April – Share a Little Positivity

Let’s be honest…it’s all pretty tough out there right now for everyone and for those of us in events things have come to a grinding halt. What does an events company do when there are no events? There are moments when the enormity weighs heavy and, like everyone else, it is just an uncertain waiting game. It’s very easy to get caught in a negative spiral but we are doing our part in stopping the spread of coronavirus and that’s the most important thing we can do right now. Of course, we are able to review various elements of the business from home with the website and our online presence currently on the agenda (check out www.yellowtuxedo.co.uk for loads of hints and tips from the effervescent Emily and Alan for energy, guidance and inspiration.) But how could we keep our social media relevant and fun with nothing going on? Over the last month we have learnt so much; one thing is to ‘control the controllables’ and if we can share a little positivity then let’s do that also! Ice and Lime Mobile Bar Hire was born out of a love of events, meeting people and providing exceptional products and services: values that remain in the good times and the bad.

As lockdown hit, we adjusted to a new way of working, managing other roles and responsibilities from our homes, it struck me how my young children adapted to lock down life reasonably well. Their imagination kicked in and if they wanted to do something or go somewhere they would recreate it, making dens/tents, creating a farm from soft toys, having a teddy bears picnic etc…you name it they could do it! One of their favourite toys is Duplo with no end to the possibilities and, pre lockdown, they would come to visit the office and warehouse and then recreate it in bricks at home. Which got us thinking about how we could learn from the children in our response to the situation…

…The result was using ‘Duplo Daddy’ (as the kids affectionately call him) to continue the Ice and Lime Mobile Bar Hire adventures in lockdown, providing the same service and products to other toys that we offer in real life. These adventures then go on to our social media pages and from the feedback that we have got it seems they are providing a little smile to those in our online community. It has been a family project with the children getting involved in creating props and choosing the toys or stories and “helping” (sometimes not in quite the way we would like!) with the filming and photographs. It has given us something to plan and focus on (we actually have a Duplo Daddy Diary) which fits around our current living situation and allows us flexibility for those days when the kids just need more time and attention or when we have to spend far longer shopping for essentials that we would have done a couple of months ago. Importantly though, it provides lots of giggles and lighthearted relief for us, and others, which we could all do with right now and keeps our enthusiasm burning to get back to providing incredible bar hire once lockdown is over!

QUARANTINI

As coronavirus continues to keep us under lockdown here’s a little something to keep your spirits and vitamins up!