At this event, I kept scanning the schedule and asking the program coordinator, “Who is Mercy? I need to mic her.” She was about two sessions away, and though I hadn’t met her yet, I wanted her to feel comfortable when the time came.
I’m not a spoken word artist, but I know what it feels like to not want any fuss right before you have to stir an atmosphere. By the time I finally had those five minutes with Mercy, my job was simple: mic her, unmic her, and move straight to the next session. But as simple as that sounds, you can’t treat it lightly or brisk through it because no segment is inferior.
One thing I’ve discovered in this work is that you must treat each segment of an event like it’s the only one.
So when Mercy finally stepped on stage, I was present with her in that moment. Yet, at the same time, I was already thinking of how to unmic her before running backstage to prep the next session.
When she stepped down, I gave her the brightest smile I could muster, only to notice a camera flash across my face; a photographer had just captured the very moment I had been planning in my head.
Two days later, Mercy followed me on Instagram. I was excited, and when I thanked her, she gave me the greatest compliment I could ever hope to hear after an event.
For me, excellence on the job is non negotiable. But the personality through which that excellence is delivered, that’s an even higher level of excellence. Events can carry intense pressure, and it’s easy to let that pressure spill over. So when a facilitator tells you they felt peace as you executed your role, that means everything.
And so I turned to God and whispered, “Thank You.” Because no one can manufacture peace, it can’t be staged. It’s always the evidence of His presence.
Yesterday, I received this picture from Kings Media, whom I had only just met for the first time at the event. The way he captured the moment brought the memory rushing back.
Mercy’s words confirmed that truth and everything I’ve been learning on this journey. 👉🏽 See her feedback on the next slide.
Thank you,
@_kings_media
Thank you,
@the_mercyeffect
#behindthescenes #eventexperiencemanagement #events #theamazingmaya
