A large portion of my job for the last 2 months has consisted of putting together an informational and fundraising dinner for our constituents in the greater Chicagoland area. The day of the event is finally here and the president of my organization has come to town to address the masses...well, okay, the 80 people who'll be gathered in a church gym.
This has been my first foray into event planning, and I've learned some valuable things along the way:
1. That organization is my coping mechanism: when I can put everything that has to do with anything on a list or in a diagram, I immediately feel better about the whole situation. I am so on the same page with Santa on this one. (You know, make a list, check it twice...)
2. That not RSVPing on time messes with a party planner's head and lists and diagrams...at least the more neurotic party planners out there. (Resolved: to promptly reply to all invitations when it is in my power to do so.)
3. That I am really terrible about delegating work and recruiting volunteers.
4. That creating autumnal centerpieces can be an enjoyable and therapeutic experience. (My inner crafter leapt for joy!)
5. That Sam's Club has festive and tasty cakes for cheap!
6. That older people get disgruntled when you don't feed them dinner until 7:00.
7. That when someone from HQ says, "We have this thing thing we'd like to do, and we thought you could help us out; it really won't take up that much of your time" what they really mean is, "We have this huge project, and we're really busy, and no one out here is really sure what you do, so why don't you just take this whole thing and make it happen?"
Even though I am amused by the irony of #7 and the way it has played out over the past couple months, at the same time I am hugely honored to have been trusted by the President's office and Advancement to put this thing together, and am feeling fairly confident going into this evening. It may or may not go off without a hitch, but I can vouch for the fact that there will be 10 beautiful centerpieces that conform to the diagram that you'll find in the manila envelope labeled "Lists and Diagrams."
1 comment:
Suz, that RSVP thing is one of the most annoying things in the world for a party planner. People have no respect for the RSVP anymore ... ARGH.
and how fun that you're doing all of this party planning! i think it's especially a lot of fun when you're investing so much time and energy for an organization you care so much about. AWESOME.
hope your event is wildly successful :)
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