Name: Aida Johnson
Job: Programming Hospitality Coordinator, Mayor’s Office of Special Events
Years: One
Johnson is responsible for making the travel, hotel, ground transportation and catering arrangements for the musicians who perform at the music festivals sponsored by the Mayor’s Office of Special Events. Behind the Scenes talked to her about how she gets it all done.
Q. What exactly does your job involve?
A. I get the contracts from the festival coordinators, and I look at all the rider requirements and accommodation requests, such as if we need this kind of food, we need Gatorade, we need a fluffy pillow. We need suites, we need single rooms, we need double rooms, and also transportation — first class or coach. Six weeks to a month before the concerts I start to process that. I work with the sponsor airline to find flights based on the artist’s requests. I’m also arranging a greeter schedule, people greeting the artists at the airport, to get them to the right transportation. I try to have welcome packages at the hotel for the artist. It’ll have the time of their soundcheck, and the pick-up at the hotel. Once they’re at the venue, we feed them. We give them lunch or dinner, and of course they have special requests. Some have requested vegetarian, some have requested no fried chicken. Then we get them back to the hotel, get them to relax before the performance, then we get them to the performance, back to the hotel, and we get them back home. That’s the gist of it. Then do that for every single festival, for every single artist, which is quite a job.
Q. How many different music festivals are you working on?
A. Taste [of Chicago], Country Music Fest, Air and Water Show, Viva Chicago, Jazz and Celtic.
Q. How many musicians are you bringing into the city?
A. For Taste and Country Fest, I’d say at least 350 people. Viva is two days, but those are big bands too. It’s just a bunch of people, get ’em in, get ’em home.
Q. Where are these people coming from?
A. All over. They’re coming from California, they’re coming from Boston, they’re coming from New Hampshire. For Celtic [Fest] last year, I made travel arrangements for several groups from Europe and Canada, and for Viva Chicago, Mexico, Puerto Rico.
Q. How do you keep track of it all?
A. I use software programs, and I create huge spreadsheets for all the festivals. It’s not so hard to keep track of, but you have to know the software programs. I can’t imagine how I would do it if I didn’t have the spreadsheets. If I had to do it with a typewritten list it would be a nightmare.
Q. What kind of problems do you run into?
A. The Viva festival is probably the most challenging, because there’s things that are always difficult if the group barely speaks English. One group didn’t come in on the day they were supposed to, so the hotel canceled the reservation. When they got to the hotel there were no rooms for them. That was a group that didn’t speak English too well, so they wandered around for a few hours. We were calling concierges trying to find them. Finally a concierge called us and said they’re here, that’s how we finally got them.
Q. How’d you get this job?
A. The last job I had, I was the alumni and student affairs coordinator for Robert Morris College. I did a lot of mailings, a lot of calling, a lot of arranging parties. I had left there and gone to Columbia College for artist management. I had finished the course work there and had gotten an internship here. After five weeks, they hired me.
Q. What’s the best thing about your job?
More Top Picks Best Color Changing Smart Bulbs For Kids Rooms
A. When you have success for something as seemingly overwhelming as this is, when you get it all done, everybody’s here, that’s just a rush. It’s what I went to school for. To do what you wanted to do it’s a great thing. And I get to meet a lot of people, making sure they’re comfortable, seeing them do their performance. When they come offstage, they’re hyped up. Listening to them talk about the audience reaction, it’s nice.
———-
Music events at Taste of Chicago take place from June 28 to July 7, including Chicago Country Music Festival on June 29 and 30. For more information, call 312-744-3370, or visit online at www.cityofchicago.org/specialevents.