Yesterday I worked my first event with Columbia Hospitality, and it was amazing. It was a celebration of Farmers Insurance's centennial, and it was a fantastic party. It was a gorgeous Seattle day, which was nice for all the out of town guests that Farmers flew in for the event. They booked most of the Bell Harbor Conference Center, including the Elliot Bay Room, which was decorated to the hilt by several companies including Creative Ice. I was bartending on the outside deck overlooking Elliot Bay, so when the fireworks show started, I had a front row view. Possibly the best part of the night was when Nancy Wilson (the lead singer of Heart) walked over to my bar during the fireworks and started making small talk. The only thing I remember telling her was that Heart was my first cassette tape when I was little and she thought that was funny. They performed live and were amazing... she can still belt it out like she could 25 years ago. The guests were great and a lot of fun, as was my partner Peter who has been bartending for 12 years, so it was great to talk to him. I was amazed at the fluidity with which this company put on this event. The bar staff worked like a well oiled machine, and I definitely noted some stuff that will be great for my business and working events like this one... only smaller for now;)
