West By God Virginia

Good Gravy!  I see that some of you have left some amazing replies to my post yesterday.  It helps me more than you could know to get some insight from those removed from the situation.  Sometimes just living the frustration from day to day can bog you down and it takes words coming from someone else's mouth to help point you in the right direction.  I have some amazing blog readers!

I don't have any insightful professional topics to write about tonight.  Actually, I'm a liar.  I had an entire blog post written out about false perceptions vs. real reality, but it got wordy, I had trouble making a point, and I just didn't like it.

So I hit delete... quite a few times, in fact.

I'd really just like to tell you about the fabulous time I had in West By God Virginia today.

This afternoon was left class free so that VMS students could go on a tour, or ride a horse, or play some golf (or maybe take a nap).  Based on the recommendation by a 2nd year student, I signed up to go on the Wheeling tour.  The tour would take us around town and to the Capital Theatre and West Banco Arena. 

Little did I know how INTERSTING that tour would be.

Venues aside (both were lovely, the theater being my favorite, I am partial after all), I absolutely became enamored by the history of Wheeling.  I had no idea it existed before hearing about VMS, but wow, what a history. 

How about a summary?  Here goes:

• Locals call it the real gateway to the West.  After hearing why, I might agree.  Sorry St. Louis.
• Wheeling had filtered city water pumped to their houses 3 years before Manhattan.  Take that NYC!
• The National Road runs right through the heart of town.
• It's home to the oldest, functioning suspension bridge in the US.
• Someone said the steam boat was invented here, but really I just think a TON were manufactured here.
• It was the first capital of West Virginia (the only state to be formed during the Civil War.
• Loads of rich people build loads of awesome houses during the 8 decades of the Victorian era.  You can buy some of those now for a song.
• The Capital Theatre used to have a swimming pool and a bowling alley under the theater.  It was planned for it to also house a 7 story hotel on top.  The hotel never happen, neither did the pool.  The bowling alley was donated to a penitentiary in the 1970s.  However, the theater is still there and it's GORGEOUS.
• Brad Paisley and John Corbett are both from Wheeling.  I'm "meh" about Brad, but wouldn't mind being pals with John Corbett.

So there you have it, Wheeling in a quick, very quick, bullet point list.  If you're ever up this way, check it out.  It's really a lovely place.

If I've piqued your interest a bit, you can read all about it here: http://wheeling.weirton.lib.wv.us/history.htm

This post brought to you by LMFAO

No thanks to a local Hibachi restaurant, I've got this song stuck in my head:

Now there, you can share in my joy.  Everyday they be shufflin... true story.

I'm sorry to report that I didn't volunteer to campaign for President of the United States or anything like that today.  I'm sure you were fully expecting some shocking announcement since I mastered the art of fake press conferences yesterday (and if you actually believe I mastered the art, then maybe I should run for President).

I'd like to talk a bit tonight about changing the focus of those you work with (and let's be honest, changing your focus right along with them).  I've been hearing a lot about "X has to be your focus" or "you must focus your team on X" or "If you lose sight of X, then doom and gloom doom and gloom".  Every time this comes up, I quit taking notes to look around the room.  Does anyone look as hopeless as I do?  No.  Either they all have great poker faces or they're doing it right! 

I'm positive I'm not alone here, but why does no one else look frustrated when this comes up?  How on earth do I go back to my venue and get my coworkers to refocus on what is important?  I was going to avoid this topic all together.  It's going to come out sounding like I work with a team that doesn't like their job. On the contrary.  I work with a team that ADORES what they do and works endless hours to get it done.  However, and probably due to those endless hours, when you bring up a new event, I almost always get an "ugh" from the back of the meeting room.  If I'm real lucky, I get a visitor in my office to ask who's idea it was to do yet another activity this year.  Those conversations are only mildly uncomfortable - especially when it was MY idea.

Guess what?  I'm going to let you in on a little secret.  WE'RE IN THE ENTERTAINMENT BIZ, of course we're going to do one more activity this year.  Heck, we might even to 23.  Get over it.  We're a theater.  We own and Amphitheater.  We have partnered with some groups to do a concert series in Little Rock.  Presenting events/concerts/theater/activities/whatever is absolutely, 100% what we are here to do.

I know this.  Deep down, I know the "ugh" happy coworkers know this.  However, our focus seems to be on doing what ever we can to get through the day/week/month/season rather than on doing what we can to make the next event the absolute best thing we've ever laid our hands on.  I know why this is, but I don't know how to change it.  I want to thrive in a culture where people are perked up when they hear another concert has been booked.  Heck, I want to be that person.  I can't wave a magic wand changing everyone's frame of mind and I can't press their reset button. 

I'm not sure my team is one that thrives off of a motivational speech, or nifty acronyms printed on posters or star service awards.  So what is it that motivates them?  What is the spark they need to get excited?  What is that one thing I can do that plants the seed in them that is planted in me each and every time I'm around the industry professionals I'm around this week?  

I'm at a loss here.  I can usually come up with a solution, but I'm drawing blanks.  What would you do in this situation?

And why does this topic suck the funny, witty breath right out of me?  I'm guessing because it's something that I have deep, very deep concern for.  It's a real problem.  Surely there is a real solution.

Blogging when I should be packing

I really should be packing right now.

I even have nice, shiny new luggage to pack in (my old was obviously run over by a Delta plane).

But here I sit, writing up a new blog post.  And before I sat down at my computer, I made some dinner.  And before I made some dinner, I emptied the dishwasher/folded clothes/hung clothes/did everything I don't really need to do and avoided packing.

I'll go ahead and let you in on a little secret... I adore traveling (even if for business) but loathe packing.  There, I said it, I loathe packing.  At least for this business trip I'm not packing a weeks worth of business attire.  Jeans should make this process easier.


I'm heading off to West Virginia tomorrow for the International Association of Venue Managers Venue Management School.  I'm not really sure what to expect.  I've read all of the materials, like a good student, and then started on the review questions.  Then my heart sunk.  Many questions I couldn't answer and I had to go back and reread that section.  Am I that far removed from college that I can't retain text book information as easily as I used to?  Do I need to reinvigorate my brain?  Has the professional world killed my ability to learn?  I suppose it could be any one of those things.  I'm sure I'll be fine, but still, the unknown is always a bit tricky for me.

I fully intend to keep up with blogging while there.  It's always a good plan.  Sometimes it works (as it did last July) and sometimes it fails (anyone remember my trip to NYC in February?  No, probably because I didn't blog much about it).  In order to fully take in this experience, I think writing about it as much as possible is going to be key.  Probably not key for you, but key for me. 

But hey, I know you're just DIEING to hear stories from West Virginia... you just might not know it yet.

Stay tuned... I promise you won't be disappointed.