Return to 1998 Christmas Index
Return to 1998 Christmas Index
With no work in the pipeline and needing some money before my holiday I answered an advert in the "Southern Daily Echo" for "Help wanted at the Boat-Show". I established that the job was to distribute leaflets promoting a company called "Whispaire" - but the leaflets had as yet not been designed. I then told Mr. Cookson that I was also a graphic Designer and therefore would he like me to design them? Cookson replied that he would like to discuss this further and we agreed to meet. I designed the leaflets for him.
In later discussions I was party to some of the decisions and was partly responsible for the selection process of the potential distributors. On August 28th the five potential distributors met at the De Vere's Grand Harbour Hotel for coffee and biscuits. It was decided that it would be an informal chat to see how we all got on. Part of the informal discussion was about what we would all be wearing. Cookson had already got T-Shirts designed.
So the meeting was to agree to what bottom halves would be worn. Mr. Cookson wanted us in Mini skirts but eventually we mutually agreed to shorts as Cookson assured us we would be undercover and in the warm. Following this meeting Cookson would decide who the distributors would be (I knew one was myself). After the meeting only three people remained and chatted. When we all dispersed Mr. Cookson was still unsure who else to employ. I suggested the three remaining candidates as we all got on well.
Several days later I conversed with Mr. Cookson about who he had decided to employ. I then learnt that it was Miss Taryn Woodhouse and Miss Nina Sharpe, this was not entirely the decision I had expected Mr. Cookson to make. It was on September 5th that we all met outside McDonalds, in Southampton to purchase the Shorts.
The main story begins on Press Day where I was the only person working distributing the leaflets around the whole of the Boat-Show. It was our job to entice customers to the stand in two ways...
I had been walking around the show for about an hour and a half when I returned to the stand to warm up. I asked Mr. Cookson if he would like a Coffee?
I then returned with his drink and one for myself. Cookson was chatting to a supplier who was also a friend. At this point I was sitting on the stand drinking my tea when a customer approached the stand to enquire about one of the products on display. Twice the customer tried to gain Mr. Cookson's attention and failed. I then went over to the customer to ask if I could help? Deep down I knew that I could not. After saving the customer from going elsewhere, I was told to go back outside to hand out more leaflets.
After I returned from lunch, Cookson went to get some tablets and a drink and Taryn arrived to see how long it took her to walk from home and to look around the show to get her bearings, I was grateful to see her and we chatted for about five minuets before Taryn noticed Mr. Cookson standing observing us she then acknowledged him. Taryn decided to accompany me around the show when I was handing out leaflets, it was at this point I told Taryn that I was feeling very cold indeed, Taryn then reminded me that "Weren't we supposed to be undercover?" um that's a point I replied I'd forgotten about that.
Saturday September 12th Nina arrived promptly and was wearing the agreed dress code. Taryn arrived at 10:00, ten minutes late due to traffic congestion and was promptly admonished for wearing black trainers and not white and was then handed a very large quanty of leaflets. Cookson told her, "Nina is already up there". I arrived ten minutes later and was scowled at for wearing jeans and a polo neck under the stipulated T-shirt. I had already phoned to explain why the previous evening. I was also asked why was I late? I answered him by informing him I was unable to park and my Mother needed a lift.
I then went to the front entrance to join the others. Five minutes later a Show Official asked us which stand were we connected to? We replied A28. The official told us that Cookson had signed a contract, prohibiting any promotion taking place from anywhere but his own stand. We were asked to return to A28. We were grateful for this instruction because we were all frozen.
On our return to A28 Cookson glared at us and wanted to know why we were not standing at the turnstyle? We told him that an official had instructed us to return to our stand.
Cookson then went to speak to the official. Taryn, Nina and myself stayed on the stand to try to warm up (we failed). Cookson returned unable to find the official so Taryn offered to assist him to find him, Nina and I remained still failing to warm up.
It was when they returned that Mr. Cookson had to concede defeat. Then he had the idea of us walking around the show just getting the T-shirts seen. I then collected my jacket and was asked "what are you going to do with that?"
"Put it on if it gets cold as I'm not getting ill before my holiday" I replied.
"But you won't be able to see the T-shirts if you wear that" Said Cookson
"Yes you will, you can still see the front!" I explained
This was when Cookson wanted a quiet word with me off the stand, which I refused to do. It was therefore concluded he had something to hide. I also felt that as the other two girls were also expected to freeze outside, they had a right to know what was happening. I just hoped that they would also back me up in the debate when necessary.
We spent the next ten to fifteen minutes having a heated debate regarding the fact that he obviously did not care about our feelings. We were freezing cold and yet he expected us to venture outside in the cold with just the shorts and T-shirt on. At this point Cookson pointed out that I was wearing more than the stipulated dress code and in my defence told him I was freezing!
I knew that both Nina and Taryn would be even colder than me. He then replied that last year it was warm. I felt compelled to remind him that it was now 1998 not 1997 and very cold outside. He was wearing a jacket trousers and a long sleeved shirt and tie!
At this point were interrupted by a customer inquiry. I took this chance to confer with both Nina and Taryn and to confirm their opinion. Freezing cold themselves they willingly validated my point - whilst they remained huddled around the heater! It was then that I suggested they put on their jackets, which I collected from behind the stand. The three of us then continued to discuss the fact that we had been both poorly treated and that Cookson obviously had no regards for our health.
I then collected the girls' bags and moved them forward which later Cookson moved back behind the stand and strategically placed himself and his colleague near where we were discussing our plans. We finally agreed to the idea of leaving him in the lurch with nobody to promote the stand. This was this was only the hour on the first day and we felt that with Cookson's attitude towards us we were unable to continue to work for him or Whispaire and collected our bags. Simply, the financial rewards were highly inadequate for the conditions we were expected to endure.
We just walked off site with no further communication with that nice Mr. Cookson!
My work with the Nice Girls at ModelNet has been much more fun!
