"You Look More Relaxed. Today."
I'm sitting here at registration on the third and final day of the BlogHer conference and it is nice and low-key and mellow, and does not involve me running from Point A to, oh, I dunno, Point Q382.
I miss you, blog.
The conference has gone very, very well. I think. That's what people keep saying, and I think they are being truthful, except if I were them and you were me, and you looked like your makeup was falling off your face and your hair was especially "whimsical" and I noticed that you tried to hold the phone up to your ear even though your bluetooth was already in that ear, I would probably say nice things to you, too.
Honestly, I have never been more stressed, nor have I ever worked harder in my whole life. And it still wasn't perfect. Yeah, there were some issues -- there always are -- but I try and remind myself I just can't control everything, and something WILL go wrong, and it's my job to fix it as quickly and quietly as possible.
And sometimes it's just not that possible.
So when some woman came up to me and asked, "Are you the Kristy that's in charge of everything?" I almost burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of that idea, and wanted to say something like, "NO I THINK SHE LEFT A FEW HOURS AGO, YAMMERING SOMETHING ABOUT JUMPING IN THE LAKE" except that would maybe be unprofessional and also not instill the kind of confidence in me that an attendee would perhaps want.
But!
Things are, really, mostly good, and I am looking forward to reading the re-caps and seeing the photos and processing everything and incorporating it all into one big picture of what actually happened at BlogHer 07. :)
I miss you, blog.
The conference has gone very, very well. I think. That's what people keep saying, and I think they are being truthful, except if I were them and you were me, and you looked like your makeup was falling off your face and your hair was especially "whimsical" and I noticed that you tried to hold the phone up to your ear even though your bluetooth was already in that ear, I would probably say nice things to you, too.
Honestly, I have never been more stressed, nor have I ever worked harder in my whole life. And it still wasn't perfect. Yeah, there were some issues -- there always are -- but I try and remind myself I just can't control everything, and something WILL go wrong, and it's my job to fix it as quickly and quietly as possible.
And sometimes it's just not that possible.
So when some woman came up to me and asked, "Are you the Kristy that's in charge of everything?" I almost burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of that idea, and wanted to say something like, "NO I THINK SHE LEFT A FEW HOURS AGO, YAMMERING SOMETHING ABOUT JUMPING IN THE LAKE" except that would maybe be unprofessional and also not instill the kind of confidence in me that an attendee would perhaps want.
But!
Things are, really, mostly good, and I am looking forward to reading the re-caps and seeing the photos and processing everything and incorporating it all into one big picture of what actually happened at BlogHer 07. :)
congratulations on what I would call a very successful event (I am at the airport right now, en route home to Minneapolis).
ReplyDeleteI worked as a professional event planner for years, specializing in conferences, and I think I can say with some authority that yes, Kristy, your event was a success. You worked hard and it showed.
I used to judge my events by three criteria:
1) Did people show up?
2) Did they have fun?
3) Were there any major disasters?
If you nail two of those, you've had a successful event... i'd say you nailed all three. :-)
~jessica
Props to you! I'm back home in the Bay Area now (and fresh from a nap) and have had time to reflect on this year's event compared to last year
ReplyDelete...what a difference an event planner makes! Thanks for all your hard work making BlogHer07 such a success! BlogHer07 just seemed so much more professional and smoothly run and FUN! It was a blast!
I'm sure you did a kick ass job; I'm also sure you need to report immediately to a martini.
ReplyDeleteFor Serious.
Congrats! As a planner of much smaller and much less professional events, I am in awe. I know how much work an informal picnic for 300 is. I can’t imagine a huge 3-day conference. Enjoy basking in your success :)
ReplyDeleteI have done quite a bit of planning for conferences in the past, including some BIG ones, and I know how much work they are. I'm sure you did an excellent job and everything went very well. Of course there are always issues, but I'm sure they were taken care of quickly and professionally (and did NOT include jumping into Lake Michigan! LOL)
ReplyDeleteI just wish I could have been there - - I'm sure it was fun!
so do you get a little vacation time now that the event is over?
ReplyDeleteHii!
ReplyDeleteIm a secret stalker of your blog and think you're just fabulous :) Check out jennsylvania.com...Jen Lancaster's blog. BlogHer is mentioned in her new post!
Keep writing...you brighten up my day!
You are awesome! I am so glad I got to "work" with you/ for you, etc. I think the issues you may remember were either not noticed or already forgotten. It was a great conference.
ReplyDelete;)
I don't have a blog (unless you count the very infrequent posts I've made on myspace ;) ), but enjoy reading a lot of them, and thought that you might appreciate this perspective from "NinjaPoodles:"
ReplyDeletehttp://ninjapoodles.blogspot.com/2007/07/more-to-come-i-swear.html#links
Obviously she had a good time, but there's always room for improvement! :)
I, for one, am glad you're back, and looking forward to more posts from you. :D
You should know that my mom, who has been to about 800bazillion conferences, wanted me to pass on how it was the single most organized, professional event she had ever seen.
ReplyDeleteShe is still talking about the fact that no one left before the keynote.
So yay to you and all the other women-behind-the-women.
Best. Conference. Ever.
ReplyDeleteUm, my first conference ever, too, but still. I will definitely be back next year. :)
Great work!