On weekends, we wear bras

My morning starts anywhere from 8am to 11am these days, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been working since 7am already. The sun comes up and birds cry through my slightly open bedroom window - it’s time to check email, 4 different accounts, then Microsoft Teams for chats I missed overnight, Twitter is next to find out if the governor has anything new, and now the TV to click through CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, Bloomberg, and the local news stations. Everything affects how we do business these days.

Our new normal

It started a few months ago with monitoring the news for major tradeshows being cancelled or large tech corporations removing their participation at events - because here at Freemind, those announcements could have meant the difference between contracts we had and contracts we’d lose. Then, unsweetened iced tea in hand, I sit down to my laptop for what will be likely another 15 hour work day.

Those days have begun to run together, the monotony of the work, my outfits (yoga pants, tank top, hoodie), my meetings, are nothing to envy - I don’t turn my video on anymore during conference calls, no makeup, no Melissa on camera. But on the weekends… I put all that aside and try to remember what it’s like to be me, I think we all do… So on the weekends, we wear bras.

On being a working mom

Nope, I’m not complaining about my job, I love every second of it really, even the boring parts - and I am GRATEFUL - to have the opportunity to work each day while so many are unemployed, I am absolutely grateful. Maybe I just love being busy - especially now that my house is filled full time with my husband and son doing their job and schoolwork online, and me - the stretching bandwidth in our house is no joke. But these days I’m having to remind myself that I have to turn it off. But it’s hard to do that Monday through Friday - our clients have it hard too - their jobs are pivoting, the work is no longer the same, so that means our jobs are pivoting, our work is no longer the same.

And we’re all doing it from home of course. I find myself remembering to eat lunch, albeit at 3pm some days, because now I have to also prepare something to eat for my son. And then at some point, it gets dark and that signals I need to get my son off the Xbox so we can eat whatever I have in the fridge for dinner - sometimes I make it, sometimes my husband does. Being a working mom has never been stress free, but these days, that run into nights, that run into weekends, how can you turn it off?

The weekends are mine

So I force myself to break free. Saturday morning, I get up, take a shower, put on a proper bra because today, I am not working. I even put on eye liner and fix my hair (ok, I just make my bun look better than it does on the weekdays, but still) I will not sit at my computer for one second. This weekend I may go to the grocery suited up in all the coverings, or I may go to - well, that’s really all the places I go to in the car these days. I try to get out for long walks with my husband and dog along Alki Beach by my house, but that’s really it. In any case, I just want to feel like I did before Coronavirus took over things.

Some days I hop on virtual happy hours with friends (those are getting kinda old), wave to neighbors as I walk by their houses, and actually I like to look presentable when the DoorDash driver comes by with my food. Sometimes we’ll do a project around the house, put up shelves, clean out a closet, and sometimes we just sit and watch reruns of How I Met Your Mother. But I feel empowered somehow - like I’ve taken my life back. I know it’s not much, but I have put myself into a routine of take out and chill out and I feel more in control. In fact, I do believe that it’s these unplugged weekends that recharge me and make me burst back into Monday filled with spit and vinegar!

Take back my life

Little successes I hear about from colleagues or teammates are what invigorate me to try harder for my company and do my best work for my clients. We have to - not only is it our job, but it’s a privilege to get to work full time these days under these conditions - no matter how many new virtual event ideas we have to come up with, no matter how many new digital technologies we have to learn, no matter how many hours it takes each day…

More time has passed and we remain under quarantine. I still wake up the same, sometimes filled with excitement for the day, sometimes filled with worries for my company and my team. It feels uncertain, much like it did when I first started Freemind back in 2014. But there’s much to be positive about, and I look forward when we’re all back together again.

So I’ve got to know: how are you holding up? As we’re all learning how to thrive in this new world of remote work, how are you taking back your life?

- Mel

The new girl on the showfloor

As the newest member of the Freemind Seattle team, I had the most to learn about tradeshows and large events of that kind. I had been an attendee and I’ve staffed independent booths at shows, but running and planning one from scratch? Never! Was I excited to learn? Absolutely! And also, a little intimidated…Melissa Bathum and Kori Monson have been planning and running events and tradeshows longer than I’ve been in the corporate world. There is a lot to learn!

So, what is planning a tradeshow like? Long story short, it is a lot of work. Something that I think most people outside the field of event planning recognize, but don’t fully comprehend.

For example: If you are active on YouTube, you may have heard of Tana Mongeau. If you haven’t, here is a quick recap:

She tried to create and run her own convention for YouTubers and their fans, that she named “TanaCon”. It was a fun idea, but the planning was rushed, details were missed, the whole thing was mismanaged and ended up a disaster. Planning and running a convention or tradeshow, whether you are managing the entire thing or just hosting a booth, takes so much more time, people and energy than you think.

Now that I have a few more shows under my belt with the team here at Freemind, there are few things that I think are 5 key takeaways for anyone who is thinking of planning a show or just hosting a booth.

1)     Proper events take TIME. The bigger the event, the longer it takes

An ‘event’ is not the same as a ‘party’, and a ‘tradeshow’ is a whole other monster entirely. Depending on how big the show is estimated to be, it could take a year…or more! Some annual tradeshows are planning for next years before the current year’s event has even started. That is why workback schedules are your best friend for planning.

Workback schedules are essential because they keep the entire team informed of what is due and when, as well as who is responsible for what tasks. All aspects of the floor layout, booths, graphics, communications etc., must be designed and then approved first, and almost always need to be re-designed at least once. Production of booths and large graphics take days to months. There is no set timeline for planning, but it is better to err on the side of more time rather than less. 

2)     You are creating a mini city – and that takes money

It’s not cheap.

Most convention centers are just giant, empty concrete boxes, not your average event or ‘party’ space. The space is designed to be able to transform into anything, it’s not ‘move in ready’ as you would expect for a wedding or meeting venue. Tradeshows come together over the course of a few days to a week. They take that empty box and turn it into a makeshift city. With power, roads/pathways, rooms, carpets, everything.

Something that shocked me when I was showing at a booth in Las Vegas was the cost to have power at to your booth just to be able to charge your computers or phones. I never realized that there aren’t just outlets at regular intervals on the floor. Therefore all power must be wired and ran from major sources. And the more people who require power, the higher the risk for blown fuses and other issues, so you’ll want that done correctly. Imagine how long and the specific type of knowledge it takes to wire a house…that labor is not cheap! And since the wires are run under the carpet, those decisions must be finalized before the carpet is laid down. Again…Workback schedules are your friend!

3)     So many different vendors work on one show.

It takes more than just a village to build a Trade-Show-City. There are a lot of companies that work on shows, and some of those will have overlap in their responsibilities. There will be a lot of “who’s responsible for…” questions while things are being built on the floor. You may have to talk to a few different people to find the team that you need for your current issue. Just remember that you are all on the same team and have the same goal of a great show.

You will end the show with more friends, stories and sore muscles than you can imagine. Everyone has different expertise and when you all come together to pull off a show, it is awesome to witness!

4)     No matter how well you plan, things will go wrong

Things will get lost in transit. People will change their minds about things. Graphics will need to be reprinted. Someone will have forgotten to request something VERY IMPORTANT and you’ll have to make it happen. Don’t be surprised when something goes wrong, be prepared. The best thing you have is your team. So, make sure you have a good one and use all their talents!

5)     You are never too good to move some hedges

This job is not all glitz, glamour, parties and high heels. It is hard work, long days, hours spent staring at excel sheets and as all great job descriptions end with, “any other necessary tasks required for the role.”

Moving hedges is not exactly in the job description of Showcase Management, but I can’t lie. We had some fun!

-Victoria Blasich is the Marketing Manager of Events for Freemind Seattle. She joined Freemind Seattle in 2018 with years of experience in marketing strategies and fashion focused events and photoshoots for both small and large companies. With a passion for people and supporting fellow creatives, Victoria is driven to create and execute stellar events for clients.