In 1998, my University of Florida curriculum required an internship to graduate. I packed my bags for Atlanta and joined Creative Event Marketing as an event-planning intern.
By my fourth week, I was on my first professional road assignment. That was the start of a long run through tours, events, conferences, meetings, seminars and presentations. Anyone who travels for work knows the formula: camaraderie, long days, the occasional miracle, and everything else that comes with life on the road.
The real story began in my second week. An account executive asked me to help draft a Star Wars-themed event proposal for a national mattress company. We pitched the Empire of Beds, Battle of Cots, Sleeping Rebellion, Mos Serta Cantina, the Slumber Star and Z-wing fighters, all with plenty of zzz’s.
The proposal worked. We won the business and started planning a product launch at the Houstonian Hotel. I was supposed to stay in the office as support staff, but as is often the case in events, the plan changed.
The account executive had a family emergency, and my boss asked whether I was comfortable running the event in Texas on my own. I said yes. The only advice I got was, “Don’t tell them you’re the intern.”
In Houston, I hired 20 out-of-work actors to play Star Wars characters. We were off to the races. Every breakfast, breakout, dinner, presentation and meeting followed the theme. The props, audiovisual setup and even the menus went galactic. The Houstonian handled the cooking, but I named the dishes: Boba Fett Bisque, Wookie Waffles, Jawa Soup, Wampa Steaks and Jedi Juice.
When everything came together, the camaraderie among actors, clients, hotel staff, AV crew and caterers was unmistakable. There is nothing quite like pulling off a great event on the road. Whether it is a concert or a mattress launch, when the pieces click, the road is a blast.
After the event, the mattress company’s CEO wrote my boss to say the account manager — otherwise known as the intern — had done a great job. Mission accomplished.
There was a bonus. Those were three long days, I got a short break each evening when Stormy—my dad—would stop by for a beer and a burger. He lived nearby.
Fast-forward nearly 30 years. We stopped at the Houstonian this Summer during a family visit, and memories of that first event came rushing back. Soon afterward, I was headed to another conference, thinking again about what makes road work interesting rather than simply a chore.
Nice hotels help. The Houstonian is elite. But after my internship, I spent much of the next year in Hampton Inns across the country as a tour manager for a band. Hotel quality matters, but what counts most on the road is the destination, the mission and the team you travel with.
That brings me to Amelia Island and the annual Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce Conference. Of all the road work over the years, this event is the one that always makes my calendar.
I have attended more than 100 conferences, but this is the only one I have attended 20 years in a row. It is about finding common ground and moving our community forward, so attendance has become non-negotiable.
When I first attended in 2006, the conference was all about networking. I handed out at least 200 business cards and delivered 30-second pitches over three days.
I was an account executive. That was the job.
These days, we bring a team, and everyone makes the rounds. The focus has shifted. We spend more time thanking clients and talking about the good work others are doing than delivering elevator pitches.
The Tallahassee Chamber put together outstanding content this year. One highlight was Don Yaeger’s keynote on greatness. Anyone whose introduction includes video from Shaq and Dick Vitale has my attention, and Yaeger’s stories about winning delivered.
We’re passing around his book, Great Teams: 16 Things High-Performing Organizations Do Differently, at the office, and I’d encourage anyone who works on a team to pick it up.
Richard Darabi of Moore Bass led a strong session on planned communities. The NAI TALCOR team delivered a must-see discussion on regional development. Ed Murray and Slaton Murray brought substance and plenty of laughs.
We brought five Aegis team members to Amelia Island. Just like that first event at the Houstonian, camaraderie was everywhere. Clients, partners, friends and colleagues traded ideas about improving the community, upcoming projects, volunteerism and elections. We met candidates and officeholders and got a broad look at what is happening across the Tallahassee region.
One conversation was with Antoine at Big Bend Habitat for Humanity. We talked about his appearance on our podcast and how it led a listener to donate land for a home build. That is the kind of impact they make. They do important work. You can learn more at Big Bend Habitat for Humanity.
I have attended plenty of conferences and events more than once. But 20 years in a row? That is the record.
Five hundred conversations in three days about how to make something better, with a few elevator pitches mixed in, is impressive. The bar time, patio time, ocean, speakers and breakout sessions all build a sense of common purpose and sharpen Tallahassee’s collective edge.
That is worth the miles every time.
Road work is not always pretty. When things go sideways on the road, I think of a scene from “Almost Famous.” Sometimes all you need is a good tune to get everyone pointed in the right direction, as Russell and the band discover with Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer.”
After three days on the road, it is easy to relate to this exchange:
William Miller: I have to go home.
Penny Lane: You are home.
I do not know what next year’s road work will look like, but I know what it will not look like. There will be no bands and no Hampton Inns, thankfully.
I will go where the year takes me. I hope that includes another trip like our office trek to Canada this year, when our partner Sherweb took us to a hockey game. Maybe it will be Washington, Miami, Atlanta, Gainesville or the other usual stops on my route.
Only one destination is already set for 2027: Amelia Island with the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce.
And I look forward to getting on the road again.
This column is dedicated to the Chamber Conference staff — Michael, Beth, Barbara, Kate, Phillip, Erin, Katie, Erin and Melinda. You all are awesome, and I salute you for putting on an elite conference.
And to Eddie Gonzalez Loumiet: You make leading the Board look easy. Well done on the best conference yet, at least of the past 20.
