Queen’s Baton comes to Inverness (and we get to hold it)
(Photos: Ewen Weatherspoon)
Athletes we are not unfortunately*, but on Friday 11th July we got a taste of the buzz surrounding the upcoming Commonwealth Games taking place in Glasgow. Dynam were given the job of organising a reception in Inverness for the Queen’s Baton as it travelled south through the Highlands.
Our remit was to compile the invite list, secure speakers, organise the food and AV requirements, provide entertainment for guests of all ages, and set up and break down the event.
Local business people were invited with their families to the first ever outdoor event at the Centre for Health Science, where they enjoyed a barbecue and addresses from a number of high profile speakers.
We’re proud that we were able to bring together Scotland’s greatest ever Commonwealth Games medallist, multi award-winning and Olympic Champion athlete Allan Wells, Paralympic Silver Medalist, Paratriathlon World Champion and groundbreaking adventurer Karen Darke, and international rugby star Gavin Hastings. BBC presenter Rob Maclean carried out the live interview with the stars.
We know it’s very British to complain about the weather, but had we known that the temperature in the courtyard would reach nearly 30 degrees during the day, we probably would have installed a paddling pool as part of the mini Commonwealth Games that we organised for the kids. We might even have let them use it once we we’d cooled off ourselves.
While the set up may have been a tad warm, the weather was perfect for the event itself, and we’ve had some lovely feedback from attendees. The highlight of the night for us was getting to meet all the lovely sports stars, with Gavin Hastings seeming to be a particular favourite in the Dynam office on Monday morning. It’s perhaps no coincidence that the Dynam delegation was 100% female.
Thanks must go out to Mr Bubbles the Clown, who kept lots of little people laughing throughout the evening. We used the excellent Good Highland Food for the catering and HCVF for all of our multimedia needs.
In partnership with Commonwealth Games Scotland, the event was hosted by HIE, The Highland Council’s Business Gateway service and Commonwealth Games sponsors Atos, Harper Macleod, SSE and Search.
You can read more about the event on HIE’s website: http://bit.ly/1kYxMgZ
* We have heard rumours about Karen’s hockey prowess in the Nineties, but we’ve yet to find a credible source.
