In 1997, I was approached by the president of a public company who was interested in taking some of his best clients to the Ryder Cup at Valderrama, Spain. He asked me to work in conjunction with his in-house coordinator as well as an outside consultant (who happened to be a good friend of the family).
I was able to secure two large homes in Valderrama for the group. The consultant was going to be there to arrange all the transportation and meals (which were going to be prepared by a chef I had hired to be at one of the homes each night). The in-house director was going to arrange flights. I was responsible for having all the clients and top management meet at the airport and driven to their respective houses.
I decided to attend the Ryder Cup myself--first, because I was familiar with the club and the area, having lived there for many summers (and because I wanted to see the tournament); and second, just in case there was any problem during the week.
That was the best decision I ever made. Here's how I spent my week:
* I had to pick up some of the guests at the airport myself, since the flight arrangements were changed at the last minute.
* I ended up changing some of the menus and doing some of the staple food shopping with the consultant.
* I was the one who finally checked out the houses to be sure they were set up properly, which was never done by the consultant.
* I ended up paying the owners of the house additional money for the chef and housekeeper, who were not paid by the consultant, as instructed.
Needless to say, I no longer do business with the company in Spain that made all the arrangements.
