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A NEW and hip restaurant opened in the metro
recently. Some friends of mine own it and asked if I could recommend
a good PR and events specialist to handle their grand opening
activities. I referred them to the best PR lady I know. She is very
influential and well-loved by the business, high society and fashion
communities because of her experience, creativity, kindness and
person skills. I met her in the early nineties when I was still
active as a fashion model.
Last week, I got a call from this
PR lady and she was very, very upset because the people managing the
restaurant were apparently being unprofessional. She booked an event
in the restaurant for a product launch, and in spite of her
client’s wishes to have it in a hotel, she insisted that it be
held in this new restaurant, only because she wanted to help bring
in business. After about two meetings, they agreed on the price to
rent the venue specifying all the details involving time, technical
requirements, food and beverage. Two of her immediate requests were
the contract and the inclusions in the menu.
One week has passed and neither
of the requests was sent to her office. She called the manager but
she was met with unanswered and unre-turned phone calls, delayed
e-mails, and to make things worse, someone from the restaurant
called her and informed her stressing that if the guests do not
leave by 2 p.m. which was the targeted time for the event to finish,
the restaurant will turn off the air-conditioning system, and charge
them extra for the use of electricity.
My friend wanted to pull the plug
and just bring her event to another venue. There, she knows, she is
dealing with professionals, and will be treated with respect.
When I heard this, I was very
embarrassed and ashamed since I was the one who recommended her. I
promised her that I will personally look into the matter and talk to
the restaurant owner and demand that her professional needs are met.
To make the story short, the
owners apologized and promised to address the situation, which they
fortunately did. They suspended the manager for one week. This PR
lady accepted their apology and pushed through with her event there.
I personally dropped by her office two days later and gave her a
token of appreciation for not bailing out and still helping, but
more than that, it is our friendship all these years that really
mattered to me and I didn’t want that to be affected by one
unfortunate incident.
This is my message to all
business owners, especially those who are in the service industry or
are selling a product. If you are to hire a PR and Events person to
help promote your product or business, you better be professional
when dealing with them, at all times.
For office, school and
individual workshops e-mail: patty@pattybetita.com.
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