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City-wide events are always a challenge! With the International Children's Games there were far more challenges than normal. Add together the city politics and permits, with two separate independent Producers, several different productions, generators everywhere, food tents and vendors of every kind, six performance stages, world renowned performers of every nationality, security concerns from Homeland Security, the FBI, city police and countless other agencies, and to top it all off a Presidential visit. Oh...and by the way… don't forget the major music festival to follow the event on the same grounds!
The games were first organized in 1968, and since that time 24,000 children ages 12 to 15 have participated, representing more than 200 cities and 50 countries. The International Children's Games and Cultural Festival has become the world's largest international multisport youth games and is a recognized member of the International Olympic Committee. In 2004 the games came to Cleveland.
On many large events of this nature I am often called upon to provide logistics and organizational skills. Having a good knowledge of CAD and other software is crucial to keeping the kaos organized. On this event I was asked to handle all building and electrical permits, as well as organize and manage the many stages throughout the festival grounds. This was a very challenging task considering some of the stages had to be installed for a one time party or event, without interrupting the rest of the proceedings. Scheduling and planning are crucial to making an event like this happen.
After most events of this nature, you can call it a day and move on. But not with this one...we followed it with a Beatles music festival on the same grounds. It was a busy month!
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