Originally, this post was going to be titled “Lessons Learned,” but that was going too easy on myself. I fucked up, and I apologize.
That’s hard to admit when you’re the supposed “expert” that people write to for advice. But instead of ignoring the issue or making excuses, I’m going to try and make this a learning experience for both you and me.
If you weren’t aware, there was supposed to be a TAPA networking event at the Red Dragon Cafe on Saturday. But when my readers arrived, the place was closed!
Here’s the situation. When I contacted Red Dragon a few weeks ago, they told me they were moving to a new, larger location. They were, in fact, very excited to have a large group of PAs show up on a Saturday afternoon to their new digs.
I knew this would cause a problem with Google Maps; they don’t always update right away. That’s why I was very particular about telling people to go to the address provided, not the address you find on Google Maps.
But this was my first mistake. At the very least, a few people were going to go to the wrong address. But any time you try and get people to do something different than their habit, something’s going to go wrong.
Lesson 1: Keep It Simple, Stupid.
The other issue is that, while Red Dragon assured me they’d be ready for us on Saturday, any number of things can go wrong when you’re moving a business, even if only a couple of blocks (as was the case here). I don’t know what went wrong in this case, but I do wish they had let me know they weren’t going to be open for business. I could’ve found a new venue, or at least cancelled with enough notice that poor Noah wouldn’t have to waste an Uber ride. They probably didn’t call because whatever they were dealing with was more important to them than me and my readers.
And this was entirely predictable. I didn’t know they wouldn’t be open; they assured me they would be. But I could’ve known events aren’t entirely in their control. I should’ve said, “Thanks, but we’ll try another venue. Maybe after you guts are settled in.”
You can’t plan for every eventuality, but you can try your best to keep in mind Murphy’s Law–
Lesson 2: Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.
Luckily, as August put it, “coordinating alternative locations and going with the flow and shit is basically our job anyways.” So a bunch of them decided to move to the 50s diner across the street. It looks like they still managed to ave a good time–
Lesson 3: I have the best readers.
Even after all that, several people asked when the next TAPArty will be. I’m glad you guys have such faith in me!
Do you have a particular bar/cafe/restaurant that you think would make a good venue for a PA networking event? Let me know in the comments and I’ll try to arrange another, better one soon.
One Response
It was actually a really great turn out, despite the original location situation. Having just moved here a little over a month ago, it was a great opportunity to meet and share stories with some really cool people. I was just bummed I wasn’t able to join everyone over at DeSanos afterwards…
Anyways, thanks again for all you do. Definitely looking forward to the next one 🙂