Well, we weren’t exactly watching TV; we were watching videos in The 4EVER Group’s Artistic Achievement Awards competition. I moderated the panel of five judges, all of whom were experienced, professional videographers.
This was the second and final round of judging. The judges, who remain unidentified until the awards are presented in January, all gathered at a New York-area hotel to review the videos together. In the first round, the judges watched the videos in their own studios.
We had fifteen different categories in the competition, so that meant that judges had several long days of work. We started each day with an 8am breakfast meeting, so we could start work around 9am. The earliest we ended for the day 10:30pm, and we went to 12:30am one night. The judging went from Monday morning to Thursday morning.
There were some great videos in the competition, which will make for an outstanding banquet program at VIDEO 08, on January 21.
A word about the venue. This was the third year we’re hosted the final round near JFK airport. Tellingly, this was the third different venue we’ve used. We would return to a property if they met our needs. For a meeting with 6 people, you would think that the process wouldn’t be too complicated. Next year, we’ll be selecting our fourth venue in four years.
I believe that we run a pretty low-maintenance meeting. We have the room available all week, and we get breaks served at scheduled times. We ask for water pitchers, and that they get checked every 3-4 hours, along with the trash. We have lunch and dinner brought into the room as well. Even with the specific instructions I prepared for the hotel (having run this specific event several times, I know the routine), the hotel staff could not meet our needs.
Our meeting was held at the Hilton Garden Inn near JFK airport, in Jamaica Queens. While it was a clean and pleasant environment, my experience as a meeting planner was terrible. I outlined for the hotel staff, in detail, every day what the challenges were, and how to make our experience better. Even with daily coaching, they still could not get the details right.
That’s it for meetings that I’m running for this year, I believe. I hate to end up with a lousy venue, but the hotel industry has some clear challenges that they’re not meeting.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Friday, October 19, 2007
Am I Getting Old?
I think my son would answer the question by saying that I’m already old. Anyway, since I’ve been recording social events professionally since 1984, I’ve worked within the same family, or same circle of friends, many times. Over the last 5-7 years, some work has been what I call “second generation”. By that, I mean that I’ve worked with this specific guest of honor before (like a Bat Mitzvah), and now they’re coming to me for the next life cycle event, usually a wedding. Hopefully, there’s at least a 10-year gap between a Bar or Bat Mitzvah and a wedding.
Last weekend featured a different kind of second generation event. About 15 years ago, I recorded the wedding of Joan and Steve. That’s them in the synagogue photo above (Photos courtesy of Casual Candids, http://www.casualcandids.com/), with their daughter, Claire. I’d have to check, but I’m pretty sure that this is the first time I’ve done the wedding of the parents, and then the Bar or Bat Mitzvah many years later.
To illustrate how we often work within a circle, there were several other clients in attendance. There were two couples whose weddings I had recorded within the last 10 years or so-along with their children, and the parents of another couple. That’s a nice environment in which to work, especially because I’m also friendly with their photographer and DJ.
Last weekend featured a different kind of second generation event. About 15 years ago, I recorded the wedding of Joan and Steve. That’s them in the synagogue photo above (Photos courtesy of Casual Candids, http://www.casualcandids.com/), with their daughter, Claire. I’d have to check, but I’m pretty sure that this is the first time I’ve done the wedding of the parents, and then the Bar or Bat Mitzvah many years later.
To illustrate how we often work within a circle, there were several other clients in attendance. There were two couples whose weddings I had recorded within the last 10 years or so-along with their children, and the parents of another couple. That’s a nice environment in which to work, especially because I’m also friendly with their photographer and DJ.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
You Can't Get There From Here!
Had things run smoothly, I was in for a layover of about 5 hours at LAX on my way from Anchorage. However, with airlines these days, things just don’t run smoothly.
The Anchorage-LAX flight was pretty close to on time, and was blissfully about 60% full. I had packed pretty tightly on the way to Alaska, but I included a bunch of stuff that I was giving away at the association meeting. What I forgot to factor in was a) the stuff that I was going to buy, and b) the unexpected gifts from the association. So it was just dumb luck that my bag weighed in at exactly 49.5 lbs.
One side note about the Anchorage airport: I had not experienced an airport with so many dogs on hand. These were pets, or maybe hunting companions, not service animals. It’s was pretty surreal to see a woman just walking her dog through the concourse.
Here’s a good word about Alaska Airlines: I ended up with an exit row seat on all four legs of this trip. And another good word: they got me and my bags safely and intact to the same place at the same time.
With that being said, the layover at LAX was a miserable experience. At least my good friend Jay Stein was kind enough to meet me at about 8am on a Saturday to get me out for a while. We ended up taking a ride to Santa Monica for breakfast (I don’t do brunch, you see).The contrast between Friday at the glaciers and Saturday near the Santa Monica Pier could not have been more extreme.
Jay had me out of the airport for a bit over two hours. If the schedule had held, that would have left me with a little over two hours until the flight to DC boarded. That didn’t happen.
In hindsight, Alaska Airlines clearly knew that the plane had a mechanical issue before it even landed at LAX. Like most passengers, I’m in favor of them solving mechanical issues before flying. But, like most passengers, I also appreciate honest communication. Alaska Airlines failed on that account. It was a good two hours past the scheduled departure before they owned the mechanical problem. That came after we were told to go get lunch. Only when we returned did they offer lunch vouchers (a $6.00 value!).
Anyway, we kept killing time. We watched some football. We worked. We made phone calls. We got dinner vouchers ($8.00!). And then, finally, after about 6 extra hours (remember, that was on top of a scheduled 5-hour layover after a redeye flight), we got to leave LAX on a replacement plane.
There was a young couple on the Anchorage-LAX flight with me that also continued on the LAX-DC leg. They had their seven-month old baby with them. The TSA team at Anchorage made them open the food they had packed for the baby, contrary to current TSA policies. They were in danger of running out of food before the flight from LAX, and there was no place in the airport to buy formula. Fortunately, after they raised enough of a stink, the airline did send someone out to buy them formula. And the baby was great for the entire trip, including that extended wait.
The other challenge was that the plane landed in DC a little after 2am. Considering that I’d been on the go since about 8am Friday in Anchorage, I thought that safety demanded that I get myself into a hotel asap. And I did just that, because I was driving on to Chicago the next morning, for a corporate shoot on Monday.
The Anchorage-LAX flight was pretty close to on time, and was blissfully about 60% full. I had packed pretty tightly on the way to Alaska, but I included a bunch of stuff that I was giving away at the association meeting. What I forgot to factor in was a) the stuff that I was going to buy, and b) the unexpected gifts from the association. So it was just dumb luck that my bag weighed in at exactly 49.5 lbs.
One side note about the Anchorage airport: I had not experienced an airport with so many dogs on hand. These were pets, or maybe hunting companions, not service animals. It’s was pretty surreal to see a woman just walking her dog through the concourse.
Here’s a good word about Alaska Airlines: I ended up with an exit row seat on all four legs of this trip. And another good word: they got me and my bags safely and intact to the same place at the same time.
With that being said, the layover at LAX was a miserable experience. At least my good friend Jay Stein was kind enough to meet me at about 8am on a Saturday to get me out for a while. We ended up taking a ride to Santa Monica for breakfast (I don’t do brunch, you see).The contrast between Friday at the glaciers and Saturday near the Santa Monica Pier could not have been more extreme.
Jay had me out of the airport for a bit over two hours. If the schedule had held, that would have left me with a little over two hours until the flight to DC boarded. That didn’t happen.
In hindsight, Alaska Airlines clearly knew that the plane had a mechanical issue before it even landed at LAX. Like most passengers, I’m in favor of them solving mechanical issues before flying. But, like most passengers, I also appreciate honest communication. Alaska Airlines failed on that account. It was a good two hours past the scheduled departure before they owned the mechanical problem. That came after we were told to go get lunch. Only when we returned did they offer lunch vouchers (a $6.00 value!).
Anyway, we kept killing time. We watched some football. We worked. We made phone calls. We got dinner vouchers ($8.00!). And then, finally, after about 6 extra hours (remember, that was on top of a scheduled 5-hour layover after a redeye flight), we got to leave LAX on a replacement plane.
There was a young couple on the Anchorage-LAX flight with me that also continued on the LAX-DC leg. They had their seven-month old baby with them. The TSA team at Anchorage made them open the food they had packed for the baby, contrary to current TSA policies. They were in danger of running out of food before the flight from LAX, and there was no place in the airport to buy formula. Fortunately, after they raised enough of a stink, the airline did send someone out to buy them formula. And the baby was great for the entire trip, including that extended wait.
The other challenge was that the plane landed in DC a little after 2am. Considering that I’d been on the go since about 8am Friday in Anchorage, I thought that safety demanded that I get myself into a hotel asap. And I did just that, because I was driving on to Chicago the next morning, for a corporate shoot on Monday.
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