Long Live Rock n Roll

I never really explained my absence from this blog, and I suppose I'm finally feeling comfortable enough to share. I'm finally feeling far enough away from the place that I was in. I was feeling really down, for about six months total - which would explain the many months I wasn't posting. I was feeling down at work, and my amazing coworkers got me through it. I couldn't have made it through without them. I was interviewing for a new job during my blog hiatus, which my therapist compared to being in a committed relationship, while also dating at the same time - it's exhausting. So of course I'd come home and after work/dinner/bath/bedtime/prep for the next day, I would be wiped. I had no energy to really spend time with friends. I was drinking a lot to relax, but in turn it just wasn't good for my health or good for my lack of energy. I stopped doing yoga because I didn't have the energy for it, but it's truly what I needed at the time.

And then, I got a job offer that I accepted. Things didn't turn around right away; I had imposter syndrome for sure. I would be working on 20,000 and 30,000 attendee tech conferences. That scale and those type of events were not my forte. And yet, my new director and senior manager kept giving me praise on how well I was doing, how fast I was learning. It was nice to have regular one-on-ones to get feedback, to hear when I'm doing well. It took some time to get used to, but I'm in a good place now, and having an amazing support team at work, and at home, and in my therapist's office has really helped me feel like myself again.

Back in September, I went to Cleveland, Ohio for this new job. Our event welcomed thousands of attendees, and I was in charge of catering and off-site parties. In my previous events job, I was working at a venue (the museum) that served as an off-site party for many conferences and tradeshows, just like the ones I do now. I particularly loved this event in Cleveland because our large evening event that we hosted was at a museum - the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame! I was so excited to host an event there, and it did not disappoint. There's monumental stage outfits on display, and even an entire garage band setup for guests to play. during the evening, some of my attendees got together and were signing and playing the instruments - it was so cool!

Cleveland reminds me a little bit of Chicago, but on a smaller scale. First, it's on a lake, which is just like Chicago. I was able to walk around to see different parts of the city. We had some downtime where we were able to visit the charming streets full of restaurants and bars. The Air Show was taking place the weekend that we were there, so we got tickets and seats to watch some incredible aircrafts break the sound barrier! My hotel room was a suite with a living room, dining room, bedroom, etc. It was spacious, which makes being away from home for multiple days a little better. My suite looked over Lake Eerie, and watching the sunsets (when I wasn't working the evening parties) from the living room was really nice.

Being in charge of catering, one important efforts for us at my new company is sustainability. Food waste is common at events, and it was really important to us to analyse our historical data and our registration pacing in order to make the decision of how much food to order. I can happily report that we reduced food waste by HUNDREDS of meals when compared to the year before! The venue where were host the event also has a great program for sustainability. We were able to order boxed water for attendees instead of bottled. We were also able to donate leftover meals, if possible. If we couldn't donate the meals, the venue has a food compost onsite that turns waste into energy. And lastly, if the meals don't make it to the composting system, the venue has a farm and they'll share leftover meals with the pigs on the farm. Sustainability is one of the aspects of the events industry that I struggle with the most. And thankfully, through my events career I've worked at venues, and now at this large company, that truly value being as green as possible, as much as I do.