Novice Nelly: She’s our witty, fun, yet fictitious, team member that takes us on her journey of #epicfails and reminds us we are all in this together. Enjoy!
It’s meeeee! After an #UnbelievableSummer—um, hello #RooftopsGalore— I’m back and better than ever. #Blessed #LovinLife. IDK about you, but the change of seasons always puts me in a philosophical mood. With the #EndOfSummer approaching, I can’t help but think of my #NoviceMistakes and the ways they could have been avoided AKA learn from my mistakes #MillennialsHelpingMillennials. I gained so much knowledge my first year #NellyingUp the event world, but this summer taught me a particularly surprising lesson: I don’t know everything. What lead to this epiphany? STDs and reefers. #ItsNotWhatYoureThinkingMom #GetYourHeadOutoftheGutters. Let me explain. The #EventsIndustry loves #Acronyms and #Abbreviations (BTW, I do too—obvi), but, even with a year’s experience under my belt, I still sometimes feel like my colleagues are talking another language.
For example, I will never forget the NLED team meeting that began with a discussion of the STDs everyone had received. Talk about TMI. There are some things I just don’t need to know #WhatHappensintheDrOfficeStaysintheDrOffice, especially about my co-workers #OfficeEtiquette. Like, #HELLO isn’t that the whole point of #DoctorPatientConfidentiality. At the same time, I have to admit that I started to feel a bit superior. I mean, I made some regrettable mistakes my first year in #TheBiz, but at least I can report a clean bill of health. So report it I did. After I announced to the office that my doctor told me I was #Clean at my last #Checkup, everyone burst out laughing as if they couldn’t believe it was true. Just as I was about to give them an earful, my boss said, “That’s great news, Nelly, but we meant STDs as in “Save the Dates.” #StillCleanThough.
Not long after #Cleangate, I was once again led astray by an acronym lost in translation. NLED was engaged to plan an #EpicBuildingDedication, and I was in charge of sourcing and ordering restroom trailers. #CharminOohLaLa. After a series of emails, it was determined that we needed an “ADA trailer.” NP, I thought to myself, it would be simple enough to secure an additional trailer. #MoreToiletsForTushes. I know ADA isn’t the abbreviation for “additional,” but, hey, #TyposHappen. An #ExtraToiletNeverHurtAnyone, and thankfully the extra trailer I added to the order was wheelchair accessible, making it ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Approved. #LearningProcess #IGotLucky.
At the same #EpicBuildingDedication, I overheard someone in the kitchen ask for the “reefer.” Shocked, I stormed over to the guy in a #Huff of #RighteousFurry. I was prepared to give him a very thorough dressing-down—like, come on, dude #NotOnTheJob #ThisIsntColorado #LiveAbovetheInfluence—but he quickly interrupted me to explain that “reefer” is shorthand for a refrigerated truck. #FacePalm. He had just wanted to know where the food items were being stored. #KnowBeforeYouYell.
Perhaps my most embarrassing mistake to date, occurred #BehindTheScenes. I was running around making sure everything was in order before speakers took the stage. I was told that the Voice of God (#VOG) was having a #CoughingAttack right before he needed to announce the guests. Having just found out it was called the VOG, the microphone ended up in my hands and I was told to do the #Introductions. I mustered up the most godly voice #ChannelingMorganFreeman and said, “Hello ladies & gentlemen, I am God and I am going to introduce you to our distinguished panel today.” While no one could fault my delivery, it turns out that the #VOG does NOT introduce oneself over the AV System. #WhoKnew #EveryoneKnows #ExceptMe #ImagineCorysFace #DoubleFacePalm #SorryCory.
All in all, #MistakesHappenToEveryone not just #Newbies. Because the #EventWorld is continually changing, no one can know everything. Crazy, right? To stay on top of it, you have to be open to new lessons. It’s important to always ask questions, pay attention, and learn from your—or, better yet, someone else’s—mistakes. #BeBetterThanNelly.
