Comments on: Meeting Planner Sabotages Keynote Speaker http://www.bradlaughs.com/2009/01/09/sabotage-keynote-speaker/ Motivational Speaker & Humorist Brad Montgomery Writes about Humor In the Workplace, Office Pranks, And Office Humor.. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:41:08 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Brad Montgomery http://www.bradlaughs.com/2009/01/09/sabotage-keynote-speaker/comment-page-1/#comment-11836 Brad Montgomery Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:06:31 +0000 http://www.bradlaughs.com/?p=1103#comment-11836 How easy and cheap would it have been to get the best out of their musicians: one cup of coffee. Yet they had to think, and in the end made you unhappy about playing there. Big picture? Maximizing performance? Think free coffee for the bass player! PS. Hey readers: heck out Andrew Hudson's site: http://wwwandrewhudsonsjoblist.com Excellent example of thinking big, doing it with class, and making a difference. How easy and cheap would it have been to get the best out of their musicians: one cup of coffee. Yet they had to think, and in the end made you unhappy about playing there.

Big picture? Maximizing performance? Think free coffee for the bass player!

PS. Hey readers: heck out Andrew Hudson’s site: http://wwwandrewhudsonsjoblist.com Excellent example of thinking big, doing it with class, and making a difference.

]]> By: Andrew Hudson http://www.bradlaughs.com/2009/01/09/sabotage-keynote-speaker/comment-page-1/#comment-11835 Andrew Hudson Tue, 09 Jun 2009 03:34:42 +0000 http://www.bradlaughs.com/?p=1103#comment-11835 My gosh! Who did she think you were? A jazz musician? I actually had a gig once where the band was taking a break and I asked the waiter if I could get a cup of coffee. He called over three other waiters and the had a 2-minute discussion. "Well," he said. "We typically don't do this, and musicians shouldn't ask, but you can have a cup of coffee if you promise to drink it in the kitchen." "Forget it" I said. What a joke. My gosh! Who did she think you were? A jazz musician?

I actually had a gig once where the band was taking a break and I asked the waiter if I could get a cup of coffee. He called over three other waiters and the had a 2-minute discussion. “Well,” he said. “We typically don’t do this, and musicians shouldn’t ask, but you can have a cup of coffee if you promise to drink it in the kitchen.”

“Forget it” I said. What a joke.

]]> By: Motivational Speakers: Brad Montgomery http://www.bradlaughs.com/2009/01/09/sabotage-keynote-speaker/comment-page-1/#comment-10954 Motivational Speakers: Brad Montgomery Sat, 14 Mar 2009 00:05:04 +0000 http://www.bradlaughs.com/?p=1103#comment-10954 Oh! I just worked for an Air Force audience and they finished this story for me: they gave me a HUGE sandwich with 12 lbs of turkey. I'll post the whole thing soon! I'm laughing even now. Oh! I just worked for an Air Force audience and they finished this story for me: they gave me a HUGE sandwich with 12 lbs of turkey. I’ll post the whole thing soon!

I’m laughing even now.

]]> By: Debbie Iancu-Haddad http://www.bradlaughs.com/2009/01/09/sabotage-keynote-speaker/comment-page-1/#comment-10913 Debbie Iancu-Haddad Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:22:12 +0000 http://www.bradlaughs.com/?p=1103#comment-10913 You think not being fed is insulting? I once arrived at the appointed time to give a workshop to a group of hotel personnel managers and found they hadn't quite finished their sit down dinner in the hall where it was taking place. All the chairs at the table were occupied and the event planner didn't see fit to organize a chair for me to sit down and just left me standing there at the side of the hall while they ate..talked and carried on for another 20 minutes. I can tell you that after that treatment - with all the participants picking up the "just ignore the woman standing in the hall till we are ready for her" the workshop (in my opinion) did not go well. Although many participants thanked me in the end I felt annoyed throughout and was definitely not on my best game. Yes - I can stand around, my feet work fine - but boy, yes, the event planner has to think of somthing that simple! Great story, though. I usually turn down food before i'm about to speak, my idea of embarrasing is addressing a group with something in your teeth... You think not being fed is insulting? I once arrived at the appointed time to give a workshop to a group of hotel personnel managers and found they hadn’t quite finished their sit down dinner in the hall where it was taking place. All the chairs at the table were occupied and the event planner didn’t see fit to organize a chair for me to sit down and just left me standing there at the side of the hall while they ate..talked and carried on for another 20 minutes.

I can tell you that after that treatment – with all the participants picking up the “just ignore the woman standing in the hall till we are ready for her” the workshop (in my opinion) did not go well. Although many participants thanked me in the end I felt annoyed throughout and was definitely not on my best game.

Yes – I can stand around, my feet work fine – but boy, yes, the event planner has to think of somthing that simple!

Great story, though. I usually turn down food before i’m about to speak, my idea of embarrasing is addressing a group with something in your teeth…

]]> By: Moose http://www.bradlaughs.com/2009/01/09/sabotage-keynote-speaker/comment-page-1/#comment-10856 Moose Wed, 14 Jan 2009 01:30:22 +0000 http://www.bradlaughs.com/?p=1103#comment-10856 Brad: That is too funny! I'm sitting here cracking up ... but wow, it never occurred to me that I could save $8.67 by not feeding my speakers. Maybe I'll try it! :-) Brad: That is too funny! I’m sitting here cracking up … but wow, it never occurred to me that I could save $8.67 by not feeding my speakers. Maybe I’ll try it! :-)

]]> By: Robert Brackenridge http://www.bradlaughs.com/2009/01/09/sabotage-keynote-speaker/comment-page-1/#comment-10854 Robert Brackenridge Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:43:01 +0000 http://www.bradlaughs.com/?p=1103#comment-10854 I wouldn't have given you the sandwich either... We pay good money to attend these conferences. And here you are thinking that you deserve the same equal treatment as a paying attendee? The nerve. Quit sponging your way around and carry a smelly tuna fish sandwich in your pocket. I'm certain you will both gain the attention of the planner as well as the first couple of rows of your audience. :) Good story. I wouldn’t have given you the sandwich either… We pay good money to attend these conferences. And here you are thinking that you deserve the same equal treatment as a paying attendee? The nerve. Quit sponging your way around and carry a smelly tuna fish sandwich in your pocket. I’m certain you will both gain the attention of the planner as well as the first couple of rows of your audience. :)

Good story.

]]> By: Motivational Speakers: Brad Montgomery http://www.bradlaughs.com/2009/01/09/sabotage-keynote-speaker/comment-page-1/#comment-10853 Motivational Speakers: Brad Montgomery Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:18:12 +0000 http://www.bradlaughs.com/?p=1103#comment-10853 Hi Tim. Yeah.... I was told by an airline flight attendent that she never travels w/o a bottle of water, an apple, and a couple of granola bars. Good advice. Like you, it has paid off for me many times on the trip. I add to it: a couple bags of raw almonds and a couple of packs of instant oatmeal. (You can use the coffee maker in the hotel room to make hot water for the oatmeal.) It's perfect food for when you are in a huge hurry, don't want to mess with the hotel restaurant, etc. Cheers! Brad Hi Tim. Yeah…. I was told by an airline flight attendent that she never travels w/o a bottle of water, an apple, and a couple of granola bars. Good advice. Like you, it has paid off for me many times on the trip.

I add to it: a couple bags of raw almonds and a couple of packs of instant oatmeal. (You can use the coffee maker in the hotel room to make hot water for the oatmeal.) It’s perfect food for when you are in a huge hurry, don’t want to mess with the hotel restaurant, etc.

Cheers!
Brad

]]> By: The Weekly Might Have Missed List (01/11/09) | Breaking Murphy's Law http://www.bradlaughs.com/2009/01/09/sabotage-keynote-speaker/comment-page-1/#comment-10851 The Weekly Might Have Missed List (01/11/09) | Breaking Murphy's Law Mon, 12 Jan 2009 04:31:05 +0000 http://www.bradlaughs.com/?p=1103#comment-10851 [...] Montgomery’s Laugh-O-Nomics: Meeting Planner Sabotages Keynote Speaker [...] [...] Montgomery’s Laugh-O-Nomics: Meeting Planner Sabotages Keynote Speaker [...]

]]> By: Tim Warneka http://www.bradlaughs.com/2009/01/09/sabotage-keynote-speaker/comment-page-1/#comment-10850 Tim Warneka Mon, 12 Jan 2009 01:44:58 +0000 http://www.bradlaughs.com/?p=1103#comment-10850 Brad: How funny! A very similar thing happened to me. The only different was that the conference was at a posh up-scale resort, all the restaurants on-site were closed, and there was no food within walking distance. Luckily, I had two power bars and a small bag of GORP (good ol' raisins and peanuts ... a staple of hikers on the trail) that I had packed in my overnight bag for the cross-country plane flight. Whew. By the time I got through my 1.5 hour speech, finished glad-handing the crowd afterwards, got back to my room, ordered and waited for the room service to arrive ... I was starving! :-) Now, whenever I travel for a speech, I always -- always -- pack a few extra power bars in my bag. Thanks for the story! :-) Best of luck in 2009! Brad:

How funny!

A very similar thing happened to me. The only different was that the conference was at a posh up-scale resort, all the restaurants on-site were closed, and there was no food within walking distance.

Luckily, I had two power bars and a small bag of GORP (good ol’ raisins and peanuts … a staple of hikers on the trail) that I had packed in my overnight bag for the cross-country plane flight.

Whew. By the time I got through my 1.5 hour speech, finished glad-handing the crowd afterwards, got back to my room, ordered and waited for the room service to arrive … I was starving! :-)

Now, whenever I travel for a speech, I always — always — pack a few extra power bars in my bag.

Thanks for the story! :-) Best of luck in 2009!

]]> By: banquet manager http://www.bradlaughs.com/2009/01/09/sabotage-keynote-speaker/comment-page-1/#comment-10848 banquet manager Sat, 10 Jan 2009 10:32:13 +0000 http://www.bradlaughs.com/?p=1103#comment-10848 Great story. Unfortunately, it's not out of the usual for meeting planners. They're so focused on certain aspect of the event that loose track of many of the "little things" like your issue or that we banquet managers can't just snap our fingers and make all of their last minute changes happen in a minute. Take care. <a href="http://soyouwanttobeabanquetmanager.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">So You Want To Be a Banquet Manager</a> Great story. Unfortunately, it’s not out of the usual for meeting planners. They’re so focused on certain aspect of the event that loose track of many of the “little things” like your issue or that we banquet managers can’t just snap our fingers and make all of their last minute changes happen in a minute. Take care.
So You Want To Be a Banquet Manager

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