Scotweek hosts celeb-filled live red-carpet at the Fairmont Hotel in Santa Monica.

Like most females in Los Angeles - I had forgotten how to put makeup on and was feeling rather pleased that my weekly laundry was now monthly, and consisted of dark colored sweat pants! So when fellow British publicist Jane Owen gave me a call to partner with her for an upcoming red carpet event, I shaved my legs, plucked my brows, dyed my gray hair and said, "count me in!" Hello events and bye bye Netflix!

Mostly consisting of virtual events taking place in April for Scotweek 2021, the red carpet was to take place at the Fairmont Hotel and Bungalow in Santa Monica, CA. Another plus for me, it was walking distance!

Jane had hired a covid compliance officer for $500 so all the safety measures were in order.

Plaid trousers on, blue eyeshadow, (I was overly excited) I set off to work and looking forward to see a few familiar faces which I had missed.

On arrival it was certainly a different set-up to the other 100+ carpets I had done. The photographers were spaced 8 feet apart and stepped back to enable others to shoot their photos whilst politely waiting their turn, as opposed to telling each other "get the hell out of my shot you *+#%-hole!" There was also a sense of relief and appreciation in the air, we were with humans!

VIP guests included actor Tony Curran, singer Samantha Mumba, Producer Cj day Cowboy, actresses Tara Reid, Guy Ritchie regular a tree & supermodel Eugenia Kuzmina, Scottish actress Erin Gavin, accessory designer of the year Margaret Rowe, actor Matthew Postlethwaite, socialite Lady Victoria Hervey, Producer Cindy Cowan, comedian Jessica Winther, influencers Shaka Smith, Hari Tahov, reality TV stars of Gown And Out In Beverly Hills Patrik Simpson & Pol Atteu, along with artist Amber Goldhammer, celebrity real estate agent Bronwyn Leigh Jones and other industry leaders from both Scotland and LA.

All guests were asked to keep their masks on before and after walking the red carpet. Things went smoothly until one guest had a 'royal' heated argument with the compliance officer/photographer and refused to abide by the mask rules, and the Balvenie Scottish whiskey hadn't even been opened at this point!

Jane and myself tried to calm the situation down as we found ourselves in new Covid waters. Luckily rules are rules and things went ahead as planned.

To make all guests/teamsters feel safe for upcoming events many changes are in place. A city certified covid compliance officer must be present throughout the entire event, microphones for interviews must have covers that are changed between interviews, several stations with sanitizer and extra masks throughout the event space replace beverage and food stations, masks on when not on the the carpet and keep your distance. It certainly is a new way of doing things, but Jane and myself were grateful for the opportunity to get back to work and feel a sense of achievement.

Much different might I add to the recent achievements l am proud of such as watching Bridgeton (twice) in one sitting and eating two Easter Eggs from the Kings Head Shoppe in one sitting without being ill!

Lucky guests were given wonderful gift bags that contained a selection of treats including 'Wish Beads', Whisky Flasks and Balvenie Whisky from William Grant & Sons - whisky flasks Ales from MacLeods Ale Brewery, an 'Essence of Harris" Beverly Hills gift certificate and 'Urban Dapper Club' Pocket Squares.

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Held mostly virtually on April 16 and 17, ScotWeek 2021 aims to be the most amazing event to date. Both days start early with presentations, motivational talks, fun panel discussions and amazing entertainment during ScotCon. Afterwards, there will be a gala dinner which includes a very special ScotWeek menu with signature cocktails. After the Gala, attendees will be treated to Shakespeare's Globe 2013 production of Macbeth, free to all audiences.

***ScotWeek's mission is to provide scholarship and internship opportunities to students. Bylaws are written such that no director or person on the board will ever profit from ScotWeek personally either directly or indirectly. ScotWeek is so incredibly committed to its mission that sponsors can rest assured of transparency and commitment to keeping operating costs down to focus on that mission.