What’s making walk-on girls uncomfortable?
WE SEE THEM in malls, at special events, and there are perhaps very few stands at the Dubai World Trade Centre where you wouldn’t find them! Events managers highly recommend promotional models to elevate any events’ presentation and efficiency, yet following the recent axe of darts walk-on girls by the professional Darts Corporation PDC in UK, and Formula 1 announcing that they are not going to use grid girls in this year’s championships, will Dubai follow in their footsteps? We spoke to a few veteran local promoters about the importance of walk-on girls, and what will happen if such a rule is applied in Dubai.
Victoria Khinchagova (Russia) - grid girl, model, and promoter for 12 years
It’s sad to know that people consider us as just “pretty faces” without knowing that many of us have a good education. This is not an easy job. We have to learn about products we are promoting. We also have to look glamorous – in heels and outfits – for long periods of time. I’ve worked at various events in UAE as a hostess and as a promoter, and I can say that by having promotional models at events, many companies can improve their networking field and
Ana Sapundzic (Serbia) – receptionist and former promoter for 10 years
Many people take up this job because it’s flexible and the money is good. Some people find promotion jobs easier to do than what they have qualified for, maybe. Most of the work is based on presentation and communication, which on the grand scale of skills, isn’t the hardest thing to accomplish – if you possess these skills naturally. I think a ban on promoters would see many girls go out of the city. Regarding business, it all depends on the calibre of the promoter. If the client experience! Many girls, including me, enjoy working at events because every time it’s something different. We learn many new things, see nice places and meet interesting people. If such a ban is implemented here, it would have a huge impact on those working in events industry. promoter is well informed and knowledgeable about the subject, then yes, I’m sure it can have a positive impact. But if he/she is just standing there smiling, then it’s just a distraction for people trying to do business.
Sarah Jayne Hart (England) – worldwide promoter for 10 years
Darts girls and grid girls are an essential part of the entertainment. They aren’t like your traditional promoters or hostesses. If you take them away, you are essentially taking part of the show away, which people from all over the world come to see. What will the authorities actually achieve by axing them? All they are doing is taking away jobs from girls who choose to do this job, enjoy it and some of them also use the money to pay off university fees.
Rachael Stevenson – event manager, UK and Dubai
Four years back, I became head of operations of the talent agency Bareface. Before this, I was working as a promotional model and hostess in the UK for around 22 years. It is a real shame the way that the media, particularly in the UK, has been portraying female promotional models and hostesses. Their job roles today have moved way beyond just being hired for deocrative purposes. They are an asset to a team. They are not there just for look of the event. It will be sad to see them out of F1 events. It will affect the race when it comes to Abu Dhabi this November. It would be right to open up the grid role to male promotion models, and also to continue to create innovative and inventive new promotional job roles necessary for event sponsors to bring attention to their business.