Our best ambassadors are our collaborators! This month we have chosen to highlight the strategic position of event manager. Mandy Fenwick and Chloé Sarfati are two key players, both coordinators and “facilitators” of all special events. Encounter.
What has been your personal career in the company up to now?
Mandy Fenwick: I started well before the opening in 1989 as a collaborator of our CEO, and then, when the event unit was created I had the opportunity to work on One Year Out, a major event that preceded the opening of Disneyland Paris. I was then part of the task force in anticipation of the opening. I have been following the adventure since its beginnings!
Chloé Sarfati: I have an atypical background since I started as a parade artist. I then joined the show team before becoming Special Events Manager for Disney Business Solutions.
What is your job?
Mr. F. As event manager we are a support for teams. We centralize all requests, we manage unforeseen events. We have a coordination and relay role. We are involved from the moment the event request is received until the post event close.
C. S. In this profession, it is essential that we be aware of everything that is happening on the ground, in the park or in the event spaces, but also of the preparation of the event in order to be an effective relay.
What kind of contingencies can you encounter?
Mr. F. I remember an event where one of the team members realized that the tickets for participants had been locked in a safe. We had 600 guests who were in danger of not being able to access the park and their party, a real emergency! The team member turned to me because he knew I had enough experience to know who to contact and allow the guests to return. I felt really good in my role that day!
C. S. We have a role as facilitators. We are the people we turn to when we need to identify the right interlocutor. And this is not only the case for emergencies, we must also be strong of proposals and provide the best guidance to the teams in the construction of their events.
What kind of events are you working on?
C. S. We are asked for, for example, preview films, launches of new attractions or for internal events such as the Service Awards.
Mr. F. Today, I am mainly mobilized on external or corporate events: any request for an event from an external company, client of Disney Business Solutions. Of these types of events, we can accommodate up to 4,000 people, or even 25,000 in the case of a privatization of the two Disney® Parks, which requires significant coordination.
C. S. Recently I was asked about a press event that brought together media, influencers, bloggers and Vips from more than 17 countries. This is the type of events where everything can change until the last minute. It is a real challenge!
What makes this company unique to you?
C..S. For me Disney is a whole fairy tale, a culture. It represents the cartoons of my childhood. Working here is kind of part of the magic!
Mr. F. We wouldn’t be here with the same enthusiasm if we weren’t passionate about Disney. I have a feeling that when you’re busy, when you’re working a lot, you just walk around the parks, you see the smiles of the visitors, and you go back to the office with a bang on your head.
What is your greatest memory?
Mr. F. For me it’s undeniably the opening of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™ ten years ago: it was the first time video mapping was done in our parks. It was a real technical feat.
C. S. I have excellent memories of the launch of the 25th anniversary of Disneyland Paris. There were many challenges, many smiles, it was really a beautiful anniversary!