Meet our Founder and Creative Director, Michael Cartwright

An interview with Mona Saade.

How did you get started?

After spending many years perfecting my craft and working my way up the Hospitality ladder in Melbourne and Sydney, I was at the top of my game with many high end clients and a strong reputation for delivering excellence, but still felt there was something missing.

I heard about this guy Brian Lizotte who was running a backstage catering company called ‘More Than A Morsel’ for rock n roll music industry. One day I was driving down Moore Park road when I spotted the ‘More Than A Morsel’ van driving into the Sydney Football stadium; so instantly it was "game on"! Immediately did a U-turn and followed the van into the venue.

I managed to get there in time when Brian was getting out of his van. I introduced myself and straight out I told him I wanted to work for him. At the time I was a freelance waiter and function manager earning an hourly rate of $50 per hour.

I said to Brian – "I’ve heard about you and love what you do. Please give me a go as I'm one of the best at what I do and I'm an extremely hard worker, and more than happy to work for free to show you what I can do, so please give me a go!" He told me he pays his staff $15 per hour, so I told him I would be willing to accept that for the experience.

About one month later he called me up – he told me they needed help with a Guns N’ Roses gig at Eastern Creek. Because of my energy and enthusiasm and my ability to work hard, that one night turned into a eight-year career with ‘More Than A Morsel’ touring with over 140 local and international artists.

Brian saw my passion; how I used to transform bland looking dressing rooms into a holistic oasis that reflected the personality of the artist we were looking after, with a real essence of high quality styling. Because of the positive reactions he was getting, the promoters started giving me small budgets to enhance the decorations and way I was styling the rooms. Eventually along with running all hospitality and events back stage, I was elevated to the title of Ambience Co-ordinator and Back Stage Manager focusing on all logistics and coordination but paying special attention to decorating dressing rooms and being looking after the rock stars.

My goal was to provide a truly unique experience for the international artists that took things to a completely new level, and I did that!

What was your first big tour with ‘More Than A Morsel’?

My first big tour was with Madonna in 1994 for about six weeks where I was engaged exclusively as the Ambience Coordinator on the tour. I had to basically facilitate the look and feel of all her dressing rooms and manage them and all of the backstage requirements wherever we went.

The budgets were super tight on those early tours and I didn’t believe that was an excuse for me to not deliver the best possible environments for her. So I asked the promoter for six A class tickets per show and I used them for bartering decorating items in exchange for tickets everywhere I went, and back then, there were florists lining up to fill her room with flowers for two A class tickets... so you can imagine there was a lot of wheeling and dealing going on to make the impossible happen!

Which room took the most amount of effort to decorate?

Elton John definitely takes the cake on that one. The theme for one of his more elaborate dressing rooms was ‘Bondi Beach’ where we created Bondi beach back stage at the Sydney Entertainment Centre and had beach backdrops of Bondi around the room. However, to make it feel as authentic as possible, we went to the extent of lining the whole dressing room with plastic, filled the area with 4 cubic metres of sand which had to be wheelbarrowed in and out of the venue, palm trees, deck chairs, ice cream and hot dog stands and beach and life saving equipment. To finish it off, I hired a bunch of male models and dressed them up in one-piece Nth Bondi Life Savour marching outfits so they could walk around and serve Elton and his guests. (He was very happy) :-)

What would you say was the hardest part of what you did?

Definitely the time frames and delivery times that were expected. From landing in a city and literally heading straight from the airport to the venue, I would meet all my contractors onsite and begin the dance of create and delegate. Every venue was unique and required different applications and products to achieve the artists' requirements. Everything I did and every decision I would make had to be the right one as everything had to be perfect when the Artist arrived; and what would normally take most production companies 3 days to set up from scratch, I would do in a day and a half.

Tell me about Visions In Style.

After 8 years with More Than A Morsel and working with some of the best creative and production people in the music industry,

I always welcomed opportunity and loved a challenge and as I was already taking on more events like 'meet and greets', live listening sessions, record company Christmas parties and record launches, I needed my own identity... So Visions In Style was born.

(Visions) because I literally visualise every detail when planning an event and as a creative being able to visualise or see what you are going to create in detail and scale is not only a gift but having a talent like that makes it easy to perfectly apply everything in a presentation and more importantly through out the installation and the event.

It's also important to be able to express those ideas practically so the client can interpret them and share the vision.

When I’m standing in the room with a client who has no idea what they want for their event, it is my job to create the vision for them.

(Style) well if you know me that goes with out saying, I love using high quality statement pieces and I have always had the ability to bring the perfect pieces together to create beautiful, authentic and holistically styled environments.

As a designer and having a great eye for detail, I love walking into an empty room and visually placing every piece when styling all elements of the production.

It all starts with a vision and being able to create a story and visualise the venue as it comes alive in all its splendour. I always design the experience from the guests' point of view and it's from there I visualise taking the guests on a journey and how all aspects of the styling, entertainment and hospitality combine to create the perfect flow and meet the purpose of the event.

My objective is to produce and deliver outstanding events and experiences while understanding and supporting the clients needs and requirements and most of all exceeding the clients expectations.

Tell me about your LOGO.

Basically the wings represent freedom. Freedom for creativity and freedom to have a life where I can run my company how I like. After working for so many people in my life, I can’t express how good it feels to have freedom within what I do. Building my company, running my own company – I wanted to have a logo which represented everything that encompasses the feeling of freedom…

What process do you go through to style an event?

Part of the mission is firstly listening to the client and making sure they feel heard. And secondly explaining to them what I’m going to do so they can understand what I’m seeing and how I am going to bring to life what they want. Then we encourage them to take part in the planning and get them excited as it should be a fun experience and its great to share the journey and build a connection with the clients along the way.

One of the first things I recommend to the client is for them to come and see the venue (Site inspection). Unless it is overseas, then I would go visit the venue myself and put together a full presentation to present to them prior to booking and confirming anything. Utilising the space is important and understanding room layout and flow of the event are important factors in designing a comfortable and successful event.

Every venue has its own artistic integrity and whatever the application is I have been engaged to deliver, half the job is working out how I can incorporate a theme that suits the clients' needs but also suits the venue.

Part of the process is also thinking about the comfort of the guests; how loud the music will be, whether there’s lights in anyones' eyes, access for food and drinks comfortably, whether they can get in and out of the venue with easy access, working with the restrictions of the room – fire escapes, how many seats are required, the lighting, the audio visual and the entertainment. I have to think creatively and logistically about the design and also put myself in the position of the guest – what would I like to see…what would blow my mind?!

Overall, it is important to think about the process as a whole. I create a journey where people walk into a styled room that also tells a story and simply guides them throughout the event from the beginning to the end and never throw all your cards on the table. I use reveals and innovative ways to introduce new and exciting elements throughout the event to keep it evolving and to make the experience continually exciting.

What has inspired you to do what you do?

After 24 years in this industry, to still be able to do what I love and to keep being chosen amongst many other amazing event producers is awesome and a privilege. The daily challenges and diversity of what we produce are truly incredible and being regarded as a trustworthy company that can manage a multitude of diverse, specialist, high end and exclusive events for VIPs and luxury brands is really energising and rewarding.

It's also the thrill of being like a maestro of a 100 piece orchestra where you are also running the theatre at the same time.

You know what every instrument is playing at all times, you conduct every aspect of the event and bring all the elements together.

So to be fortunate enough to do what I love, and still have the opportunities for as long as I have... to bring someone else’s vision / dream to life is inspiring in itself. When I see that look on the client’s face that lets me know that I’ve created something amazing and I have exceeded their expectations. This is what inspires me to continue doing what I do.

What keeps you successful?

I treat each event with renewed enthusiasm and passion. I always make the time to listen to my clients and understand what their requirements are to ensure I produce something that always exceeds their expectation. I do this by continuously building on my knowledge of the industry and the products that bring the event to life.

I’m a strong believer that when you choose a career path or it chooses you, you need to put everything into it. For most people to find something that they love, that they are passionate about, that gets them out of bed with no effort required, then that’s the key to success. It takes time to make something perfect but when you love what you do, when it feels like an extension of you, then success will happen naturally for you.

I’m also a strong believer in being flexible and having a sense of urgency in everything that I do; understanding that despite some jobs having absurd stringent timelines, I must deliver my best at all cost. I get one chance to deliver the best possible application or event or room transformation and having the ability and understanding of all aspects of the industry and while working with a sense of urgency is the only way to pull it off. Being Flexible and understanding product and time management and balancing my priorities to achieve the most efficient ways to produce events is second nature to me and I believe this has been a major reason for my success.

Do you have a business plan?

No, I’ve never felt the need to. It’s been totally organic. I concentrate on one thing; doing the best that I can and making as many clients as happy as I possibly can. Being an owner/operator I’ve held the reins for 24 years without a plan. As long as I felt I was growing then I didn’t need a business plan and the phone has never stopped ringing.

What is the hardest thing about being your own boss?

I have to always be the first person onsite and the last person to the leave at most of the events we are producing. This is to ensure constant direction and management and so I can ensure nothing is left up to chance and everything is accounted for.

How do you stay motivated?

The business is an extension of me; my motivation comes from loving what I do. Being able to create and build!!

My work is like a playground, if you can imagine creating a circus from the ground up and then bringing it to life with all the fun and excitement, flavours and beauty. Being able to go to work and play on a massive scale is an achievement in itself.

What do you enjoy most about what you do?

The diversity; that every day is a new challenge for me to overcome and deliver something new. I also really enjoy helping bring a dream to life and once again exceed expectations every time.

What’s been the most challenging experience for you?

One particular event that comes to mind is when I did the launch for SBS Broadcasting; I was engaged to do the national launch from analogue to digital for SBS. Since it is a government company, there are different divisions where each department does its own stuff and no head of department was allowed to tell each other what to do.

My job was to executive produce and oversee the delegation for all the relevant departments at SBS and ensure that when they finally switched to digital, there would be no delay whatsoever because they were streaming live. Basically to do what they thought would be impossible, and because it was a very technical job, I knew I had to hire the best outside broadcast experts in the industry, so I put together the right team with the right expertise and together produced the transformation from analogue to digital live with an audience of 800 guests and achieve the most important aspect which was a seamless transition with no delay.

Tell me about one of the most memorable events you have produced.

For many years I produced and styled aVodafone/ Ferrari Ball in Melbourne for the Grand Prix.

On one occasion the theme was Venetian Masquerade ball for 600 guests and although it was a challenge logistically to get all of my gear from Sydney to Melbourne along with providing 800 assorted Venetian Masquerade costumes and dressers for the guests. I created a Venetian Palace within a riverside venue where we had the guests arrive via gondolas and ferries down the Yarra. When the guests arrived, there were 12 coachmen holding lanterns all the way along the pier to the venue to greet them whilst they walked past.

Once inside it looked amazing – I had draped the venue into a Venetian set with beautiful antiques everywhere. I had also created this art installation which was a 6m by 3m gold ornate frame surrounding an authentic Venetian set, and in it I had a live model lying on this chaise lounge wearing a beautiful mask, a feathered fan and a string of pearls.

I had these two caricaturists in Italian coachmen outfits wearing masks, life drawing the model, and at the same time encouraging the guests to come and interact and life draw her.

I remember when the client walked in, she stood there and as she gazed around the room started crying with joy. I had exceeded her expectation with so much detail and beyond her imagination. Knowing how it had affected her was priceless – at the end of the day that is always my goal.

What has been one of the biggest gigs you have delivered?

It was the inaugural launch of Virgin Atlantic coming to Australia. That was massive. We set it up for Richard Branson at the Patrick Stevedore Container terminal down where Barangaroo is now built – I turned the venue into a party for 1,600 people.

We had this huge arrival area themed as Hong Kong because it was the first leg from London to Sydney so after the guests enjoyed arrival drinks in Hong Kong they were invited to come aboard Virgin Atlantic for the feature event.

We built an inflatable nose cone of a 747 British airways plane and the guests walked up and entered through the nose cone of the plane where it was set up like a first class environment, with VIP bars, airplane first class seating and massage rooms. There were stairs that took you down into the main arena where there were massive cocktail bars and stages for entertainment, food stations and loads of chill out areas for the guests to enjoy. The whole thing was under an enormous custom built balloon which was held up by air.

We had a 360 degrees mapped projection covering the entire roof and walls to the balloon with images of a sky scapes where the sun set and the stars appeared planes flying through, we had satellites revolving and Richard Branson announced that one day he will fly into space.

The line up of entertainment was also sensational from solo artists to drag queens welcoming everyone to Sydney and some of the best party bands Australia had to offer.

One of the best parts was actually seeing Richard Branson personally welcome 1600 guests as they arrived on the red carpet,

We did however line the 60meter red carpet with 40 beautiful female models wearing red asian cheongsams to keep him company.

Tell me about the most eccentric party you have done.

It was with three friends of mine during the 2000 Olympics. My job was to transform the National Museum on College Street into a Gladiator event and everybody had to come in full theme. You couldn’t get in if you weren’t in costume. One of my friend’s was an ex-Olympian so he had a lot of pull getting people like Michael Klim, Susie O’Neil and Ian Thorpe to attend.

You could only get in if you were an Olympian, or if you had won a gold medal, or if you were a guest given a gold medal to come.

We did a lot of pre-production the night before because on the day of the event we were given only three hours to set up the room prior to doors opening.

We had or own lighting of the flame ceremony, Angelic opera singers, gladiators that battled with each other, international DJ’s Virgin sacrifices, fortune tellers, leather smiths and harem dancers.

We had this huge battle pit with tiered seating around it and over looking it was a huge set of stairs that we transformed into a grand stand with three roman throws with cascading ivy and flowing fabric, where Michael Klim and Ian Thorpe were sitting along with several vestal hostesses and the 3 hosts so they had a bird's eye view of all the staged festivities and performances that took place . We hired 10 Gladiator re-enactors that where pulled into the arena in cages and then 2 gladiators at a time would begin to battle. It was extremely authentic and dramatic and great entertainment with the drums beating and audience roaring with cheers.

We built a massive dance arena in another part of the venue and after the gladiator duels all the guests were guided into the dance areas to a spectacular vision of light and sound falling rose petals, toga logo dancers and international DJ's

Olympic Body Builders in gold lap laps and spray tanned bodies would pull the hosts around on chariots and stand as guards when they were seated in the VIP areas.

It was literally the most talked about event I had created – the effort alone to create the authenticity was outstanding.

What stands out for you when you hire staff?

Enthusiasm. No matter how little or how much experience you have, the person with the most enthusiasm I know will work hard because they want to be there. Enthusiasm is ‘a money can’t buy thing’ – if you have it, if you live your life with it, then you will succeed.

Do you have any tips for someone who wants to take the path of event producer?

Product knowledge is everything and understanding your craft and all the resources you have access to is imperative. Learn as much about hospitality as you can. Learn about theatrical design and the production elements about how things come together, the safety about putting design together. Do an events course, learn about how to write a proposal and understand what resources you would need.

Do your research on venues in the city you are working in, do your research about resources you can use, do your research on your client to produce something new and authentic to exceed their expectation.

Invest your time wisely. This industry is demanding, you don’t get second chances. It's cut throat and there are a lot of people doing it. Work with initiative, be super enthusiastic, deliver on time and always have a sense of urgency.

Be able to account manage, be able to make your client understand what you are saying to them. Build trust with your client.

Most importantly, be the Maestro so when you are orchestrating the whole event, be sure to learn how every piece works in order to deliver and always have fun.