Industry Predicted to Hold Its Own in 2010

According to a study of event planners conducted by Special Events magazine, the industry is optimistic about the dawn of a new decade.

When forecasting 2010 event activity, some 84 percent of respondents say they expect to stage the same number of events or even more in 2010 compared with 2009. And while 29 percent will have bigger budgets to work with in 2010 versus 2009, an equal number will be stuck with this year's budget allocation, and the rest will have even less money to work with.

Log into www.tfea.org to vote in January's poll regarding anticipated budgets for Texas festivals and events.

What to do when the "antlers" come off?

Last night I was watching the Grinch that Stole Christmas while wrapping presents. Actually, I was just sort of glancing at it from time to time as not to miss my favorite scene when the Grinch ties an antler to his little dog's head, only to see the puppy fall over top-heavy into the snow. He eventually cuts off enough of the antler for the dog's back feet to find the ground again and, well, you know the rest.

My favorite scene of the Dr. Seuss classic brought back the funniest moment this holiday season in the TFEA office. One morning TFEA President Kay Wolf called and greeting me with "Something bad has happened, but it's sort of funny." For months, she and her staff had meticulously planned to bring live reindeer to the children of Hidalgo for the 2009 Festival of Lights, enjoyed by more than 750,000 people annually. The process including everything from coordinating veterinary health papers to a crash course in the care and feeding of reindeer.

A few days before the kick-off of the festival, one of the reindeer was being walked early morning by a city employee and PLUNK! One of the reindeer's majestic antlers simply dropped off! Shocked and panicked, the employee tucks the fallen antler under his arm and heads back to the reindeer pen, but within a few feet there is another PLUNK! Both antlers are gone!

With growing concern, he places the reindeer in its pen with the other reindeer and calls to report the problem. While on the phone, a reindeer smackdown ensues (leave it to two lady reindeer to get into a spat over such matters) and low and behold, the other reindeer loses one if its antlers, too! Soon thousands of people will arrive to look at two reindeer who only have one antler between them!

When Kay conveyed this story to me, she and I laughed so hard my mascara ran down my cheeks and my tummy hurt. Such is the life of an event planner! We never know what is in store for us and sometimes the only thing left to do is laugh.

But don't worry. The story has a mostly happy ending. For starters, reindeer shed their antlers annually, but typically not until AFTER the holiday season. And the two decrowned reindeer were traded for different ones with spectacular antlers in time for the big opening and children of all ages were wowed by their beauty. But as fate would have it, weeks later the replacement reindeer also lost their antlers prematurely! Likely the warm climate of South Texas tricked the reindeer into thinking spring had arrived.

But in spite of the drama, they still carried their load and made for a successful event, just like the little dog of Grinch cartoon fame. You can't steal Christmas from Whoville and you can't steal it from Hidalgo either!

Sometimes you just know what you do is cool.

As the Executive Director of TFEA, I have the privilege of getting to attend a lot of festivals and meet event planners from around the globe. This has been an amazing opportunity, but it can also make one a bit jaded at times. Because I am surrounded constantly by the brightest and best, I have become convinced that I am getting pretty darned hard to impress.

And then, right in my own hometown, I am reminded what it is all about. Today I attended the dedication and grand re-opening of the 33,000 SF George H.W. Bush Gallery of the Museum of the Pacific War, which is part of the ever-growing Admiral Nimitz Museum complex. I played no role in the production of the event. Rather I was there as a small sponsor and happy observer.



The event was very well done, but also had its small snafus. A low cloud deck forced the cancellation of the scheduled paratrooper landing and delayed the start of the ceremony when former President Bush's plane was redirected.

But what impressed me was not so much the considerable hoopla. Rather it was the impact of the activities that found me contemplating just how rewarding the job of an event planner can be. As I looked around I saw the weathered faces of survivors from Pearl Harbor and Iwo Jima, undoubtedly some of the bravest men ever. I saw a tiny baby wrapped in blue, still unaware that war even exists. I saw school children, many of whom were about to gain their first glimpse and understanding of the battles that literally saved the world. I saw the proud and amazed smile of my 98-year-old grandmother who has lived across the street from the Nimitz complex for more than 75 years.

These combined images renewed the sense of pride I have in our industry, which exists largely to deliver unforgettable experiences to those we touch. I encourage each of you to take a different look at your next event. In addition to the watchful eye you place on the execution of each element of your event, take some time to simply watch the celebration unfold through the lens of your attendees. Listen to the music of their laughter. Renew in their spirit of wonder. Feel their rush of emotion. Then lay your head down at the end of the day (or early the next morning) knowing just how cool it all really is.