In the middle of a soiree at Orville 'Shaggy' Burrell's St Andrew home on Wednesday night, the host, standing over an elegantly decorated cake, a knife in one hand, champagne glass in the other, asked the daring question, "Who's ready to do it again?"

Almost instantly a band of hands went skyward, accompanied by shouts of approval. It was a get- together for sponsors and volunteers of the successful Shaggy and Friends I Dare You concert, which raised $27 million for the Bustamante Hospital for Children. The responses must have been heartening for Shaggy.

"We did all of this in such a short time. It was a miracle,"said Shaggy. "It just goes to show nobody can't stop wi when wi work together."

It took a lot of work from a lot of people to create the 'miracle' last Saturday on the lawns of Jamaica House. More than 3,000 people witnessed free performances from more than a dozen artistes, and most came away feeling that the show was one of the best they had ever seen.

fast asleep

However, as the patrons enjoyed the high-class entertainment, food, drink and atmosphere, there were several persons who did not see or hear a thing. They were fast asleep, having toiled continuously just so the show could become a reality. They overcame the challenges so that thousands would feel that their money was well spent.

"Timing was of the essence," said John Swaby of John Swaby Entertainment, a company that provided the stage, sound, lighting and power for the event. The company handles all kinds of events, from stage shows to weddings.

He explained that the date, January 3, was an issue because most of his equipment was scattered across the island for several weddings on New Year's Day, a show in Negril and an event at the Trelawny multi-purpose complex.

However, not only did they get everything to Kingston, they did so by the morning of January 3. Swaby, who also runs Truckback Records, said a crew of between 40 and 45 people, led by Andrew Davis, worked all through the night and had the stage, light and sound ready by 10 a.m. last Saturday.

Swaby was one of several experts in their respective fields brought in by the show's producers, Sharon Burke and Rebecca Packer. Both women were part of the core team of people who came together late last year to start planning the show.

Shaggy had always wanted to put on a telethon, Packer said, with Cindi Lauper, but he could never find the time. But last year when the father of a little girl, who had been shot in the head and was a patient at the Bustamante Hospital, approached him and showed him the girl on a ventilator he had bought for the hospital, Shaggy decided to make it happen.

"He pulled for Sharon to do the show with him. We got Sharon on-board and she kind of brought all of the elements together. She said Ronnie Burke would be her partner on it and then we started grabbing for sponsors," Packer recalled.

Sharon Burke, a long-time veteran in the entertainment industry, who runs Solid Agency, a booking and artiste management agency, had little trouble pulling in some of the more established sponsors. She revealed that by mid-November last year, Shaggy took representatives of some of the first sponsors on-board to dinner. Among them, Shelly Brown of Digicel, William Mahfood of Wisynco, David McConnell and Andrew Pryce of J. Wray and Nephew, and Greg Christian from Cari-Med. Burrell explained to them what he was doing and why he was doing it. CVM's David McBean joined the team shortly after.

Sharon said she then began pulling in people who would make up the production team. Robert Livingston of Big Yard was a key member, and so was Ronnie Burke, who has extensive experience producing Reggae Sunsplash, once the premier stage show in Jamaica. Charmaine Franklyn handled the bookings, flights and ground transportation.

Jacqui Tyson was also on-board from the outset. Tyson, an event planner and producer, operates From Thought to Finish, a company through which she peddles her exceptional skills primarily to corporate Jamaica. She was entrusted with the task of designing the venue to cater to the needs of the clientele who were paying between $5,000 and $20,000 for tickets.

VIP section

Tyson revealed that at the first meeting there was a general agreement there would only be a VIP section. That idea would evolve through the course of subsequent meetings into a silver section for patrons who bought $5,000 tickets, a gold section for those who bought $10,000 tickets, and a platinum section for those buying J$20,000 tickets.

Tyson supervised a staff of 30, including four chefs, to prepare a special six-course meal for the platinum ticket holders. More than 3,000 yards of fabric were donated by L.P. Azar to decorate tents. J. Wray and Nephew, Red Stripe and CPJ Ltd contributed almost $2 million dollars worth of alcohol that was served to patrons.

She also commandeered volunteers from Scotiabank, who were ushers on the red carpet.

Tyson said the task, which would usually take a week to complete, was done in 48 hours. The secret to her success, she said, was to use suppliers who were not novices and who understood what it would take to make such an event happen.

Packer and the team entrusted public relations to Angela Thame of The Creative House Ltd who, by everyone's estimation, did an amazing job getting the media involved and the word out about the show. So, too, did Micky DeMercardo of Phoenix Printery that printed flyers, banners and directional signs for the event.

Sharon Burke, who cried when the concert ended, said she never had a doubt that the show would get done. 'Yes, We Can', she said, was her motto, and the team was led very ably by Shaggy, whom she described as "the captain".

"I was overwhelmed. It just shows what we can do as Jamaicans," Shaggy said of the process. "It's moments like this that make me proud to be Jamaican. I dared them and they stepped up to the plate."