AND...Happy New Year!

It’s that time of year again!

December 31st, 2013

I am seeing on websites and on TV “The Top 10

news moments of 2013”, the “Best new music for 2013” and of course “In Memoriam

2013”. Always at this time of year. Of course it made me think about my own

2013 with Show Ready Events. What a year!

We had some fine moments. In March, we had “Challenge Management” with tough

events in Calgary, Washington DC, Houston, and Long Island. In each case, the

SRE team applied their talents, and made difficult situations turn into shining

moments. Truly. Moments that I have no doubt will change lives.

In April, the grind and excitement of the 2013 FIRST Championship Event in St.

Louis. That event is so amazing and large that sometimes I have to consider

everything that happened post show, so that I can see it in slow motion and

realize how awesome my team is, my clients are, and how lucky the attendees are

to have a truly once in a lifetime experience that will shape their lives.

In June, some amazing events in Washington DC, in particular the FLL Global

Innovation Award, which is so much challenge AND fun combined with the most

amazing group of dedicated clients you can imagine. I’ll never forget when I

glanced across the room while I was calling the show and saw our key note

speaker literally swaying with sweat pouring down his face and his eyes almost

rolling into the back of his head. He was close to passing out with less than

15 minutes to his podium time. After some quick communication with Shawnna, she

put on her cape, flew through the room in true superwoman stature, and swooped

him out, got him water and some privacy, and after ensuring he was okay,

returned him to the room just in time to take the podium! Phew!

The very next day Shawnna and I were Lennon and McCartney again at the US State

Department with a whole new crew of talent to manage, and a very very cranky

manager who wasn’t too happy that Blair Hundertmark from FIRST not only was

eating yogurt in her food free auditorium, but that we had stolen “Her” couches

and tables from the lobby for a stage set. Living the dream in DC!

This summer Sandy and I went with our clients from FIRST to Cape Cod,

Massachusetts for site inspections of various hotels and facilities for an event

next summer there. We had a loooong day in the rain and figured out how to

approach this event next year which we are very excited about!

I also visited new venues in WAY North Canada, (North Bay Ontario) and WAY South

Canada (Windsor Ontario) and met new friends and spaces and look forward to

those events this spring.

Also this summer I felt lucky to be part of a professional selection process for

the FIRST Championship which allowed me go to Louisville, Kentucky where I was

so happy to walk the soles off my shoes in the heat, Indianapolis, where I

realized that a great city had grown into amazing one, Atlanta, where I got to

see Dia’s eyes widen as big as the tanks at the Georgia Aquarium and

rediscovered old friends and met new ones. I was truly amazed after realizing

that not only is Detroit an awesome city to visit, they have an amazing team of dedicated professionals that I know are going to re-polish this gem, and make

sure everyone else they come into contact with is a believer in that city, as I

now am. In fact I can’t wait to go back there!

This fall brought me closer to my clients at the Vendome Group. What an amazing

group of professionals that pull off so many great shows (and a huge one) while

in constant motion! Everything went about as great as it could have in two huge

resorts in Orlando, for 4,000 attendees. What a great feeling at the end of the

show to sit and have a drink (or....maybe more?) with this great group of

friends! And the power of unintended inspiration when Mike Whittington from

the Mike Whittington & Associates group and I simply have a conversation about

event details and I can feel his dedication and intensity.

Perhaps the best parts of 2013 was bringing on Kari and getting Jenny back on

board after becoming a new mom and seeing Sandy take on new responsibilities.

And realizing that I have to be happy for Andrea as she moves on, and know that

she is brave enough to seek what she wants in life. (It was hard not to be sad

after all of these amazing years...) And knowing that Brian is always there, and

seeing him pick up this and that and making a difference. And hearing Shawnna

laugh in a restaurant after a long intense day of training and breathing in her

positivity. And Mindy trying to disconnect a dozen laptops and organize them

after 5 intense 15 hour plus days in a row, and Kevin and Kerrell telling me

that they love working with SRE and don’t have experiences like this the rest of

the year......and...and....and....and......!

I hope that you all are as lucky as me and take the time out to find out your

positive happenings from 2013. Gee....now I feel like I don’t know how I can top

2013......Well, here comes 2014 ready or not!

Happy New Year to all of our friends, followers, clients, and co-conspirators!

S!