Something big is coming

I’m been pretty quiet about my work life lately. When someone is quiet, you know something is brewing. Actually, something really big is brewing and I’ve got just a couple of weeks left. With the days being crossed off my wall calendar, this special event is looming in the near distance. Inside these office walls, it’s no secret what this event is. I’m smack in the middle of planning a grand opening event for a new facility.

Imagine how much work goes into planning a wedding…that’s basically what I’m doing except we’re working around construction too. Be thankful your wedding didn’t involve multiple construction crews and weather. Ick! Luckily, I deal with the facility manager who is in charge of making sure the facility is complete. But, that doesn’t mean I haven’t spent many hours looking at carpet, checking paint colors, approving tile, picking out monitors, finding videos for monitors, and working on displays and signage. I call this work the “extra stuff” because that has nothing to do with the event itself. That’s the stuff to make sure the building is ready for the event.

I’ve spent the last seven months crafting messaging, dreaming up video concepts, calling caters, scheduling meetings, sending out emails, reserving restaurants, picking out menus, finding transportation, planning welcoming packets, editing text, approving gift ideas, reformatting memos, reserving photographers, keeping track of everyone’s action items, and trying to stay one step ahead.

If you’ve been involved in planning a wedding, you know it’s a lot of work and can be stressful. Planning an executive event can be overwhelming at times. It can suck up all of your time. It can be demanding and cut-throat. But, I’ve made sure that it’s never become stressful. Lots of planning and preparation has ensured that I’m ahead of the game and constantly moving forward. Come the morning of the event, I may be running (ok, waddling?) around a little faster than normal, but no one will notice the little details. It will be seamless in their eyes. And then it will be over before we know it. (Actually, no it won’t. Then we’ll do it all over again the next week for two days instead of one.)

After next month, I should be able to spend a couple of quiet months focusing on my wish list. During my first 12 months in this position, I’ve spent the majority of it planning this event. I’ve put all my dreams and goals on hold so we could make a big splash with this event. While my white board may reflect other projects that we’re doing during this time of planning, there’s so much left on that goals sheet tucked inside my desk drawer. I hope to spend the summer months crossing some of those things off and moving forward in direction. But, sometimes people have other ideas. I may not get the quiet time I’m anticipating, but I’ll continue to stay focused and whittle away at that list when I have a couple spare minutes.

I may be quiet on the career front, but I’m busier than I ever imagined I’d be!