STATE OF THE NATION - VICTORIA

"Hey Digga, you’re off to Charlotte to do the Winston and Coca Cola 600 Nascar Events."

"Great, look forward to it."

I caught a United flight and 14 hours later touched down in LA. I had my "Midnight Oil" surf hits rocking through my Walkman when I arrived at 7am LA time. I had 1 hour to get through customs (nothing to declare at this stage) and should have made the connecting flight to Denver, then Atlanta.

I arrived at customs to see every man and his dog lined up. Tired, cranky and with flat batteries in my Walkman, I was herded into line by the most obliging law enforcement agents. I explained the situation, having only 1 hour to catch the connecting flight. Needless to say, I missed the flight and had to wait to catch the next available.

Well, 7 hours later, in stinking hot weather I arrived in Atlanta. It was definitely the journey from hell but a couple of very cold Buds seemed to ease the pain. Six hours later, I was up and off to the boon docks of Atlanta for the NHRA Southern Nationals Winston Cup Drag events.

I met the Cleanevent USA crews with "JR" at the helm, then met the locals. Possum Stew, and Moonshine for breakfast, always a good way to start the day. Didn’t have breakfast that day.

I left Atlanta on Monday, got to North Carolina 5 hours later, had a couple of travellers to quench the thirst, then I arrived at Lowes Motor Speedway. What a track! 165,000 plus seats, 200 corporate boxes, a 3,000 seat indoor speedway club including dining, and a brand new grandstand still under construction to be completed in one week (yeah right) and 2000 acres of camping.

I met with George Mutter for debriefing and away we went. There was racing on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, then again the following Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Crowds ranging from 20,000 through to 200,000. The race fans sure know how to eat, drink and party.

The walk over bridge that takes you into the track collapsed which then closed one of the main highways past the racetrack. A few people got hurt but don’t mention the bridge.

Four weeks later and it’s all over, apart from getting caught up in the middle of an enormous storm where we were struck by lighting and which blew up the computers.

It was a very exciting event to be involved in. Even if you’re not a racecar fan it’s worth getting along to a NASCAR race. The hype and atmosphere surrounding one of these events is sensational.

It was definitely an educational process in terms of the staffing for these events. On any one given day you can have up 250 plus staff working almost around the clock. Labour is an issue, mainly due to the unemployment level in the States being so low. The economy there is so strong, that almost everyone has a job. We had the best of Charlotte and surrounding areas work for us.

While we were not right in the Deep South, we were not far from it and the race fans there know how to party. Paul Lovett and his team definitely have their work cut out for them. It is a different way of life compared to here. There are some very good team members and managers amongst his crew and the travelling event roadshow can become taxing on the body and the lifestyle.

I was pleased to get home and slept most of the way back to Melbourne. I arrived at 6am to a typical Melbourne winter morning of 4 degrees, having just left the middle of summer in the Carolinas.

My absence provided a good opportunity for the crew here in Victoria to step up to the plate, especially with some of our staff becoming more involved in the Olympics. The coming months are about managing time, teaching and giving people an opportunity they may otherwise not have.

It is important in this time that we do cover the bases and ensure that our client base has the same support and operational dedication as we would give outside of this Olympic period. While the games are in progress, the roadshow still continues with the Melbourne Show, the Spring Carnival, the Cox Plate and the 500CC Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island, just to name a few.

Plus, the always unexpected but expected surprises that bring this group of people together. As Big Kev says, "I’m excited." It is about meeting the challenges and turning problems into opportunities.

Good to be home.

Thanx