Let them eat cake.
We ran a series of roadshows over the last couple of weeks, finishing in Cambridge at a very smart country club venue.
Thanks to our brilliant events team, as always, the venue was first class, the staging and AV were all set up in advance of our arrival, but something I wasn’t expecting to see was an elaborate display of cakes and pastries for our delegates to enjoy as they registered. And whilst this was a lovely extra, it actually caused an issue.
Last Wednesday was the hottest day of the year so far, well at least it was in the East of England – quite glorious. Consequently, the aircon was working at max capacity, although this was impacted by the doors to the outside terrace being continuously opened and closed as delegates went outside to enjoy the sunshine.
The caterer who had designed the cake and pastry extravaganza started to get upset that her creation “would be ruined” by the fluctuating temperature, and actually locked the doors to stop people coming back into the conference foyer. It was a classic case of majoring in minor things (and the wrong thing), so when Soiphie, our wonderful Events Director, asked her to open the doors so guests could come and go as they wished, she responded: “My job is to make sure the tea, coffee, and cakes are all perfect….” to which Sophie replied, “And my job is to make sure our guests have a wonderful experience; please open the doors and let them enjoy the cakes you’ve made so beautifully.”
I can see how it could be frustrating to see something you’ve invested considerable time, money and passion into creating being demolished – but surely, that’s the intended and desired result?
It got me wondering how often there are unintended consequences from the pursuit of perfection?
My hunch is probably quite often.
The danger as people focus narrowly on their part of the process is they lose sight of the bigger picture.
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