As a new intern with Peak Events, this was my first time working an event with the company. I was not able to help with planning, as I had been working in Florida for the past six months. I got here in time to help set up for the Blues Festival, and to work during the event as well.
Both days (set up and the actual festival) were very long days. We set up on June 9th from 7:00am – 9:00pm. Set up consisted of planning space for vendors and VIP, as well as marking lines for parking. We finished all of our prep work for the fencing company and the port-a-john rentals, and then waited for the vendors to arrive.
The vendors finally began to arrive, and we directed them to their spaces and gave them their parking passes and vendor wristbands. They set up their space on their own, and we asked them to leave at the end of the night when it was time to go.
While the vendors were setting up, we placed garbage cans and assisted with anything else that needed to get done. I stood near the vendor area and answered any questions that the vendors had, and I also lead arriving vendors to their spaces as they trickled in.
The Blues and Brews Festival was on June 10th, and we worked from 7:00am – 10:30pm. The festival itself didn’t start until 11am. From 7:00am until 11:00am, we finished any set up that needed to happen, and made sure vendors had driven their cars to the parking lot before the event was open. I stood at the vendor gate and waited for the last of the vendors to show up so that I could tell them where to go, and give them their parking pass and vendor wristbands. Some vendors were disrespectful when asked to move their cars, but they moved them eventually.
The event started, and I sat at the information booth next to the first aid station. I was there so that people could ask questions, make suggestions, and pick up programs. A lot of people came by asking for sunscreen, and a lot of people came by saying that there weren’t enough hand sanitizing stations for the port-a-johns. During the last set of the night, we started to tear things down and put them away. We moved trash cans out towards the entrance, picked trash up off the ground, and moved equipment into the U-Haul.
I really enjoyed working the Blues and Brews Festival, and I am excited to get the opportunity to do so again next summer. Seeing everything come together so quickly was exciting, and I learned a lot through the process. I had never thought about renting garbage cans from the city or having an outside company come to do the fencing. I had a great time working my first Peak Event, and I am excited for the many more to come.
Emmalynn