I Talk

 

The Hunt Scanlon team: Christian, me, Drew, Cody, Scott, 
Erik, Chris, Walker, Lily, Bogdan

It was conference day.

One of the great traditions is the alarm going off at 4 a.m. The cat was thrilled because that meant he'd get food and I made good on that before walking to the train station.

Happy cat, happy life I suppose.

Walker and Cody were already at the station as I made my way up to the platform.

We were in the Harvard Club in New York City before 6:30 a.m.

I hadn't even had a cup of coffee yet but that was quickly remedied.

I get the credit and the kind reviews for being the moderator of the event but I'm simply opening my mouth.

I say it all the time: I just talk.

But the people in the photo above are the driving forces.

Obviously, that starts with Chris and Scott -- they're the Hunt and Scanlon, after all -- but it takes everyone. 

The people in the picture are part of the story. There are others who don't come to the conferences but don't think they don't contribute.

But, on-site, there are Walker, Erik, Lily, and Bogdan waiting at registration. You might find me wandering over to join them, especially as attendees begin to come in.

Prior to that, all of us were in the hall where the conference will take place, putting out materials for each attendee. With a team effort, we load the room up quickly.

I also visit with the audio/visual people to let them know I'll be doing the moderating. Today, I saw Erik and Walker each walking over to them as well, along with working with those in charge of the Harvard Club.

Everyone enjoyed breakfast as attendees arrived and that's my moment to grab a bite. I snuck back into the main hall to review the script  -- especially my opening read, which is the longest of the day for me. But it's also a chance to just be in the room without too much going on.

Chris and Scott review that everything is OK as well as network with attendees.

Cody and Drew were also networking as well as reviewing their own notes since Cody was presenting during the conference and Drew was introducing him. Incidentally, among the many highlights of today was Cody's presentation. He was outstanding.

This is just a small sample of everything that goes on. Before we've arrived, passes have been sold, sponsorships have been gathered, presentations have been created, and all of the necessary arrangements have been made with the site. Next month it will be San Francisco. We'll be back in New York at the Harvard Club in November.

By that point, I'll surpass 20 conferences as master of ceremonies.

Oh, and before the conference a script gets written for me and I do a pre-read with Chris.

A rare pre-conference selfie. I actually took it because I was
pretty proud to stand in the front of that room.

Then -- at 8:45 a.m. -- the attendees take their seats, things get quiet, and I begin to talk.

I don't do anything special. I read the words that I've been instructed to say and, sometimes, I get asked to augment the script on the fly. I drop in ad-libs where I think they might be appropriate and, most of all, I keep us on time. That seems to be something people like about my hosting style.

Beyond that, I stay out of the way. I'm on my phone communicating with Chris, Scot, Erik, and anyone else who needs me.

When this all goes well, it's worth celebrating. OK, even if it's not perfect, we still decompress afterward. 

Before departing, there was a post-conference reception, which serves as another excellent chance to network. I lay low during the networking time, as people generally talk about things that are beyond me. However, I serve as a representative of Hunt Scanlon so my form of networking is that of talking about the conference, the podcast I host, and generally chit chat.

I enjoyed some time in New York after it was over before catching an express train to Greenwich. Of course, two black and white cookies accompanied me.

Consider it a treat for me (and especially for Sean) for a job well done.

Back to football tomorrow.

Sadly, our weekend plans are officially off. Sean and I, joined by Kris and his friend Danny, were going to visit Washington D.C. for a Washington Nationals game. We keep trying to go to baseball games in different places. However, the tropical storm in the Atlantic is bringing a lot of rain to the east coast.

We'll have to revisit that trip in 2024.

But as I said last night, there might be a Plan B. Well, eliminate the "might." There is a Plan B.

As for this weekend, expect the return of Boomslang Basketball to Robcasting.