January 31st, 2007 Rachel
While driving to the show this morning, I got this vaguely familiar feeling that I’d done this before. But really, I haven’t. Yes, I’ve gone to tradeshows, and I’ve been on both sides of the booth and both sides of a panel, but not a hundred times. Not for twenty years.
So why does this all somehow seem routine? Horse shows.
Yes, I was one of those quintessential little girls asking for a pony from the age of about 6 onward. I rode for almost ten years, worked in various stables from the age of thirteen to twenty, and went to horse shows year, after year, after year. Competitor, spectator, volunteer, groom, I’ve been there. Beyond just being some of the best times of my life so far, here’s a few of the lessons I learned:
Pessimism can be a good thing.
Prepare for the worst. If something can go wrong, it just might, and you don’t want to be caught without a backup plan. Bring extra saddle pads, a horse blanket or two even though it’s summer, and your own damn water hose. Having the box of business cards at arms length, extra precautions to keep the computers/monitors from getting dinged up, and not relying on “Free WiFi!”for all your demos is good. Then you can focus on smiling when people come by instead of stressing because your writing your name/number on napkins and the blue screen of death is the only demo you’ll be showing that day.
Be prepared for heavy lifting.
No need to be a body builder, but at some point along the way you’re going to need to put your back into it. Whether it’s hay bales or a trunk full of computers, it really helps to be self sufficient. Carrying a 15lb box of tradeshow trinkets seven blocks is a breeze once you’ve done stable set up and take down for twelve horses. Singlehandedly. When you don’t feel disgruntled because it’s all on you, it’s a delightful surprise when someone offers a hand.
Think friendly (i.e. it’s more than networking/it ain’t all about you).
A horse show can either be like a big ol’ community campfire of jokes and fun, or be so full of unkind, competitive snobbery that you could choke on it. I’ve seen them both, and the second scenario is wretched for a few reasons. Number one, it takes effort to be mean. Why waste the energy? Number two, that girl you were just gossiping about in the next stall over (when she was filling up her water buckets ten feet away)? She may end up being the only soul on the grounds with a screwdriver — just when you need one. That guy you just bumped out of the way to get to the free croissants first? He could be a potential customer, contact, or, gee…just as hungry as you.
Okay, maybe not all I need to know…there’s more floating around in my head, but I think that’s enough for now. We’re back at Music 2.0 tomorrow (got to rest up!), so I’ll keep pondering…as well as posting on Hear Here about some of the more interesting topics/points that came up during the actual show itself.
Posted in Horses, Learning, Observations, Work | 2 Comments »
January 30th, 2007 Rachel
A lot of work goes into getting ready for a tradeshow. Planning, preparing, double, triple, obsessively compulsively checking the details just one 
more time…
In the end, on the eve of the show, when all is packed up, ready to be set up the next day…you just need to relax.
What better way than to build an M&M version of your husband?
Eerie, I know. Want to build your own? Head over to Planet M&Ms.
Thanks, Maryamie!
Posted in Random | No Comments »
January 29th, 2007 Rachel
I have to give massive thank you to my new favorite podcast, Academik, for re-introducing me to Paolo Nutini. I knew the sound was vaguely familiar, but didn’t quite know from where until I saw that he’d been at SXSW last year.
Besides being slightly disappointed that our Wedding Mix CD is already set in stone (or rather CD sticker), I don’t think I could possibly listen to ’Last Request’ enough. And ’Jenny Don’t Be Hasty’ is making me giggle (again) given the circumstances surrounding the big move. Hilarious. 
So, number one — get this CD. Number two, subscribe to Academik; not only is our dear host’s commentary interesting and entertaining, but the accent ain’t half bad either. Number three, if you find yourself in Toronto on March 7th for Canadian Music Week, a bunch of us will be over at The Mod Club enjoying Paolo live.
Posted in Music, SXSW, Traveling | 5 Comments »
January 28th, 2007 Rachel
After a bedroom overhaul, and amidst the on-going monster mountain that is our laundry, I have to say, this has been one nice little weekend. Somewhere in between the sleep/eat/DVD-fests that usually wind up with us groggily looking at each other around 11pm on Sunday and saying “WTF? How did we get here?” and the times where ‘weekend’ gets replaced entirely by work/tradeshow/wedding plans/travel/etc…I finally feel rested.
Last weekend I got to spend some time in Toronto visiting with family and friends as well as complete a marathon’s worth of wedding coordination. DJ? Check. Flowers? Check. Cake? Check. Photographer? Check. I get tired just looking at that list (but we did it!).
Anywhoo…back to this weekend. A mini-miracle occurred when Adam cooked lunch. That’s right - went to the grocery store, picked out the ingredients and came home with three meals worth of food. It’s not just you, I was shocked (and pleasantly surprised) too. Even though he was gone long enough that I contemplated sending out a search party, I can respect the fact that it does take a while to reacquaint oneself to the in’s and out’s of grocery store aisles.
In other great news, Adam and I are getting a new co-worker and friend down here! Jenny will be joining us briefly next weekend to find an apartment and meet the MusicIP crew, then at the end of the month she’ll be down here permanently. Hurray!
My inbox also held a little piece of delightfulness when I woke up this morning…someone bought something through my Threadless referral URL. Whoever you are, thank you!
And finally, I was oh so happy to see that The Automatic will be making the trek all the way from the UK to Austin for SXSW this year. Adam’s already got plans to shoot a paper airplane at the stage when they play ‘Raoul’, which will outline his distaste for a song he may or may not have heard…a few times in the car.
UPDATE: I spoke too soon. The real final cause for excitement is the fact that Adam found the outlet connected to the light switch in the bedroom. I mean really…could things get any better than this?
Posted in Food, Personal, Weekends | 1 Comment »
January 27th, 2007 Rachel
A while ago I had a quandry, that turned into a moot point because we’ve put off my conversion to the world of Apple for at least another couple of months.
In the meantime, a company peeked inside my head and found out that while the debate over white or black MacBooks was stressing my brain…what I really wanted was for my MacBook to match my Nano.
I imagine people who woke up one day to color television felt the same shock and awe as I did when Wendell sent me this link.
Macbook…IN TECHNICOLOR. I’m in love.
Posted in Computers, Random | No Comments »
