Javits Convention Center

After getting settled into the hotel room we took off for Javits Convention Center; my home for the next five days. Walking down the long hallway felt like some kind of initiation. As we walked up the stairs, turned the corner to the grand entrance of the hall I could not help but get butterflies. This was it! This was what I had been waiting for since I graduated college. It was my chance. As I looked up, there it was. The two story booth was up. It was much bigger than I imagined and seemed to dwarf the surrounding booths.

Although the booth was up, there was still alot of work to do. Wooded crates were scattered in the aisles; furniture was wrapped in plastic and ready to be put in its place. The monitors and computers needed to be set up and the carpet needed vacuuming. We did not waste any time. I started unpacking boxes of giveaways and accessories, and organized the meeting rooms. It felt like preparing for a party. Everything is a mess and you have to clean the whole house in time for your guests to arrive. So you scramble to make sure everything is in its place. The floor sparkling, the furniture dusted and the candles are lit, you feel a sense of accomplishment. That is what the days leading up to the show felt like. Chaos the first five days and then perfection that made you stand back and admire all of the hard work put into it.

I had to remind myself more than once that this was not a vacation and I was on this trip for work. Who would have thought that it could be so much fun? I found myself a little too enthusiastic at times. From taxi rides to room service, it was all so new to me. Before I go on, you have to realize that for the last four years of my life, I was turning one meal into four and selling my books to make the rent. Shortly after graduation I got an internship. I thought I was on top of the world until I realized working for free is not as much fun as it’s cracked up to be. So now, having my own hotel room and eating at nice restaurants feels like a foreign language. My team laughed at me when we went to registration to get our name badges. Seeing my name printed made it official for me. It’s sad to say but, I am probably going to frame it. Don’t tell anyone.