Ken Kristoffersen takes on the challenge of people and protocol.

HER MAJESTY, QUEEN ELIZABETH II and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh visited the City of Calgary on Wednesday, May 25th as part of Alberta’s Centennial Celebration. Ken Kristoffersen CEO of XV Events, current Canadian Event Producer of the Year (Star Awards), and Carter McCrae events were hired to assist the Protocol Committee at the City of Calgary for the Queens Royal Visit. To be asked to work on such a high profile event is quite an honour for both companies. It offered them a chance to be exposed to Protocol departments from the Municipal, Provincial and Federal Governments, as well as, Buckingham Palace. Having, always thrived on logistical challenges, this became a unique experience that tested everyone on the team as they coordinated all the diverse requirements from the different government levels. Canadian Event Perspective Magazine sat down with Ken Kristofferson to talk about the project and what he learned from it. It is an interesting event, one that many of us never have a chance to do and it truly provides a challenging diversion from the normal everyday gala production.

CEP: What exactly was your role?

KK: I was responsible for 2 two areas. Firstly, to determine who would be presented to Her Majesty and His Royal Highness on their departure from the Calgary celebrations. This included a selection process from hundreds of entertainers and then their subsequent protocol training regarding how to present themselves to Her Majesty. Secondly, and definitely the most challenging role was the development of the entire Sequence of Events. This involved many meetings to coordinate the movement of Her Majesty and His Royal Highness, the Governor General, the Prime Minister, the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, The Premier of Alberta, Members of the Executive Council, Members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Members of City Council and His Worship Mayor Bronconnier. I was to ensure that everyone was in the right place at the right time. This Sequence of Events went through 8 drafts before all levels of government approved of everyone’s movement. I also acted as a consultant in other areas including stage development and stage management and had the pleasure of using Aimee Barnabee as my floor director for the formal program. Carter McCrae coordinated the pageantry section of the Protocol including the sourcing and coordination of hundreds of students to greet Her Majesty, as well as the set-up/production schedule of the formal program areas.

CEP: What did you learn from this event?

KK: I had no idea that different levels of government took precedence, depending on the movements of Her Majesty. It was quite a challenge determining whose jurisdiction Her Majesty was part of as each level of government had a different set of protocol standards. It became irrelevant, how many times the City of Calgary team and the official party’s from the different levels of government rehearsed. When it came time to execute - some of the officials did their own thing and we just had to go with the flow. This really reinforced for me the difference between being committed to an outcome and attached to an outcome.

CEP: Has the experience influenced anything you will do on of future events you do?

KK: Yes, although I already had a reputation for attention to detail it has just taken it to a completely higher level. Hopefully this will lead me into more protocol work. While it was challenging to learn all of the different areas it was definitely rewarding on the final day. As a result my team was asked to organize a state level dinner for a Chinese contingent that was flying into Calgary only four days after the Royal Visit.

CEP: What was the best and worst part of this experience?

KK: The best part of this experience was being part of the team that worked so hard to make this an amazing celebration for the City of Calgary. Everyone was so dedicated to the final outcome and working with a team where everyone gave it their all was a great experience. The worst part was waiting while the different levels of government reviewed documents. The absolute worst part was the red carpet. My counterpart Janet at the City of Calgary had the unpleasant task of sourcing enough red carpet to cover the stairs in the Saddledome, as well as the entire entry way for Her Majesty’s visit. That was a big enough challenge, but trying to keep the red carpet free of the smallest piece of lint was a challenge for all of us.