Wow ... You know, there's something special about being a part of LXG Exclusive and the events that we come up with and host to perfection. The level of commitment and emotion that surrounds the heat generated by LXG Exclusive is amazing and honestly cannot be matched. The love we have for the success of LXG Exclusive, the resilience shown by each member throughout the planning and execution stages, the professionalism displayed in the heat of the most stressful moments and the maturity to ultimately define the line between business and social demands made Cupid's Call what it came to be remembered as by all those who were a part of that night. Cupid's Call was a resounding success in all possible associations of the word!!
Cupid's Call was LXG Exclusive's 'rite of passage', that path to sure and confident delivery faced by a possibility of failing to live up to the high standards of LXG Exclusive's clients and a possible disheartened inner core. It was the most hearfelt engagement that brought near tears to the people who started LXG Exclusive and those who had helped groom the android and teach it how to walk. Sure as we were of our brilliant creative capacity, sober whispers put us in the face of some of the heaviest and most touching of possible realities going into this one and even swallowing felt like it had to fight a hard lump in our throats that we couldn't get rid of. Without confirmation, we somehow all knew that this party would be the 'be all or end all' of LXG Exclusive: did we still have what we were known for in 2009, did we still have that unmatched inner creativity and exclusive uniqueness and did we still have what we had come to boast ever so instinctivley when it came to conversations about LXG Exclusive? Times were interesting leading to Cupid's Call ....
I came up with the idea for the party sometime towards the end of last year and I had it all well visualised and ready for a storming session whenever the team was ready to make a move. The plan was to efficiently diarise the event and have everyone thinking on the same level at the back of their heads about something that we were going to do in the coming year. I planned to set out the specific roles in good enough time so as to get into to 2010 with the ball rolling way ahead of kick of time and to truly deliver beyond all immaginable expectation. The idea was well and set in my head but the situation on the ground was different from my imagination. I had run ahead with the imagination paying little respect to the fact that we were in an exam period and there was no way of getting committed impressions of the idea I had from the team and hence the presentation and planning process would be almost completely foreign to how we were all used to doing things. That was reality number 1.
Leading on to the new year and getting back to campus life, the first person who had time to spare to listen to what the plans and strategies for the year were was Vee. From the sponsorship chase and hunt that we'd all gone through over the vac, Vee found time off just before getting back to campus to listen to the vision I had for the opening half of the year. The original plan was a million times bigger and better than Cupid's Call because this party fell into a bigger whole that is going to completely change nightlife experiences everywhere we decide to host LXG Exclusive events. Nonetheless, I honestly knew that of all the team that runs LXG Exclusive, Vee would be the most ruthlessly blatant realist about the year's focus, so getting him to believe was priority number 1.
I spent a lot of time expressing the focus and covering every angle that he shot from until we reached the point where the Saturday of February 13 2010 became the most important date in the proposed future of LXG Exclusive. We were in agreement and the brainstorming began. Ideas were thrown around and most of what was needed to throw a massive first party of 2010 was in place. We were ready to run and LXG Exclusive was ready to fly .. or maybe so we thought ... The idea was ripe and ready but the team was still arriving. Cupid's Call was ready for excited execution but the team was still to hear what the plan was. Presentation would strain the execution lookin at the time that was left till the big day. That was reality number 2.
Understanding the business sense behind getting the ball rolling, we decided to brief the team as we moved on with the project, the biggest risk we ever took but the most important decision we HAD to make. We first spoke to Marius and Bongani who both took the time to listen, scrutinised what they felt could be changed and supported the objective behind the pending execution. They understood the time constraints we were facing and changed the areas they knew could be re-done more efficiently but nonetheless took the ball and ran with it.
Marius came up with execution strategies and Bongani put every effort into an ultimate time plan. Yoshi arrived a few days later and we brought him into the vision. We all contributed to decisive judgement calls and belived on some level we would realise our familiar success. The possibility of failure wasn't the best pill to swallow but we had to put that way behind our backs and move into the process of making this work. P and Khanya were still committed to engagements needing immediate attention so the responsibility was all upon us. On a more positive note this time we were beginning to fly. That was reality number 3.
Saturday February 13, 2010 @ 12:30pm ... P calls a meeting and LXG Exclusive holds the first/final briefing session, half way through set up ... he asks me to take the meeting and I realise its now or never ... In the heat of a terrible heat wave that had hit Grahamstown for days, I welcomed everyone back and let them know what it meant to have them all under one roof again. I told them what we were here to do and who we were as we went about doing better the way we were always known to be. I put aside the doubt and the creepy feeling of uncertainty, reminded everyone we were LXG Exclusive and we were responsible for the best know experience of actual delivery when it came to night life activities in the heart of Grahamstown. We are LXG Exclusive, and doing better is our way of life, a habit that defines each of us and an instinct we can't ever get rid of!!!
The party was a success and we delivered something amazing ... Our guests still remembered the core and essence of LXG Exclusive and the turn out was as clean and exclusive as we had never imagined! The girls were amazing, all dressed to change lives!!!!! The guys were all true gentlemen, dressed to the tone of LXG Exclusive, appropriate and classy with the essence of effortless magic!! LXG Exclusive was back and the team was more than excited to see it happen. I was as happy as anything but i still felt empty because I hadn't seen Khanya's reaction to what we'd managed to pull off.
She'd been thinly stretched and had to host an important 21st party on the night of LXG Exclusive, but her opinion and feeling was still as important as what i received from Marius and Bongani as the night went on. In the heat of all excitment, she showed up beaming with happiness and said that 'Zenz, its official, LXG is back!!!' That to me sealed the deal for the business, the whole team of LXG was happy with the success! We were back at doing amazing things and we all believed in each other again .... LXG showed us that its ready to run on its own and we dont have to worry about its future anymore. It was able to run itself with a little bit of attention here and there but nothing like it needed before. We had created a real android that was ready to be its own existence. LXG Exclusive was making sense and we loved what it told us about the future!!!!!!
So in all of this and with high anticiation for the next event, special thanks go to the planning team for believing that we're different from anybody else out there. Its one thing to think of something but a totally different one when it comes to believing in it because somewhere between those states lies the reality of true success or sad failure. We're thankful to the energy and life brought into logistics by the new kid on the scene , Siphesihle 'S'phe' Mdakane who blindly supported the drive towards Cupid's Call from day one till 5am on the morning of the 14th of February. We're thankful to Edith Mushoperi and Thato for covering the blindside when the openside was an open highway at times when the team was riding high on the tide of execution. The loyalty and friendship could never ever be replaced. You are what makes us happen when we need first responders. Your friendship to LXG Exclusive will never go unnoticed.
To Slick Tyamzashe, your efforts are beyond our description. Your transformation to a leading team role over the last few months shows us why we'll never fail because we're all united with an aresenal of creativity, bound to never walk alone on the shaky bridges we find ourselves on.
To our Private Members, your support makes us LXG Exclusive in essence. We would never have happened had you not showed up to the first Warden's warming at the Cory Flat. This is a personal extension to Tshidi, Thulz, Jerry, Thamz, Kong, Bear, Gugz, Lil' Kevin, Banzi, Tapiwa, Mave, Dan, John Shija, KG, Bokang, Raps, Drigo, Theo, Lelo and Ntsako. These are the original members of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and the support they've shown and continue to show ensures that we'll forever be successful and have a contunious drive for ultimate success.
Cupid Called Out Loud .. we have arrived and are back with creative energy ..
We are LXG Exclusive ...
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