Elite Model Look

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Elite Model Look contestants

Public events are a big part of eml. Because the event is televised live in many markets, the girls do many frequent appearances to build publicity, while giving the models the opportunity to develop their confidence and partake in new experiences. On the second day of eml for instance, following all the on-site grooming, walking, meeting, greeting and shooting, the models and chaperons went to dinner at a Korean Barbeque. "In Asia they do this thing call a wish tree," says MacGillivray, "where you write out a wish and tie it to a tree. All the girls got these cards to write their wish on, in any language they are comfortable with, then one-by-one they went to the wish tree and we did photos. It was really wonderful and the girls had a great time."

"Then boom, we take them back to the hotel and put them to bed."

Once the girls were safely tucked in their rooms for the night the chaperons continued their work. "Basically it was very repetitive. Every night all the chaperons would have a meeting to decide what the girls would be wearing the next day. They all got several different t-shirts and jackets, and they would be dressed exactly the same as one another every day. Every night we would decide what they would be wearing the next day – what colour t-shirt, what jacket. The jackets had removable hoods and sleeves, so we'd say 'okay, sleeves off,' and change it up a little bit."

In total there were eight chaperons from different countries (Canada, Brazil, Spain, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Slovakia and France) to ensure all of the 67 models would be able to understand and follow along. According to MacGillivray, despite the fact there were no Asian chaperons, all of the Asian contestants spoke perfect English with the exception of the model from Japan who still understood a lot of English, and stayed with her bilingual agent throughout the 12 days to ensure she too could communicate effectively.

One of the biggest communications issues was ensuring the models knew where they were going. "Their schedules are completely full, so it's not like there are a couple hours where you can say 'go roam the city.' There isn't that time allotment – there's so much to do because is such a big production. The girls are kept very, very busy, and when they did have a little bit of free time they wanted to go to the hotel pool or the gym, or go on the internet."

Despite the long days and hours upon hours of preparation, MacGillivray says the competition was a bonding experience for the models. "It was great seeing all the girls get to know each other and form friendships. I'm still getting e-mails from all the girls. One's in Australia, one's in Oregon, one's in Panama and one's in Uruguay. They're still all in contact. So hopefully they've made some lifelong friends from the experience."

One thing they have definitely made is connections. With agents from across the Elite Network in attendance, each of the 67 contestants now has someone in each Elite market that can testify to her abilities, and her marketabilities.

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