A Peek at Conference Logistics

Brenda

I think coordinating the logistics for a conference is a little like childbirth. You strain, and push, and take lots of breaths. You might need painkillers. And finally out pops baby! It's messy, and noisy, and maybe needs a slap on the back. There's pain, there's joy, and in the end, (hopefully) an exhausted sense of peace.

This comparison sprang to mind as I tried to find a way to summarize the behind-the-scenes work for RSOL's second annual conference. For the first ten or eleven months, our co-coordinator Tom Rydzewski had been our logistics/ground crew person. There were so many questions! In the early months, talk centered around whom to invite as speakers, where the conference could be located, and whether to allow non-RSOL people into the meeting space. Would the space be secure enough? Could an elderly church building handle this sort of event? With so many people fearful of sharing their identities due to vigilantism or "moles" within the group, how could we adequately publicize the information everyone needed, while still maintaining confidentiality? Would anyone be upset or angry if we put their first name on name tags?

And those were just the BIG questions. Due to a family situation that began taking all of Tom’s time, I stepped into his shoes in the last month of planning. Where would we get a projector, a video camera, a huge screen for presentations, a sound system? Who could set them up? Who would run the equipment? How many chairs were needed? Where would the tables be? How much coffee, donuts, and pizza? Where could people go to grab a bite to eat, or pick up a bag of ice? Could we keep them from getting lost in downtown DC? (Answer: No.) There were a million and one minor details to sort through, and our little fledgling Maryland group had yet to have its first face-to-face state meeting!

But we have such a great bunch of people! One stepped up to be our "registration czar" and made sure that crucial piece of the process ran smoothly. When the original video-camera went AWOL the night before the conference, she also came through with a nice loaner of her own. Another member came through at the eleventh hour and rented coffee percolators that could handle large crowds. Another person, who had not even gotten on our group's email list yet, stayed late both days to help pack up equipment and put away tables and chairs. Plus, members and organizers from other states all pitched in to help with setup, cleanup, minding the coffee and donuts, running errands, and handling emergency needs.

During the conference, I rarely sat down. There was always some detail that needed tending. Still, I was able to stop moving long enough to listen to nearly all of the keynote speakers. Tuesday morning, as I prepared to write this summary, I found myself profoundly sad. (Post-partum depression?) Memories of stories heard, of challenges we all continue to face, the many hugs, earnest discussions... So very many good, good people who have been hurt, others who have truly done harm but have changed their lives -- and all of us there united in support of each other and in our common goals. I was witnessing a small piece of the birth of a movement, and it made me proud to be a participant.

Brenda