May 26, 2009

TEARS AND CELEBRATIONS

Seventeen years of hard work, late night studying, hysterical laughter and great memories finally culminated in a night of joyous celebration last week when my youngest daughter, Eliza, graduated from high school. The ceremony was held in the world famous Grand Ole Opry House (one of the perks of living in Nashville!), and was filled with fond memories of the past and hopeful expectations for the many life adventures to come. Our whole family was there to help Eliza celebrate - even my parents who came down from Virginia. Most of our tears over her leaving were shed a few weeks ago during our church senior graduation dinner. So this week was mostly sweet and full of smiles. Her face in these photos says it all!

We love all our girls, and it was wonderful having them together again for the past week. Congratulations to all of you who have kids or brothers and sisters who graduated this month. Let the adventures begin!

I love this shot! This was taken right after her class marched in for the ceremony.

These are our three daughters...Anna, Mary Catherine, and Eliza. Mary Catherine will graduate from college at the end of June - whoo hoo! Anna will graduate from the University of Tennessee next year, and Eliza will be entering UT this fall. 

Saturday, May 23, 2009

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTORS 

2009 ANNUAL LEADERSHIP SUMMIT

We just returned from producing the 2009 Annual Leadership Summit for the National Association of Electrical Distributors. The three day meeting was held at the Westin Diplomat in Ft. Lauderdale. The Westin is a fantastic convention hotel right on the beach -, and it even has a ballroom that overlooks the ocean. As with most meetings this year, attendance was down due to the economy. However, the NAED staff did an amazing job of creating a program filled with great speakers and presentations on everything from the economy to political issues impacting the electrical distribution industry. NAED is one of my favorite clients, and this was our 45th meeting to produce for the association over the past 15 years (I think that's right...I sort of lost track after awhile!). Here are some shots from meeting.

This was the general session set up just prior to doors opening.

Here's the awards banquet set up. Each year the association closes their convention by honoring the outstanding achievements of their members.

This is a close up of the third general session. NAED invited several industry professionals to participate in a panel discussion related to important industry issues from a political and legislative perspective.

This is the view from the balcony just outside the ballroom. This is the Hallandale Beach area in south Ft. Lauderdale.

Here's our production team and our clients on stage just after the closing session. We had a great week together!

Sunday, May 2, 2009

PREMIERE AUCTION RAISES MONEY FOR THE FIGHT AGAINST CANCER

Last night, we produced Nashville's "Premiere Auction", one of the great annual events sponsored by "l'Ete' du Vin", the country's oldest charity wine auction. This is "l' Ete du Vin's" 30th anniversary year, and the Premiere Auction celebrated with a fabulous auction of wines, trips, artwork, jewelry and other items. Fourteen local restaurants provided incredible samples of their cuisine, while eight outstanding Napa Valley wineries showcased their vintages. This was our 10th consecutive year to produce the event, and it was another successful night for this great cause! We had a wonderful time working with the l' Ete du Vin staff; Mike Haney - Executive Director, Sara Moggio - Events Director, and Collin Husbands - Donations Director. GMC producer Brandon Thomas assisted Gary with the production and direction of the show, and Jim Sheridan and Jonathan Yeaworth managed the overall project. Special thanks to GMC staffers Keith Brogdan and Eric Cardwell for all the help with graphics and signage. Also, thanks to Marc Fragos and PSAV for assistance with lighting for the event.

The auction raised several hundred thousand dollars for the fight against cancer. Here are some shots taken at the event held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center...