For those of us who attend events, either as a spectator or exhibitor, or both, we enter into a magical world where there is a lot to see, people to walk with, and new products to become familiar with. If we’re exhibiting, we set up our booth with some jazzy new technology (which we of course rented from our most reliable favorite company SmartSourceRentals) that is bound to attract attention and strengthen our message and brand.

• We take for granted that everything will be there for us.
• We take for granted that we’ll be able to get online to take orders.
• We take for granted that there will be power.

We take a lot for granted at every event we attend. But it takes a lot of behind-the-scenes manpower and hours to pull off a successful event. We’re quick of course to notice something when it does go wrong –such as when we can’t connect to the Internet, when it turns out they aren’t serving vegetarian options at lunch even though we pre-ordered one, or when the speaker can’t get their slide presentation to work.

Yes, it’s all too easy to focus on those things that let us down. But since the season of Thanksgiving is upon us in the United States, we thought this would be a good opportunity to share with you a list of things you might want to notice, and be grateful for, the next time you attend an event.

Things to be thankful for at an event

• Open parking spaces – someone has the foresight to select a venue that could accommodate all the attendees so you don’t have to walk 10 blocks.
• Well placed tables and chairs so you can pause to take notes or sit and relax at nearly any location in the venue.
• The person who vacuums so well that you’d never know there was an all night 800 person wedding party the night before.
• Clean bathrooms that stay clean throughout the entire conference.
• The person or people who spend countless hours taping over cords so you don’t do a face plant when you walk into a presentation room.
• The unlimited pitchers of water so you don’t have to lug water bottles around all day.
• The smart event planners who give enough thought and budget to the WiFi technology so that every conference attendee can connect at any time, with any device.
• The event marketing person who brings in enough awesome vendors to keep everybody happy and engaged.
• The person who lays out the exhibition hall in a way that allows you to comfortably navigate through the booths, even when it’s crowded.
• The person who makes sure they select a conference room that has enough outlets so everyone can plug in their laptop.
• The coffee vendor that has getting good coffee out quickly down to a science so you never have to wait long, even right before the keynote begins.
• A keynote speaker that is supported with the right technology so you can actually hear what they’re saying even though you’re way in the back corner.

Events are meant to be enjoyed and to help us grow our business. When they work well, we don’t notice the details, but great effort has been put into the planning and implementation. So, here’s a thank you shout-out to everyone out there who works tirelessly behind the scenes at any event.

Don’t forget to check out our article “Technology Solutions That Make Us Thankful“.  Happy Thanksgiving.