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3 Cocktails In
Addicting conversations between friends who have been there, done that and still want more.
We are 3 friends who got this crazy idea to start a podcast based on our friendships, family lives, professional lives and experiences! This idea kept coming up in our conversations, especially after a cocktail or two or maybe three, and we finally decided to ACT on it!
We don't claim to be experts on too many things, but friendship? Well, we've got that down. We're making our way through major life changes, searching for work that excites us, busting myths associated with 'old' people, and keeping a sense of humor about it all.
Self employed, boss - CHECK
Mom, wife, single - CHECK
Rural, suburban, urban life - CHECK
Vodka, gin, wine - CHECK
Make sure to subscribe to our channel ~ FOMO is real and it sucks.
Amy, Kitty & Stacey
P.S. Isn't our intro music great?! Yah, we think so too. Thank you, Ivy States for "I Got That Wow".
3 Cocktails In
Olympic Excitement, Kitty's Sparkling Convention, and the Power of Resilience
Ever wondered how a young drug dealer could transform into a celebrated chef or how an autistic son could find his independence and a job at Disney? Join us as we unravel these and other inspiring stories from the recent Paparazzi Convention Kitty attended. We kick things off with Kitty's impressive jewelry haul and her infectious enthusiasm for all things sparkly, setting a lively and upbeat tone for the episode. From there, we shift gears to the thrill of the Olympics, sharing our newfound passion for sports like fencing and rugby, and paying tribute to Alona Maher, whose fitness journey and social media presence have captivated us.
The heart of our episode lies in the compelling stories shared at the convention. Kevin Brown and Chef Jeff take us on emotional journeys through their lives, showcasing the power of resilience, mentorship, and kindness. Kevin’s heartfelt story about his son’s path to independence and Chef Jeff’s incredible transformation from a troubled youth to a kitchen maestro serve as powerful reminders of what can be achieved with determination and support. We emphasize the role of storytelling in motivating others, celebrating personal victories, and fostering a supportive community.
Closing on a high note, we bring you the vibrant atmosphere of the recognition gala and the dynamic world of fashion jewelry sales. The gala's inclusive ambiance and attention to detail made every attendee feel special, while the latest trends in jewelry sales showcased how consultants stay ahead of the curve. We capture the exhilarating energy of our journey to success, the joy of celebrating achievements with friends, and the unstoppable drive that propels us forward. Tune in for a fun, inspiring, and energetic episode that promises to leave you motivated and ready to shine!
Make sure to subscribe to our channel, comment, like, and share!
Amy, Kitty & Stacey
P.S. Isn't our intro music great?! Yah, we think so too. Thank you, Ivy States for "I Got That Wow".
All right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right. Stop, I'm a tour de force running. Get me to the top. I don't need an invitation. I'm about to start a celebration.
Speaker 2:Hello my friends, good evening Hi.
Speaker 3:Good evening.
Speaker 2:Hi, how's things Hello?
Speaker 4:Crazy, crazy town.
Speaker 2:Are they?
Speaker 3:Yeah, all right. Yeah, kitty's been a little busy lately.
Speaker 2:Yes, let's. I can't wait to find out what shenanigans Kitty got up to this last week, um, so hang on tight. This is three cocktails in, with the three of us who have been there, done that and still want more. So I think we should talk a lot about wanting more. More, more, more bling in our lives Every day Wanting some bling, I think that this might have been yours. Maybe not, I don't know, we're all big bling people here.
Speaker 4:Yes't know, we're all big bling people here. Yes, I know, and I'm. I am channeling my uh inner Mr T today. Basically, I mean this is impressive, is it not?
Speaker 2:You got to have some good neck muscles going.
Speaker 4:Let's just say that this is. I would never wear this to the doctor because you know, when you go to the doctor, you wear as many clothes as possible and shoes that you can easily slip off before you have to get weighed.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that would not be this ensemble.
Speaker 2:Yeah, god, almighty, although you are a little bit in Olympian flair, the Olympics are still going on right now as we are recording this, and we have commented that there is a lot of bling out there and you could really be sporting a medal at the bottom of that.
Speaker 4:Yes, yeah, I could be, I could do one of these. Yeah, it's been so fun. It's been so fun to catch the Olympics wherever I can. So we'll. We'll talk about last week in a little bit, but since I've been home. So we got home on Friday late afternoon and I went straight to the jewelry room. I had so many boxes of jewelry arrive while I was gone and so just so much to catch up on this week. So I've had my laptop and I pulled up Hulu and so I'm just sitting, if I'm. If I can't be watching it, I'm at least listening to it. And it's just been. I just I love it when the Olympics roll around.
Speaker 2:I just I love it when the Olympics roll around. Yeah, I'm, I'm into it this year. So I've watched some things I've never watched.
Speaker 4:That's what I was just going to ask you. What so? What have you watched that you have not watched before, or what has surprised you?
Speaker 2:I watched fencing, which is really interesting, because Madeline, my oldest, met her now husband, alex fall, their freshman year when she joined the fencing club. I'd never I'm like you joined what Are you building? Fences, what? What kind of you know? I didn't know anybody who did that. So that was interesting. Didn't really under I, I not even I didn't really understand it. I didn't understand anybody who did that. So that was interesting. Didn't really not even I didn't really understand it. I didn't understand it at all, but interesting.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and I think in Medal Winner.
Speaker 2:A woman was pregnant, Like big pregnant, Not like, oh, I'm going to have a baby in seven months.
Speaker 3:No, this was I'm going to have a baby in seven months.
Speaker 2:No, this was. I'm going to have a baby in two months Okay, oh wow. I could be totally off on that again too, but she was very noticeably pregnant, wow.
Speaker 3:Cool.
Speaker 4:Yeah, we talked a little of the fencing One night. It was early in the week, we were sitting in a bar somewhere and that's what was on, so we were both watching it. At one point I looked at bill and we both had this look on our face, just trying to figure out what exactly is going on.
Speaker 3:going on yeah, I don't know much about it I've enjoyed rugby and you know um alana mar. She's certainly funny, she's hilarious and, yeah, a good good um. You know, spokesperson in my opinion, for the olympics. It's been, it's been fun watching her on social media yeah, kitty, do you have you seen her?
Speaker 2:do you know who that is? I don't. I think you would love her, especially from a marketing standpoint. She is um on the women's rugby sevens team. She's very open about her um body type. She, I think she says she's 5, 10. She's 200 pounds. She's got a 30 BMI and people drag her all the time for that. She is so freaking fit.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, and fast, fast and obviously super strong. She plays with red lipstick on, she talks about how you know, she did it kind of as an FU to these people who were kind of in her face about it and not so nice. And now there she said you know a lot of women who compete, not just the track play. You know the, the runners, and stuff a lot of people out on the rugby field pitch. I don't know what they call that, call that are doing what makes them feel comfortable. And her Instagram, oh, like, she just does funny stuff like talking about being at the Olympic Village, but she calls it the Olympic Villa and how she's there to meet love and her teammate goes this is not Love Island and she goes. What is it?
Speaker 2:but you, you know it could be, it could be, I think her following has grown from under a million to a million six.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Since the Olympics started. Yeah, big.
Speaker 2:She's worth following. Yeah she is. She's really really kind of cool, so that's fun. I've been on the soccer bandwagon Soccerudge football. The ladies are doing it, they're doing it.
Speaker 3:Yes, yeah, I watched the road women's road race all afternoon and Kristen Faulkner, usa, won the gold in that. Can you imagine a four hour bike race? I mean a hard four-hour bike race, and I posted today that it went up the hill. Maybe on a e-bike, right, not?
Speaker 1:a real bike.
Speaker 3:But, like I said, they went up that hill to Sancour today and three times. So they went up that and back down and up it. So it was a big, big race for sure wow, I think I saw that.
Speaker 4:I think I saw the finish of that one.
Speaker 2:It's very very cool, exciting to watch, yeah yeah, so what other exciting things did you do last week? Oh my gosh.
Speaker 4:So to bring everybody up to speed. So last week was the annual convention for paparazzi, which is my side hustle. Um, this is so. Paparazzi has been around since 2010,. Keeps getting bigger every year. I don't know how many years they've done this convention. It's always in las vegas and it is just. It's such a well done production and there are things happening from monday all the way through close on thursday. So monday we opened with a concert with Black Eyed Peas they were so great and it closed with a concert with Gwen Stefani and in between there it was fashion shows and showing the jewelry and meeting people and just celebrating each other.
Speaker 4:So one thing that I this is my second year going and one of the things that that hits me right off the bat like, from the time I get to the airport, you can see us coming a mile away. I will just say right, because we are either we people who sell paparazzi we're either head to toe pink or head to toe bling in some way, or we've got branded merch on in some way. So you can see us coming a mile away and we notice each other In situations where we would never notice each other, like this we do in um, being consultants. I feel like this brings together people who would never be brought together before and we feel that when we go to convention, so in the airport, I'll see a cluster of of other women, and some are guys, and we'll see each other and we're like we know, because we've either got the bag or, you know, I wear my pink glittery pants and you know, you just know, and you're immediately bonded to each other.
Speaker 4:So do you go up and talk to them? Yes, 100%. So last year I can't remember if I shared this with you guys or not, but last year I flew out there by myself. This year, bill went with me. So I land in Vegas, I'm on my way to baggage claim and I see this little cluster of women and they are, um, they're all together and we make eye contact and I actually I from afar I yelled hey, papa's sisters. And I started laughing at myself Like did, literally, did I just did. I just say that to these women, no, me. But what was their response? Hey, girl, I'm excited to be here and I don't know, to a certain degree I don't know that I can adequately explain it, but hopefully you can see it and hear it in my voice and in the stories that I tell I was truly living my best life last week and it was really fun to have Bill come along too and be able to.
Speaker 2:I was going to ask so Bill's very involved in your side hustle. Yep, he's riding tandem through the whole thing and I have to. I mean, I've known Bill for a long time and I know how he is when we all get together. He's part of it, but mostly he's watching, kind of going like oh. I'm having trouble trying to figure out exactly how he kept composure. Yeah, a room full yeah.
Speaker 3:What did he think of the whole thing?
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah Well. We should have him on.
Speaker 4:We should have him on. We should have him on sometime because, um, I mean, I he was, he was such a good sport all week, because it wasn't. You know, it's jewelry. This man wears no jewelry. He doesn't even wear a wedding ring. He never has. He rarely will wear a watch.
Speaker 4:But, yes, he's very involved in the business with me. And so, going, you know, going in, I said I just I want you to go to the first full day, the general session that starts in the morning, the speakers. I want you to, you know, so that you see the founders come on stage and talk about what's coming. I want you to see all of that. She's like great. She did every single thing with me every day, every session. Every speaker went to all the showrooms with me and took pictures and, you know, video.
Speaker 4:So I think that the conversations that he was having with other consultants and with other consultants' spouses so there were a lot of husbands there there and there are a lot of stories told on stage and off stage about businesses that start and go like this and you get to a point where you can't do it by yourself anymore, which I'm pretty much there. It's not a one person job anymore and you need a second person, you need a couple of employees, etc. And there's and there's some way way, way up lines that I talk to on a regular basis and they had conversations with Bill and they're just like Bill, she can take this to a whole new level, but she needs your support to be able to do it and I think it was just really good for him to have those conversations with people. I know that it's legit, really good, yeah, yeah. So it was exciting, okay.
Speaker 4:So there were two amazing keynote speakers and I will just say to our audience, to our listeners, if you guys ever have an opportunity to hear Kevin Brown speak or Chef Jeff, they are amazing public speakers and they both talked about resiliency and reaching for your dreams and you know what? Here's the thing we cannot hear these stories enough, right? We can't not hear these stories enough, right, we can't. We can always be inspired by somebody who's been out there and has had a tough start in life or, you know, whatever the circumstances were, chef Jeff, at 13 or 14, was a millionaire because he was selling drugs.
Speaker 4:So he tells the young entrepreneur it was a young entrepreneur and um, and ended up incarcerated for 10 years I want to say 10 years and during that time he made the decision to turn his life around, thanks to a mentor on the inside, somebody you know, somebody else who was in jail as well who looked at him and said you know what you have potential? Use your powers for good. Yes, you need to get out of here, and when you do, you need to turn all of this entrepreneurial nature that you have and focus it on good and your life will be dramatically different. And that's exactly that's exactly what he did. Super inspiring story. So he's a chef now in Las Vegas, he's a bestselling New York bestselling author and he travels the world speaking, telling his story Amazing.
Speaker 4:Um the the other guy, Kevin Brown. He talks about, um, we need, we need more heroes in life in general. Um, heroes are extraordinary people who choose not to be, people who choose not to be ordinary. And he told this amazing story about going to Disney. And we all know that Disney is an exceptional experience, exceptional brand experience, just the way that the attention to detail and the way they make people feel.
Speaker 4:But he and his wife have an autistic son and so from a very early age, or at a very early age, or at a very early age, they went to Disney and they had this really moving experience with a chef in one of the restaurants who did nothing more than she listened to the fact that he had special dietary needs.
Speaker 4:And so the next day when they came to the restaurant because when he said I would like apple and she said I'm sorry, I don't have what we need to make apple pancakes, but when they came back the next day she had gone to the store and so the next day when they came in, she made apple pancakes and just, you know that level of care and the bond that it created that boy, their son, who the teachers told them would never, he would never be able to live on his own, he'd never be able to have a job.
Speaker 4:It's this, this, this, this to the point, where the mom is falling in tears in conferences. I've been there. This this hit home for me. When you me, when you have a teacher telling you your child will never be able to function or live on their own or hold a job, or whatever, that mom basically said Well, you may think that, but that's not going to be the case. And the boy now in his early 20s. He went to college, graduated with honors and he just got his very first job at Disney.
Speaker 2:Oh neat.
Speaker 4:So just these amazing stories, and that's so much of what convention is, and I think that's a lot of you know. This is right up my alley, being in corporate event production, Because anytime you bring hundreds or thousands of people together to teach them something, to inspire them, to entertain whatever it is, these stories are so important and so impactful. And even though we hear these same things again, you can be everything you want to be. We all need heroes. We need to keep hearing these stories over and over and over again, because there are so many people in the world that need to hear them.
Speaker 2:I am always drawn to a good story and a storyteller, you know. Forget the posters. Good story and a storyteller, you know, forget the posters. Forget the plaques that say live, laugh, love. And you know, in the, in our house, blah, blah, blah. I want to see and hear how somebody has taken that idea and put it into action. Yes, I would much rather listen to. This is, yes, disney's, this great brand experience, and this is why Right, Right. Not just you can do it, you can. You know, you're great Reach for you know yeah.
Speaker 2:Give me, yeah, give me something that I can relate to and I would imagine, with people coming from all over the country, like you said, people that wouldn't necessarily ever get together other than at convention, you've got to look for universal stories. It can't get too niche, can't get too, you know, too in the weeds, because not everybody, and I would even guess not everybody there is at the same level in their business. That's right.
Speaker 4:Who wants to be Right? Yeah, you've got people who maybe just started. You've got people who might sell 50 pieces of jewelry a week or a month, and you've got people who were honored, who are and this doesn't have anything to do with the network marketing side of it people who have teams, but there are people who are selling and making six figure incomes and seven figure incomes. So you've got that entire range and everybody was talking to everybody. Yes, and the parties that we go to, everybody's there.
Speaker 4:So there's no, you know, there aren't these little clicky things. Or you know, yes, the very first night there's an elite dinner. So that's an invitation. Only you have to be at a certain level to go to that dinner, but that's it, that's the only thing, and they just do such a beautiful job of making us feel really special. So here's a really nice attention to detail Because, again, I'm always thinking about things through the brand perspective and I love it when brands build in, build behaviors into their brand experience. So one of the evenings it was called the black and white gala. So this is where people are honored for their achievements and their ranks, and so this year I had an opportunity. I got to walk across the stage because of my diamond status, um, and I am getting a crown. It's not here yet, but I will.
Speaker 2:I may show up on the screen here with your crown on, I can't put you in that crown, would that be a problem?
Speaker 4:Yeah, I can't not put the crown on.
Speaker 3:Right, you might as well show it off, right.
Speaker 4:Okay, so we're backstage, we're waiting for our time to go on, and there's staff everywhere. I can't even imagine how many staff members it took to pull off this whole production, and so who do you mean?
Speaker 2:staff from the production company, or do you mean from paparazzi?
Speaker 4:Both, but mostly from paparazzi. So you know, there's the standard event production people, the audio visual, the cameras, that stuff that the company that I work for actually does. So there's that. But then there's all of the paparazzi staff that they're in all the paparazzi gear. So we knew who they were and they were just there making sure that we knew where to go. So when you approach the stage, you had to go up a small staircase to get into the wing of the stage, and so on each side of that little staircase there were two very attractive gentlemen who were there too, and each one of them would take the one of them would put his hand out to take my hand, to help me up the stairs into the wing of the stage.
Speaker 4:Okay, so then it was my time. I walked across the stage, I did my waves. You better believe I took my time walking across that stage. There are some people who could not get across the stage fast enough. Oh, no, no, this is my moment. So I am taking and I stop and I'm waving. Okay, I might not ever be able to do this again. No, that's not true. It's my goal. I will do it next year. But so I walk off the stage then and Trent Kirby is standing there Trent's one of the founders and I just I said, well, that was fun. And he said and you looked fabulous doing it, these that these people are, they're real people, they're right there, they're talking with us, they're not untouchables. And then I get to the little staircase and here's the fine looking gentleman again and he takes my hand and helps me down the steps.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a detail that they could have easily overlooked yes so next year make a note you can wear a dress with a train.
Speaker 3:Yes, there you go. Yes, super high heels in a long flowing dress yes.
Speaker 2:I agree, yeah, and then teach Bill how to bustle it up.
Speaker 4:Oh, poor Bill. No, he had. He had a good time and and now he's heading off to Canada to go fishing on Thursday.
Speaker 3:So life is good for him.
Speaker 2:But you, you didn't want to go on that trip with him, so you two could experience.
Speaker 4:I've experienced that before with him.
Speaker 2:Yes, someday we'll have to get you to talk about your honeymoon in the Boundary Waters.
Speaker 4:Yes, that is a colorful, a colorful story.
Speaker 2:So you're there, you're having a fabulous time. I saw that you went to some great restaurants, or at least a couple had some good restaurants. Yeah, what out of the whole experience? I mean, clearly you got to see what's coming, the new lines and stuff, I'm guessing.
Speaker 1:Yes, we did.
Speaker 2:Do you see stuff and think this is not for my market? Or do you see stuff and think I'm talking them into this one, Because these, they need this? How do you approach what? What you see?
Speaker 4:Um, it's true that there is something for everyone, and so, as consultants, they advise us to. So the way that the the way that the whole system works, is that paparazzi, the brand, makes available just countless pieces of jewelry, different styles, and we then decide what we want to buy into our home inventory that then I sell. So, yeah, I have to make decisions every weekday when new releases come out. Will my customers buy that or will they not buy that? And I feel like I have a pretty good feel for what my customers like, but I also know that they surprise me from time to time. So the guideline always is by a third of what you love and you would wear, by a third of what you just feel like is okay, it may not be your style, but you like it and by a third of what you absolutely do not like. Oh, really.
Speaker 4:Yeah, because someone will yeah.
Speaker 3:Someone will like it.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and it's, it's always, it's always right on.
Speaker 2:That's really interesting yeah.
Speaker 4:And they do. They do a really good job of following the trends and I hate to say following. Maybe they're leading.
Speaker 4:I don't know, but they're spot on and I even I noticed it when I was in Italy last year. So I because I'm always looking at jewelry, and so when I was in Italy, I was seeing things there that were at that time in our current collection. So you know, the whole point is that this is accessible fashion accessories. You don't have to spend a ton of money to look great every day. What I'm wearing right here is a $20 set of necklace. This is $20, right here.
Speaker 2:That's it.
Speaker 3:Yep.
Speaker 2:I wore my flower ring today, the one that's got all the big pink flowers all over it. Yeah, I wore my flower ring today, the one that's got all the big pink flowers all over it, mm-hmm.
Speaker 3:Lovely.
Speaker 4:It's fun, so now go ahead.
Speaker 3:Now that you're home, how do you, you know, move from the excitement of that experience into your business?
Speaker 4:today, yeah. So now there's a whole frenzy that we'll live on for quite a while and it's partially because our customers well, I was sharing from convention all last week. I was doing lives as I was buying jewelry that was there. I was posting it. So our customers are just as excited about it as we are. They see what's coming and they'll be dropping all of this new line through the fall and then we'll have a whole collection of the Z necklaces which are $25 pieces. Those will be coming in the fall also, so that creates its own little buzz, and so all of this weekend I've been unpacking boxes and filling bins and taking pre or taking pre-claims for things. So there's a lot of momentum that comes immediately from convention and that will roll us right into fall. So it's if you're a consultant, go to convention, go. And I would say that for any of the multi-level marketing businesses out there I think Mary Kay had their convention this week too, so I was seeing friends who are in that business at convention and coming back.
Speaker 2:That's a lot of pink in one town.
Speaker 4:Yes, that one's not in Vegas. Oh okay, that one's in Dallas, yeah.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, yeah, that would make sense.
Speaker 4:So yeah, it's, it's uh, creates a lot of buzz, creates a lot of momentum, and you know that's. We need that, because with any business we can, we have our down days. I felt like my sales dipped a little bit right before I went to convention, so I was feeling a little anxious. And then I came home and I did two lives in two days and I I'll be up into the wee hours tonight probably getting invoices out and slinging the bling.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is hard for seasonal businesses and I'm not saying yours is seasonal, but I think everybody that's in they have those lulls. Yeah, and I know that when I took the vacation in July it was perfect. It was a perfect time because it's this dead spot when people aren't buying homes, especially in Minnesota, because you know we got to jump on the weather and the 4th of July and the weekends and stuff, the 4th of July and the weekends and stuff. So you know, you feel I get the anxious kind of little pit in my stomach like, oh, you know how's business going to go, is it whatever? And convention just sounds like that nice little. Clearly they've got it timed well in anticipation of fall and Christmas.
Speaker 2:You know, still, you've had summers over and, let's face it, a lot of the country sends excuse me, sends their kids back to school in August. You know, minnesota, doesn't? We wait for the most part till after Labor Day. So I suppose in some ways this is that last little tidbit of summer for people before they get geared up again. Yeah, do you find that there is seasonality to the business?
Speaker 4:Um, I don't really. I don't because I, because people like to change out their jewelry with seasons, so there's always something to to bring in. You know, we start to go into summer and then we're we're kind of lightening pieces up a little bit and going with, you know the lighter colors, the yellows and um, and then you start to go into fall. I somebody on my show today said hey, when are you going to start to show? Um, fall, you know color I need. I need some pieces to go with rust. I'm getting ready for fall. I'm like girl, it'll be here soon.
Speaker 2:I'm just talking about fall. Right now, I'm still the summer.
Speaker 3:Yes, the summer as long as it can be.
Speaker 4:Oh gosh, yeah, yeah. So I don't necessarily find that with with this business, but you know it's, it can. I can definitely start to feel little dips like this, and that makes anybody nervous.
Speaker 2:Sure.
Speaker 4:That's just normal.
Speaker 2:Okay, I have one other question. I don't know, that's just normal. Okay, I have one other question, I don't know. Stacey, maybe you do, but this had to be a double challenge for you because you so look at things from brand perspective, and this is what your company does. So did you have two tracks of thought running through the whole thing Like that's a damn good idea? Who was that I need to be making notes about this and that we need to try this? I can't wait to use this. Yes.
Speaker 4:Yeah, totally, and so I've. I've reached out to paparazzi to ask to, you know, to inquire could we have a conversation about production? I have never gotten a response back. It's it's a tough nut to crack, I know, because they've been doing this for years. It's a longstanding relationship. Um, that doesn't mean that it can't happen, but what I noticed this year is that the production felt a little clunky and I noticed some friction in between transitions. There were, you know, transitions. There should never be any dead air. There should always be music. You know you have the. So the first night they came out they. Well, first of all, the concert started 30 minutes late. Well, first of all, the concert started 30 minutes late. Paparazzi doesn't start anything late. I don't care if it's Black Eyed Peas or who or who it is. They're being hired by the company. You start when the company tells you to start.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this isn't a concert, that's right, not your own tour.
Speaker 4:That's right, but the first night it was 8.30. We were still waiting for the concert to start and Trent had come out and said Black Eyed Bees.
Speaker 3:Oh already announced it and then they didn't show up. So yeah, so there was that dead space, that half hour of nothing nothing, yeah, so that was noticeable.
Speaker 4:And then and then there were some little spots in between through, you know, through the week also. But then the last night too, misty came out and she said are you ready for gwen, stefani? And you know the music is playing and lights and everything. And then she exited the stage and then we waited and it was maybe, maybe five minutes of waiting for gwen and the band to come out. That's weird, it is that is weird.
Speaker 3:It's almost like they didn't know what the other one was yeah, doing close enough or whatever. Or you have a backup plan where you just do something to fill in and announce them.
Speaker 4:yeah, yeah, there's no excuse for any of these things, because everybody has a headset on the front of house, is talking to the back of house, is talking to the band. You know you're, there's communication going on, so there shouldn't ever be that kind of gap, or you know, just silence kills an event. So, oh yeah, those things, and Bill too, I mean Bill picks up on those things.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, cause he's been, you know yeah.
Speaker 4:So, so I feel like I have something.
Speaker 2:You have an opening.
Speaker 4:Now I'll be going back in September because, um, because I want a trip, so I get to go back in September and I will actually be with one of the founders. She'll be with us on our trip.
Speaker 2:Are you going to give her a whole PowerPoint?
Speaker 4:I'm not going to have a PowerPoint, but I am going to find the right moment to have a word.
Speaker 2:Slip or a packet there you go. Here's my critique of convention this year and how I think I can make it better. I'm sure that would go over really well, just a couple things At least, though those couple things would be coming from somebody in the industry, and that is a professional and just you know me doesn't know diddly about it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, other than you know potential business, did you find things that you can even take back to your you know job with Heroic? Yeah, to improve that. You know anything within there um two new speakers yes, bill said the same thing.
Speaker 4:He said you, you should suggest these guys to your clients like yes, definitely those two, for sure, from from a production standpoint, everything else I would say was, I hate to say it was pretty standard, it was beautiful, beautiful. It was beautiful beautiful graphics, led screens. You know, they, they did, they did a really beautiful job on that, and that's all pretty normal in corporate event production. Um and we talk about this at work it's there's sometimes it's hard to bring something truly new and different in into these events. Um, not that, not that it can't happen. You know, we've seen people doing things with drones on the inside of venues like this, drones that are choreographed, they're in clusters and they're coming together and they're making formations. That's one of the coolest things that I've seen lately as far as new technology. They didn't do that at this convention, but it was all. You know, everything that they did in this production. Our team at Heroic does Cool and does flawlessly Very cool, cool and does flawlessly. So good, yeah, cool. So now back to life normal life.
Speaker 2:Tomorrow to life yes, yes, it is monday for all of you and it is th Thursday night for me, although I I this is totally off topic, but I was driving to work this morning and we start an hour later on Sundays and I was getting messages at like 11 o'clock from my manager and I'm like it is Sunday, isn't it? And I had this moment of panic and I was driving and I actually had to close out my map. I know how to get to work, I just like to know if I need to go a faster way. I do that and looked at the calendar to see what day it was. It was actually Sunday. I had that much of a panic, like has it? You know? I told you the other time that I got my days. No, that day I thought I had a vacation day and I didn't, but I had a panic today about not knowing what the hell day it was.
Speaker 1:So it just happens.
Speaker 2:It's that time, it's the dog days of summer, where days tend to run together a little bit. Yeah. So Well, ladies, I think that your trip sounds marvelous, yes, and equally as tiring as probably ours was.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I know it's funny how you have to come back from vacation and take a break. Yeah, yes.
Speaker 4:And we got home late Friday I went straight to the bedroom and laid down, took at least a two hour nap, got up, ate something and went back to bed, and I didn't get up till 10 o'clock Saturday morning. So there you go.
Speaker 2:And your time difference wasn't as bad, that's right. I had no jet lag. No, you had bl jet lag. No, you had bling lag. Yeah yeah, all right. Well to everybody, have a good week, throw a little bling on. Yep Find something to fire yourself up Watch some Olympics. Yes, see who else is going to win a gold medal.
Speaker 1:I know.
Speaker 2:Hey tidbit. Did you know all the gold medals that the U S has are have been won by women.
Speaker 3:Oh, I hadn't noticed that. Yeah, still in the lead for total medals, the U? S is.
Speaker 2:Well, I think we also have like the most the US is. We also have the most athletes. Yes, as of today, the gold medals were won by women. Good to know. That is here's to you guys, sisters, cheers.
Speaker 3:Have a good week. Bye-bye, cheers. Have a good week.
Speaker 1:Bye, bye, All right, I got that. Wow, who wants some heads up right now? We got that. Turn it up loud. I know you're wondering how I got that. Wow, here I go. Here I go, Coming. I can't ever stop. I'm a tour de force running. Give me to the top. I don't need an wondering how I got that vibe. Here I go, here I go, coming. I can't ever stop. I'ma tour the forest running. Get me to the top. I don't need an invitation. Knock, knock. I'm about to start a celebration. Let me in Brought a good time. Put some friends. Turn it up loud. Past ten.
