Drool recap and gratitude
It’s nerve-wracking to put on an event like Drool. There are a lot of moving pieces and a lot of things that can go wrong. So many people need to work together in harmony for it to come off without a hitch. But on Tuesday night, in spite of a few challenges (pouring rain + parking problems + faltering internet access), I believe we pulled it off.
There were over 600 people walking around and checking out the many, many excellent products on display. Everyone I spoke to was enthusiastic, happy, and having a lot of fun. The sponsors and exhibitors did an amazing job creating spaces that were colorful and welcoming, and they brought so much energy to the event. This year, like last year, I was really overwhelmed by the supportive, warm relationships we have with so many of our suppliers. I lost track of the number of hugs I gave and received over the course of the day.
None of it would be possible without the incredible team that worked tirelessly to make Drool a reality. Jennifer, Michelle and Sarah from Plum Productions handled all the logistics and coordination with great care. Jennifer, who started out pregnant at the beginning of the planning process, deserves some special kudos. We had our first planning meetings when she was pregnant. We had phone meetings when she was on bed rest. We had coffee when she made it to 38 weeks and was taken off bed rest. We met in my office when her baby was just weeks old. She breastfed through meetings, pumped between meetings and phone calls, and managed to stay on top of every detail even as she figured out motherhood for the first time. It was incredibly inspiring.
At Magic Beans, Drool is truly a labor of love. Everyone who works on planning the event crams in all that extra work above and beyond their normal workload… and everyone is happy to do it. Every single person who works here — all 56 of them — played some part in the success of Drool. It’s an amazing thing to watch, as a business owner.
Some people here played more than just a small part. Jill, Matt, Emily, Robert, Isaac, Eli, Colin, Kerry, Brad, Alex, Kelsey, Jonathan… the list goes on and on. These people spent many hours planning, organizing, schlepping, designing, printing, framing, marketing, promoting, hanging flyers, shipping and receiving boxes, arranging flowers… I’m profoundly grateful to be surrounded by so many talented, passionate and committed people.
And then, there are our friends outside the sphere of Magic Beans – Jamie Grayson (AKA The Baby Guy) made the trip from NYC to help us in the final days before the event, and then worked tirelessly all day Tuesday helping to get everything set up. He took many neat pictures at the event and posted them to his Instagram account – I’ve got a pinboard of them (and some others) started here. And Charlene from Charlene Chronicles was a huge help, marshaling the local blogger community to help us publicize the event.
The aftermath has been amazing, with great round-ups from bloggers and other media. Here are some highlights, in case you are interested.
Boston.com Moms – Drool Baby Expo Draws Hundreds
Jess at Don’t Mind the Mess did both a blog post and a Pinterest board
Random Recycling – A little magic at the Drool Baby Expo
And then we have fabulous pictures and even a beautiful video to share!
See KCK Photography’s pictures
Watch the video by Whitewall Films:
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