Category: training

Movin’ On Up (or across town really)

My days here are numbered. The new director of event technology will start next week and for the next several weeks I will help him transition into this position. I’ll be training him until the Elder Extroverted Holy One brings forth the second child. During the delivery I will be in the corner of the room with an epidural and copious amounts of drugs to help us get through the delivery. With all of my saved up vacation time I will be able to stay home with the family and help with everything. It will end up being some great daddy-Young Extroverted One time as the new one learns what kind of crazy world it was forcibly brought into.

After the holidays and the new year I should be starting here. Where I will, hopefully, be the official director of event technology. So, I’m slowly finding my work getting me closer and closer to our home in the east Nashville area. Also, it puts me closer to the Sommet Center and the embattled Nashville Predators whose tickets I still can’t afford (not because they’re outrageously priced but we’re outrageously broke) but would go to every single game if given the chance.

Speaking of hockey, I got the YEO signed up for the G.O.A.L. program hosted by the Preds and Delta Dental of Tennessee. She’s excited about it or I’m excited about it for her. Maybe I’ll just go as her and get some ice time! Our equipment fitting session is this Monday and, unfortunately, we have to drive to the Southern Ice Arena in Franklin for this fitting and all 4 sessions of the program. Looking at past G.O.A.L. programs we missed the ones at the Centennial Sportsplex. Which would’ve been way closer. But then I think about the sacrifices that hockey greats’ parents made to drive their wunderkinds to their respective games and practices uphill both ways in the deep snow all across the Canadian wilderness and figure it’s not so bad driving down to Franklin except maybe for the exceptionally poor drivers the most Tennesseans are.

Travelling Tales of the Introverted One: Part One

To start things off I was invited to participate in the SERVE to Sell training workshop up at the PSAV corporate headquarters in Schaumburg, IL. This workshop is a sales skill-building program which is good because I have no sales skills whatsoever.

    I got my e-ticket (wasn’t there a ride at Disney that was an e-ticket ride back in the day?) and was dropped off at the Nashville airport at the appropriate time to go through security and all. Boarded the plane at approximately 6:30PM and started to taxi on the runway. And then stopped. The captain came on the intercom and said there was a “ground stop” at O’Hare because of a big thunderstorm and that he was going to stay on the runway and wait because it could be minutes or hours before he was okay-ed to go. This guy did not want to lose his place in line.

    TWO HOURS later we return to the gate. I kept hoping for a cancellation because I could just go home. Unfortunately for me (fortunate for the Chicago residents on the flight) there was no cancellation and TWO HOURS later got back on the plane. Needless, to say I arrived at O’Hare very late and the hotel in Schaumburg even later. I think I got into my room around 2:00AM. Good for me the hotel bar wasn’t open because I could have used a brew to unwind but I had to be at the training at 7:30AM.

    The training was good and meeting other directors of Event Technology was pretty cool. These guys (and gal) were go-getters. I was wondering if I made the right decision to leave the exciting life of a rigger to move up (not as literally as a rigger ‘up’) to be a director. I’m enjoying being here and learning the ropes and all of the business related aspects of the job but I don’t seem as focused as these young turks were on being a director. But I also haven’t gone through the official DET training. Maybe I’m just lacking some of the DET jargon that I heard. So, I guess I feel somewhat unprepared for some parts of this job.

    We had such a small group at this training that we were released into the wild that is Schaumburg. At least what surrounded PSAV HQ. Which was The Ram Restaurant and Brewery that was behind the hotel. They had a 6 ounce sampler tray but I was going for the 16 ounce (do the math) sampler. I only made it through 4 before we planned to walk over to the Woodfield Mall. I’m not sure why we ended up there but I thought I could at least get some Chicago related paraphenalia there but we quickly regrouped and walked to another bar called Houlihan’s located in the parking lot of this wonderful mall. Houlihan’s is just like a Bennigan’s. A cookie-cutter bar and grill sort of place. Ho-hum.

    I then returned to the hotel for a final beer before turning in. My planned escape from Schaumburg on the next day will be for another post. I really need to look like I am working!