Welcome to According to Plan, Madison Oberg's weekly blog about her experience being a fall intern for BRAVO!. We love our intern blogs and hope you enjoy following Madison!
Week 4
September 21 - September 25, 2015
I knew last week was going to be beyond busy, but I didn’t expect I would still be recovering today. Although I’m slightly tempted to curl up under my desk and take a nap, the Mautner Project’s 25th Anniversary Celebration for Whitman Walker Health was well worth the exhaustion!
Prepping for last Friday was crazy, requiring an unexpected late night in the office the day prior. Thursday was full of personal frustrations, as little tasks like designing table tents proved to be much harder than they should have been. Thank goodness for the BRAVO! team, who kept me laughing and fed me cookies as I dealt with technical difficulty upon technical difficulty until we were all set to go.
After a few extra hours in the office, Blair, Tracy and I treated ourselves to sushi down the block. Sitting out on the patio watching the sun set over the capital, I remembered how truly blessed I am to be having such an incredible experience in this city with a fun and supportive group!
Friday was the day we’d all been prepping for, and I prayed for the energy to get through. This wasn’t even close to an issue once I arrived at the Dock 5 location and saw how beautiful everything looked. I was immediately energized as we prepared for our guests to arrive. I spent the night setting up the photo booth, laying out the table tents that had given me so much trouble the day before, checking in guests (and checking out their incredible fashion choices), selling raffle tickets, and helping out wherever necessary. It still amazes me how every last detail is important, from the boas I fluffed days earlier to the seating chart we rearranged time and time again. Each of these seemingly small components came together to create an event that attendees were calling truly memorable.
I loved every minute. Completing each task brought me immense joy, as I saw how much fun the WWH staff and the rest of the guests were having. This evening was particularly special, as it was clear that each speaker and honoree was truly passionate about their cause. Mautner was so much more than a party. It was an opportunity for incredibly dedicated individuals to gather and celebrate victories in their community, and advocate for change in areas where there is still work to be done.
I truly feel as if coordinating events is something I could do for the rest of my life. Nothing about Friday felt like work, as I balanced completing my assigned tasks with dancing to the Gem Fatales, enjoying the risotto and dessert bars, taking selfies with the security guards, and mingling with the guests. Can it really be called “work” if I’m having so much fun?
This blog is getting lengthy and I need to wrap it up, but I can’t believe I’ve made it four weeks without mentioning one of my favorite things about working at BRAVO!: My apron. I’ve been “required” to wear one at both events thus far to hold raffle tickets and other assorted necessities, but I’m a real fan. People in the office make fun of how much I love it, but I’m hoping the trend catches on. Stay tuned for more updates on our events (and hopefully more apron sightings) in the weeks to come!