Work for fun

You joined the TNT events agency one year ago. Did the joy of partying bring you to this place or is it just a coincidence?

It's true, I've been with the TNT team since last December after working in public relations for a good decade. When I thought about joining the team, which is also famous for organizing top-class parties, I thought that this was a nice "punishment" for the years that I preferred to spend at mass meeting places - lounging at home with a book in my hand and good music in my ears. There are probably no coincidences.

You could say that your work is entertainment. Is this statement close to the truth?

There is as much fun in work as you can create it yourself. In reality, agency work has long since become a hard and relentless battle in which the bright and the hardy win. One of the two distinct advantages of the environment I work in is the space we leave for people to realize their own dreams. Another advantage is the atmosphere that Cvetličarna Mediapark brings to our offices. Sometimes on Thursday afternoons, when a tone rehearsal is heard from Cvetličarna and the singer of a well-known music group "runs" into the office to get a photocopy of "Rider", I think that I am actually having a great time. Who else in our country has the privilege of having Living Color "burned" almost literally in their office?

How do ideas for themed parties come about? Do you have a specially formed team for this or do you draw them from trends emerging abroad?

The father of our agency, Marko Knez, says that we prefer to create trends rather than follow them. Experiences from abroad are sometimes unimportant to us in the event industry, where the budget plays an extremely important role. That's why we bet on the power of ideas and on knowing how to bring them to life. In this regard, I immensely appreciate the experience of my colleagues: Nataša, Robi, Jos and David, if I do not single out Mark here, who know how to put together an effective stage construction literally from scratch and replace the "tow truck" lights with some intelligent lighting tricks.

Take care of the event's creative design, script, organization and coordination. How big a team is needed to prepare one event and how long does it take from idea to execution?

The process of preparing the event is precisely defined and streamlined. It's the same with roles, otherwise we wouldn't be able to create such challenging events as the annual gala party for black Diners card holders, the production of scenographic support for the awarding of victors or the gala concert of the NLB band, to name just a few. These are projects that we prepare for several months, and hundreds of people line up for them. Last year, for example, after several weeks of meticulous preparations, we changed the Hall A of the Gospodarski raštavišče in Ljubljana to white in a day and a half and installed equipment with which we could organize a very decent rock concert. This is an endeavor that our Scenes Department in particular can best answer the question of where the limits of its capabilities lie. There are none, if there is a trustworthy and reasonable client on the other side.

Tea in the Sahara, Strawberry party, Havanka, Beach party, Jugovision, Flower power are thematic parties that you offer this season. Which of these is currently the most popular?

This year, we prepared for the end of the year by offering themed parties, which offer very clear content starting points and at the same time leave enough room to upgrade them exactly according to the client's needs. So the idea is set, the implementation solutions are known, but we are in a kind of low start. We can react to the client's needs very quickly and with lower production costs, without compromising the conceptual design and execution level of the event. These are the strongest assets of our concept, because the parties we wait for all year are often poorly executed due to a smaller budget and offer solutions that have been seen hundreds of times.

And which one would you choose?

I wouldn't have anything against a time machine that would throw me into the early 80s for one night, under the stage where Milan Mladenović and his crew would stand. But until I have this miraculous device, I'm happy to settle for a party where we create an atmosphere inspired by the iconography and pop culture of Yugoslavia. Well-known tunes, pioneers, movie quotes and jokes that we know by heart, a mini-cinema with legendary heroes, and the best flavors on the tables, from Macedonian ajvar, kajmak and everything that goes with it.

Are there unexpected slip-ups at events? What problems do you encounter most often and how do you solve them?

We have the TNT wall of shame - a list of incidents that we find funny today, but when they happened, they gave many a headache. The fact is that mistakes and complications in the production of events are difficult to avoid. But it is necessary to know how to overcome them here and now, without causing the event to suffer serious consequences. Before every event, my knees get weak and I clench my fists so that everything goes as planned, mainly because no event has a remedial exam and because events become, from the moment they start, sooner or later an unpredictable mass of human energy.

Do you remember any unusual requests from the client?

I remember more the ideas that came to us in the team, but we had to give them up because there was no time, attention or money for them or everything at once. Sometimes they don't leave us alone and we keep them warm so that one day we can help them live in this world.

Do you know any miracle potion against the "cat" after the party?

The late Dr. Rugelj would probably delete me from the list of those to be reckoned with, but still the principle of hitting a wedge with a wedge proved to be the most effective against the "cat". Sorry.

And where do you prefer to have fun or pamper yourself?

If I have time, I prefer to babysit the children of friends and relatives. It's a fun experience with a powerful exchange of everything that counts: genuine feelings and learning new things. Otherwise, I like to taste the dishes at the vegetarian restaurant Govindas or visit the pizzeria Oliva. I prefer to replace partying until the morning hours with a massage in the Žarek massage salon and reading a good book, which are never out of stock on the shelves of the Konzorcij bookstore or on the menu of the student publishing house.