Useful Skills

Although I try to stay modest about it, from time to time living in DC and working with Philip leads to some pretty awesome opportunities. Every once in a while, it's good for me to remember how special these experiences are and how fortunate I am to live here. It's not everyday that your average American walks the halls of Congress as I sometimes do. And though you have to "stay cool" and professional and not geek out when meeting famous people, sometimes it really is neat.

Earlier this month, we worked on two events for a client called Meridian House; the first was a dinner at the State Department. On the top floor of the State Department are the Diplomatic Reception Rooms; this beautiful space is one that is not open to the public and therefore it is a really unique opportunity not only to visit, but to host an event there. I was there last summer for the swearing in of the Ambassador to the UK (Remember that?). On a rainy September 30th, we found ourselves there once again. It was the first time I've "seated" a dinner--a common task in the event world, but in all these years, I've never done it.
Me: "Philip, you know I've never seated a dinner, right?"
Philip: "Yeah, but you can totally do it."

Anyway, long story short I found myself back in the Diplomatic Reception Rooms, greeting our guests to distribute escort cards. Here's a quick look at one of the tables, set for the dinner:
A number of guests for the evening were Ambassadors, including the Ambassador from Ireland. It was fun to greet His Excellency and his wife; they were appropriately garbed in green and also typically Irish with the charm and friendly demeanor. When I mentioned to the Ambassador that my family is Irish, he was genuinely surprised--it was almost comical! I went on to tell him about our family's heritage, my visit to Ireland last year--I think he and his wife might have stayed and chatted with me for a very long time. He even gave me his business card, which I must have dropped somewhere. Bummer! The dinner was a great success--a preliminary event to the larger one the client would have the next day (October 1, birthday to my Mom and Mary, a faithful blog reader).

Anyway, the next day we arrived at Meridian House for the dinner and Ball--it's an interesting event; guests have dinner around town at various embassies and then come to Meridian House for dancing and dessert. Meridian House and the grounds are beautiful; it's a popular location in DC for weddings and I can see why. Lots of charm, beautiful grounds, and it has the feeling of being someplace else, even though it's right in the middle of the city. Here's one of the main dessert displays:

As I mentioned I think it's important to remain professional around celebrities/notable people. I have had my geek outs, to be sure...but if you stay professional, you build a reputation as such and also gain some useful skills. And that is how I came to save a Queen at the Ball.

Queen Noor stopped by the Meridian Ball to lend her support; as she was leaving, she was looking for her driver and was standing next to me at the end of the driveway. She looked beautiful and I complemented her on her dress; then a random guest approached her and asked if he could take a photo for a news outlet. I tried to deflect him as she was clearly uncomfortable; he would not give up. The Queen was on the phone with her driver, so I managed to maneuver myself in between her and this random dude. She was very grateful; her driver pulled up and I maintained myself as a "shield" between her and the dude until she was well in her car. She was very gracious and grateful.

Here's some coverage of the event, including a photo of Queen Noor:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/reliable-source/2010/10/dancing_machines_at_the_meridi.html