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Although this story can't be included in our voting process, two of the folks at MC˛ wanted to get in on the fun and share their own experiences. Their stories show that being an event professional is a tough gig, even if you work "on the other side of the fence," so to speak. Enjoy!

Where are Harrison Ford and all those Amish people?

by Anonymous, MC˛

What could have been a disastrous experience produced some of the kindest, most helpful people I've ever met. Six weeks before the CES show in Vegas, I received a call from a company that knew nothing about exhibiting that wanted to be in the show. (They'd put themselves on a waiting list and had been granted a space.) No knowledge, no booth, no personnel trained to talk about their unique one-of-a-kind product. This was a nightmare!

I talked to the company owner and some of the company employees, and I figured out exactly what they wanted and expected, as well as their goals. Then, I called CES. The group was a joy to work with. They gave me early-bird pricing on all services, the booth space, etc. (I earned based on what I could save at last minute, which made this payday nice).

I also found an excellent booth company that made all the modifications to the booth in record time and a graphics house in Miami that would do almost instantaneous printing. I located an expert in Montana that knew everything about the company's product. He was available and basically just wanted a free trip to Vegas (again a cost savings). When I called the hotels and explained the situation, they accommodated us at the early rate.

What could have been a total nightmare and disaster turned into a learning experience on how helpful and accommodating even a huge venue can be if you're patient and willing to take the time to find the right people who can help you. We accomplished more than the company expected in terms of goals -- 100 orders vs. the 30 they wanted. Everyone at the company understood what they accomplished due to our expertise, and followed through on every contact and order to produce even more results.