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Meet USERN Alumni: The Logistics of a Venue Underground!
Heavy Rain in Tehran had Flooded all Over the Tumbled down Convention Centre of Tehran Azadi Tower. They Had to Spend the Whole three days to flush off the Water and We Burnt Odour Sticks to get over the Heavy Smell of mist. Persian Carpets Spread Over the Water-Buckled Wooden Floor of the Stage…
It took the organizing committee of USERN a long time to pick between different places to hold the final ceremony of the USERN Festival.
'' [it] had to be glamorous, as we were having special guests, the minister of science, the Nobel laureate and the recipients, and also big enough, first thing it had to be a real big festival!’’. They primary options were: the Iran Academia Yard and the National Library, quite neat but very small, the Vahdat Hall of Tehran, specially designed for art performances, the Milad Tower of Tehran, initially promised for free for the night of the festival, and the central building of TUMS. We ran out of options very soon; with the Milad Tower suggestion reduced to a Tower visit and dinner, and the National library went under serious constructions. We were confident about the facilities and cooperation of the TUMS building -turned into an all in support-, so we went for the Azadi Option for the festival. Not being sure if the space was enough or not.’'
Nima Rezaei, USERN Congress Chair
It was next, Saboura Ashkevarian, to undertake the responsibilities of the festival. They had planned a round tour of the tower, followed by the prize festival, the music, performances and later to be feasted by the UNESCO with a local Rashti dinner, a national cultural heritage of Iran. Saboura told us that none of it went well and as planned, but leaves it not to be talked of, as the mess was, as she describes ‘’ Fault of UNESCO, Tower officials and Rasht, altogether’’!
Yet, we all remember the night of the USERN Prize, first of its kind, to be the loveliest night of the three day congress. This comes to light even more, when we know of the back stage misfortunes, in the ‘’multi-vision’’ hall of the Azadi Tower. There was an unexpected and heavy rain, just a day before the opening of the congress, one that is quite unusual for this time of the year, as says Saboura. The hall is located beneath the ground, 5-7 meters! The whole hall was flooded with water for at least one meter. It took, two big water pumps, Industrial fans and blowers, to flush the water from the main stage and the front row of the seats. Yet, a very repugnant smell of mist and wood was all in the air, and we couldn’t get rid of that. Shahosseini, Barghi, and other members of team, put scented sticks, burning all around the seats and before the lectern and stage to blow away the smell.
By the morning of November 10th, the wood rods of the stage, had absorbed enough damp, blew into buckled logs. Thanks to the help of the tower support service, some sticks were excised and the stage was surfaced with Persian carpet to cover up the holes. Thanks to Saboura and her team, the festival went very well with the USERN Laureates introduced and the pretty, tile works, carpets, calligraphies and the colour glass overhead, adding to the Nostalgia that the Azadi tower would bring to us every year.