My very first business trip, day 2
Sep. 19th, 2011 06:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eveglassThe short version: Lots of very tasty and very expensive food, moderate amounts of work.
This morning started, somewhat unexpectedly, breakfasting with my aunt. As I mentioned yesterday, it turns out my Edmontonian aunt happens to be staying at the same hotel I am and this morning was the only one we both had free. So instead of ordering room service, we met downstairs at the main restaurant for breakfast. We both chose "the healthy alternative" breakfast: yogurt parfait with granola, bran muffin, juice, and tea/coffee. The food was extremely tasty, though it shocks me that just my share worked out to $36 after tax and tip. I've had dinners with Marc where the two of us together didn't spend that much! Wowie! It's good that I've triple-checked with my boss that it's okay to charge it to the company.
It was, incidentally, very nice catching up with my aunt after a year of not seeing her. She tried to pitch me on moving to Edmonton to work in her bank, and I politely declined, though it was a very nice offer on her part.
Afterwards it was off to the "pre-con" meeting. I'd been told about this yesterday, and I'd been told I should wear business-professional clothes, but I was so not expecting what I got! I thought it was just going to be us three staff members meeting with our on-site contact. Instead, I walked into a room of 15 department managers, all of them standing to greet us. I was suddenly very, very glad I'd chosen to wear my slightly more professional outfit, because I needed every ounce of self-confidence I could get. I was actually intimidated. We had a "smoothie toast" to a good conference, and then everyone went around the room introducing themselves and discussing how their department relates to our conference. When the table got around to me, I was sorely tempted to say something like, "My name's Julie, and I'm no one important," but I figured that this was one occasion where that wouldn't go over well. Instead, I said that I would be working at our registration desk, which seemed to be good enough for the occasion.
I thought the meeting went pretty well, and I familiarized myself with what's going on in terms of rooms and food and things. Despite my moderate awe at being in the same room as so many important people at one time, my boss and coworker were criticizing things afterwards: the general manager wasn't there, they hadn't set aside separate food for my boss (gluten-free and diabetic), they didn't serve coffee, etc. I suppose this is just something you get used to after you've been doing it for a while. For a "pre-con" newbie, I found it quite impressive.
At this meeting, I also got my official "event organizer" badge and lanyard and the key-card to the boardroom. It's a restricted room: only the three of us event staff can enter. Even hotel staff have to knock on the door. Mwahahaha! The power! The miniscule cosmic power!
Christian and I changed into comfier clothes (for me: jeans and sneakers, for him: removing his jacket) and started in on the work. First order of business: drape some tablecloths over laundry bins and fill them with our delegate bags. It took us a while because the tablecloths were slippery, and we eventually resorted to securing them with clips and tape. See, this is the sort of glamorous life I lead.
When we finished, we went downstairs to Starbucks (you know it's an expensive hotel when Starbucks seems like the cheap option), and were just on our way back with our coffees and paninis when my boss decided that we should go for lunch. So I left my panini in the boardroom and went back downstairs to the hotel restaurant. (Note: there are quite a few hotel restaurants. It's just coincidence that I happened to go to the same one twice. Well, coincidence and the fact that it's the biggest and the only one on the main floor.)
Lunch was, again, tasty and expensive. I had a lovely salad-and-chicken dish, though we had to wait a while for my boss's meal to be ready. I suppose this is what happens when you have dietary restrictions. They actually do have a special menu for dietary restrictions, it's just that my boss was trying to combine two of them. They restaurant have these utterly delicious macaroons that they serve for dessert; I swooned. The waiter thought I was so funny that he brought another plate and a doggie bag for me so I could take them back up to the boardroom. So tasty!
It was, on the other hand, a working lunch, with my boss giving us lots of directions for what needed to be done this afternoon. So when Christian and I got back to the boardroom around 2:30 (my boss having gone to do stuff with our organization's president) we had lots to do. High on my personal list was prepping all the delegate badges and making sure everything was in order so we could open the registration table tomorrow. Also on the list: setting up the computer and printer, putting schedules on poster boards, and doing some last-minute word processing of errata so they could be printed.
All told, we were done around 5:30, and I went back up to my room to settle in with my sweet, sweet internet. Problem: yesterday I hadn't quite realized how to charge my internet connection to my brand-new president's club membership, so I'd only signed on for one day. Which had expired by the time I got up to my room. So it was back to the boardroom to use the internet there, access my email, and find my president's club number. Then downstairs to the help desk, get everything organized, and back up to my room. See the sorts of running around I do for the sake of internet?
When I got up to my room again and managed to log on, I rewarded myself with one of the awesome restaurant macaroons, debated showering, and ultimately decided to shower later and spend the time writing everything up so I could play D&D tonight guilt-free. Sooner or later I should really order supper. I'm eating so much food this week! Insane!
At some point, I should also get in touch with the friends I'm having dinner with tomorrow. Sadly, it looks like I won't make it down to the hot tub tonight, even though I have determined that it is, in fact, free. Boo! Hiss! I doubt I'll get down there 'till Wednesday at this rate!
Tomorrow I start at 8:30, which is thankfully later than I'd expected. We're having breakfast served in the boardroom from 6:30 to 7:30, so Christian is saving me some. And now... time to peruse the room-service menu!
This morning started, somewhat unexpectedly, breakfasting with my aunt. As I mentioned yesterday, it turns out my Edmontonian aunt happens to be staying at the same hotel I am and this morning was the only one we both had free. So instead of ordering room service, we met downstairs at the main restaurant for breakfast. We both chose "the healthy alternative" breakfast: yogurt parfait with granola, bran muffin, juice, and tea/coffee. The food was extremely tasty, though it shocks me that just my share worked out to $36 after tax and tip. I've had dinners with Marc where the two of us together didn't spend that much! Wowie! It's good that I've triple-checked with my boss that it's okay to charge it to the company.
It was, incidentally, very nice catching up with my aunt after a year of not seeing her. She tried to pitch me on moving to Edmonton to work in her bank, and I politely declined, though it was a very nice offer on her part.
Afterwards it was off to the "pre-con" meeting. I'd been told about this yesterday, and I'd been told I should wear business-professional clothes, but I was so not expecting what I got! I thought it was just going to be us three staff members meeting with our on-site contact. Instead, I walked into a room of 15 department managers, all of them standing to greet us. I was suddenly very, very glad I'd chosen to wear my slightly more professional outfit, because I needed every ounce of self-confidence I could get. I was actually intimidated. We had a "smoothie toast" to a good conference, and then everyone went around the room introducing themselves and discussing how their department relates to our conference. When the table got around to me, I was sorely tempted to say something like, "My name's Julie, and I'm no one important," but I figured that this was one occasion where that wouldn't go over well. Instead, I said that I would be working at our registration desk, which seemed to be good enough for the occasion.
I thought the meeting went pretty well, and I familiarized myself with what's going on in terms of rooms and food and things. Despite my moderate awe at being in the same room as so many important people at one time, my boss and coworker were criticizing things afterwards: the general manager wasn't there, they hadn't set aside separate food for my boss (gluten-free and diabetic), they didn't serve coffee, etc. I suppose this is just something you get used to after you've been doing it for a while. For a "pre-con" newbie, I found it quite impressive.
At this meeting, I also got my official "event organizer" badge and lanyard and the key-card to the boardroom. It's a restricted room: only the three of us event staff can enter. Even hotel staff have to knock on the door. Mwahahaha! The power! The miniscule cosmic power!
Christian and I changed into comfier clothes (for me: jeans and sneakers, for him: removing his jacket) and started in on the work. First order of business: drape some tablecloths over laundry bins and fill them with our delegate bags. It took us a while because the tablecloths were slippery, and we eventually resorted to securing them with clips and tape. See, this is the sort of glamorous life I lead.
When we finished, we went downstairs to Starbucks (you know it's an expensive hotel when Starbucks seems like the cheap option), and were just on our way back with our coffees and paninis when my boss decided that we should go for lunch. So I left my panini in the boardroom and went back downstairs to the hotel restaurant. (Note: there are quite a few hotel restaurants. It's just coincidence that I happened to go to the same one twice. Well, coincidence and the fact that it's the biggest and the only one on the main floor.)
Lunch was, again, tasty and expensive. I had a lovely salad-and-chicken dish, though we had to wait a while for my boss's meal to be ready. I suppose this is what happens when you have dietary restrictions. They actually do have a special menu for dietary restrictions, it's just that my boss was trying to combine two of them. They restaurant have these utterly delicious macaroons that they serve for dessert; I swooned. The waiter thought I was so funny that he brought another plate and a doggie bag for me so I could take them back up to the boardroom. So tasty!
It was, on the other hand, a working lunch, with my boss giving us lots of directions for what needed to be done this afternoon. So when Christian and I got back to the boardroom around 2:30 (my boss having gone to do stuff with our organization's president) we had lots to do. High on my personal list was prepping all the delegate badges and making sure everything was in order so we could open the registration table tomorrow. Also on the list: setting up the computer and printer, putting schedules on poster boards, and doing some last-minute word processing of errata so they could be printed.
All told, we were done around 5:30, and I went back up to my room to settle in with my sweet, sweet internet. Problem: yesterday I hadn't quite realized how to charge my internet connection to my brand-new president's club membership, so I'd only signed on for one day. Which had expired by the time I got up to my room. So it was back to the boardroom to use the internet there, access my email, and find my president's club number. Then downstairs to the help desk, get everything organized, and back up to my room. See the sorts of running around I do for the sake of internet?
When I got up to my room again and managed to log on, I rewarded myself with one of the awesome restaurant macaroons, debated showering, and ultimately decided to shower later and spend the time writing everything up so I could play D&D tonight guilt-free. Sooner or later I should really order supper. I'm eating so much food this week! Insane!
At some point, I should also get in touch with the friends I'm having dinner with tomorrow. Sadly, it looks like I won't make it down to the hot tub tonight, even though I have determined that it is, in fact, free. Boo! Hiss! I doubt I'll get down there 'till Wednesday at this rate!
Tomorrow I start at 8:30, which is thankfully later than I'd expected. We're having breakfast served in the boardroom from 6:30 to 7:30, so Christian is saving me some. And now... time to peruse the room-service menu!
