Continental Drifts was employed by Weber Shandwick in 2007 to produce a unique celebrity event supporting Sochi's 2014 Winter Olympic bid. We were given this contract only five days before the event was due to take place and had to liaise with a team of Russian diplomats to ensure their expectations of the event were met, as well as working closely with Maria Sharapova's management company to ensure that there was no risk of her slipping on the snow as the event was the week before Wimbledon.

Continental Drifts organised and managed a photo shoot where Sharapova played tennis with a group of schoolchildren on a grass pitch surrounded by snow-covered trees… in London, in the middle of summer. This was followed by a press conference.

We secured the central London location, built the set, employed specialists Snow Business to create the snow effects, brought in ball boys and girls and an umpire to add authenticity, and created a tiered seating area and catering provision for the many guests.

Photos: Jon Gee