6.27.24
Our time in the Land of Enchantment
We recently got back from one of the most challenging jobs we have ever done, and I think you and I are both still kind of reeling over it. But, the reason I have the energy to sit down and write this right now is because yesterday afternoon we had our all team after action meeting - and it was … revitalizing.
I came out of that meeting feeling so encouraged, so hopeful, so excited and motivated for the future. It was, in short, reinvigorating.
To back up one step and recap (for the mems!) …
Earlier this month, we went to New Mexico to execute a highly-complicated job for a client we have been working with for nearly a year and a half. After countless trips back and forth and assembling an absolutely all-star team of vendors, it was time to launch our team of seven 42 North assistant producers into the desert.
The build out on a remote piece of Tribal land began 6 days prior to the event date, and started off with a bang with an unseasonable monsoon level rain which dramatically impacted the first couple of hours of production.
I arrived on site at 7am in my cowboy boots and rain slicker (this is not a look I would repeat), faced eye to eye with 5 semi trucks carrying massive loads of wood and steel and a crew of about 20.
The issue of the moment was that we could not get the semi trucks down the dirt (now mud) road into the site. Worse, there was a tricky hill down to the reception site that was absolutely unpassable at this point, and we were not certain we could guarantee we'd be able to source the labor to fix it in time for the event.
I had to make a quick decision (with everyone looking at me!!) about what to do. Sixteen months of planning! Countless projections and calculations about location of this build out! We knew where the sun would set on this tent, what the view and backdrop for guests and photos would be, how we were going to lay out the vendor parking and guest transportation.
The clock was ticking for me to make a decision!
I took about 15 minutes to myself, walked around the site, went through my mental checklist for a potential new location:
What is the guest view / experience from this new location
How does the cocktail hour layout work here
How much flooring do we have on the order that we can repurpose into a dramatic walkway
If we extend the walkway by 3x the original plan, how can we reconfigure the lighting we had planned to cover us?
What is the view from the ceremony of this new reception site?
How will the back of house be laid out, and will it make sense and function the way we need it to in this new space?
What will the guest approach look like from this angle, and do we have enough fabric on our decor order to create the facades we need for a clean look?
How do we strategize the vendor load in to this location to minimize tire tracks and visible impact to the surrounding landscape to ensure a polished look as planned?
and so many other thoughts!
Once I had tackled these mental olympics, in the rain, with heavy machinery unloading off of tractor trailer trucks in the distance, I had to present this new plan to our clients - which was delivered through a verbal cocktail of upbeat, positive, "this new plan is actually better!", with a pinch of "I understand this is a change which can be difficult to absorb" - this conversation and the 20-minute anticipation of having to make the call was anxiety-inducing and was fueled by adrenaline.
Sigh.
From there, the week only continued with more roller coaster emotions and experiences of both triumph and unexpected, challenging twists spanning eight separate planned events across four locations.
We experienced extreme heat, hail, a dust storm, a wind storm (one of the tents *blew away*), thunderstorms, and once again heavy downpour rains. We jumped through hoops to pull off an al fresco dinner with heavy rain looming around the radar (so many tarps were used).
I think the toughest moments actually came between you and I the morning after the wedding. We had both gotten maybe four hours of sleep, and were coming off of several days of sustained stress, lack of eating and hydrating, and being on our feet for 15+ hours managing our teams.
You were getting ready to pack for your flight home, and I was set to see the client at their post-wedding brunch and assist in some packing up and organizing to complete the weekend. There were a series of events not only the evening before, but throughout the entire week that we had not been able to recap together in the way we usually do, and it all came pouring out in those moments.
We launched into what started as kind of a hard conversation (why did the last few days feel so hard? Why did it feel like we had pushed ourselves and our team to the limit? Why weren't we jumping for joy that we had just accomplished such a massive project that turned out absolutely incredible?).
I cried. You cried. I needed to take a break. You came into my room. I went into your room. I showered. You read a little. Then we came back together.
Those moments that morning were so REAL between you and I. Those were conversations only you and I could have after working together as partners for 10 years. I remember being in awe in the moment of how we navigated that hour of up and down emotions together, and I still am in awe of it now.
We were able to be completely, utterly honest and vulnerable in those moments. We never have to hold back with each other. We can say what we need to, even if it's hard. And then we are there to pick each other back up. My eyes were swollen and rashy from no sleep and the tears, and you hugged me and combed your fingers through my hair!!!! You were unsettled and didn't want to be alone, so you sat on my bed while I got ready so we could just be in the same room.
This all may sound so crazy to anyone reading this - like - WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED IN THE DESERT TO PUT YOU TWO ADULT WOMEN INTO THIS KIND OF A STATE?
That's the thing - I am not sure anyone can understand what this job is like!!!
But now to bring it full circle - back to our all team meeting yesterday, which came about 10 days after the event. This was the perfect amount of time for everyone to have recouped and gathered their thoughts and feedback. The goal of these meetings is for everyone to talk about what went really well, and what did not go well - and more importantly, how we can do better not only for our clients but for our vendors and for each other.
It is SO REWARDING to hear each of these incredibly talented and smart people deliver their observations and solutions on how we can get better and stronger. Each person on our team contains different strengths and talents, and they are self-aware in the sense that they can identify where they excel, and convert that into how they see their role as producers. They are intuitive, confident, savvy and they all have a stellar sense of humor to boot.
The biggest emotion that came out of the meeting for you and I both, I think, was how much our team cares about each other and about us and this company that we have built. They are willing to keep coming back to these projects because they want to see us succeed. They want to lift each other up and hold each other to our own highest standards, and celebrate everyone's victories and strengths.
The energy and love in our meeting yesterday was palpable, and the planning for the future was so exciting. Seeing how much respect our team has for one another is maybe the biggest reward of our career? Didn't it sort of feel like - we have been raising and influencing these talents for years and we are watching them flourish and grow into their own careers and here they are, pushing us to get better with their knowledge and talents - bringing fresh ideas to the table, innovating new systems to make productions tighter and more successful, showing us solutions we haven't been able to see clearly ourselves, and doing all of this because they WANT TO BE AROUND US?
I am just so thankful.
Having this team support has allowed me to open up my brain even in just the last 24 hours to think about how I can bring a fresh creativity, and a revitalized energy to my part of the job with our clients and colleagues. I am excited for our next project!!!!!!
In the meantime, you + I are headed back to the desert next week and we have a lot of work to get through. I am ready for some travel laughs with Sam, and for some caramel o'clocks along the way.
On another note - I am going to be a GUEST at a WEDDING at the end of this week and I am looking forward to being the one sitting in the crowd at the ceremony, getting teary eyed out of joy for my two friends at the altar. It will be fun to sit for dinner and dance. I ordered this to wear and I hope it comes in time!!
xx B
P.S. I would be REMISS if I didn't mention some of the gems we have discovered during our many trips back and forth to Santa Fe! Here is a very short guide to my favorites:
Dolina has incredible baked goods and iced teas, this is a place to go for a little treat!
La Mama is a sweet little cafe that serves breakfast and dinner, and also has a tiny market with interesting dry goods and gifts.
Double Take vintage is a treasure trove of Western wear, I could have spent hours in here. I got a one of a kind vintage leather jacket and a very cool straw hat here!
The Spa at Bishop's Lodge I can highly recommend the facial at the Bishop's Lodge Spa; I got one the evening after we finished all of the events and it absolutely brought me back to life. Instead of using steam and warmth, this is a cooling facial which is heaven when you have spent many days in the hot desert sun. I felt and looked like an entirely new human after 90 minutes of treatment!
Dig & Serve if any of our event planner friends are reading this - if you find yourself with a client in Santa Fe, you absolutely must work with Brandon and Jen of Dig & Serve. Their food, cocktails and service is spot on and you will be in very good hands!