes into a festival like Oktoberfest.
Friday morning, 10:00am, bright and early with coffee in hand, Jen and I strolled through the park where the fencing perimeter was being set. She gave me the tour and pointed to where everything was going to be set up over the next 24 hours before the gates opened. The rental company was busy setting up tents and tables while we hung up sponsor banners all along the exterior of the park. We observed our venue coming together during the rest of the days while volunteers helped set up more tables and chairs, put out trashcans and space heaters. By the time lighting, electricity and the sound equipment were all set up; it was time to call it a night. I crashed early in anticipation of my early wake up call.
Back on site at 8am, I was tasked with setting up the Merchandise and Information booths where I would be overseeing volunteers. I hung all the available merchandise for sale and made sure everything was set for our 1030am volunteers. Once they arrived, I orientated them on what needed to be done and more importantly, how to do it. The toughest thing to handle that morning was the weather! It was terribly cold and the sun hadn’t quite hit our side of the park yet! We stood by while other vendors scrambled to get everything set in time for opening. I was kept in constant radio contact with my other co-workers and could easily ask any question I needed to. Between the main phone ringing constantly and a constant flow of attendees entering the park, I kept busy for the majority of the day. My volunteers and I assisted individuals purchase merchandise, sign up for contests and directed them to various locations in the park (mostly to the beer).
By mid afternoon, we had reached our peak attendance and the park was bustling with action. The contests were in full swing, the lines for food and beer were overwhelming and I had just become aware of how angry my feet were at me. The next couple hours flew by with all the excitement. By the time I was sent home, I was surprised to see the sun had gone down. At the end of the night, my bed had a warm welcome for me and my feet were happy to no longer be in action.
Sunday morning I reported bright and early, again with coffee in hand, to assist with clean-up. We collected all supplies that belonged to Peak Events, and then gathered the trashcans and all recycling, making sure they were ready for pick up. The fence had already been taken down and the rental company was busy loading up their trucks. The park was nearly back to it’s original state. Volunteers from community service assisted with trash pick-up and it wasn’t long before we were able to call it a day and head back to our beds to enjoy some well-deserved relaxation.
Brittney