10 Things I Don't Put On My Cv Michael Daly
The Age
Saturday February 23, 2008
Michael Daly is an event manager who handles the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival's the World's Longest Lunch (February 29, Flemington racecourse).
1 I take forever to wake up properly. For that first hour or so I'm at work, I'm a bit dazed - not great when you need to be on the ball on an event site at 5am. 2 I like to think about issues thoroughly and will disengage from group discussions to allow myself time to think of a solution, rather than responding instinctively. It may take hours, or days, for me to resolve. 3 I won't be in events forever; it would be good for me to knock up a few careers in my life. 4 The most challenging events I've worked on were in Trafalgar Square in London. It's a heritage site, so you have to take every precaution not to damage anything and you are constantly being observed.5 I once had performers wearing flaming wings run into a crowded audience in a public place, then drive a truck with pyrotechnics and burning liquid at breakneck speed around the event site. This was all contrary to what we had discussed prior to the show and I was powerless to stop it once it had begun.6 I have a tendency to see catastrophes where maybe there are none. Predicting catastrophes can either prove to be a brilliant insight or a total waste of time.7 I'm a bit of a dreamer and sometimes at work I have to control this predisposition, as a lack of concentration can be ill afforded. 8 My career made me grow up. 9 I'm not very good at dealing with politics and with all the competing interests involved in producing an event. When a Machiavelli comes along, I quite often don't know what's going on until it's too late.10 If I could have my time over again, I might be a historian - perhaps one day. -- LISA MITCHELL
© 2008 The Age
