A 12 year-old Intern’s Social Media Day Palm Coast Celebration
It was 11:00 a.m and I could already feel the busy vibe at our Coworking Space.
Everyone was running around making sure they got all the necessary chores done so we could have a smooth prep job ahead of our epic 2015 Social Media Day party in Palm Coast, Florida. Our local hashtag for the event was #SMDayPC, and the national event’s hashtag was #SMDay.
To quote Mashable (which is the organizer of the national event):
“Social Media day is an event that recognizes the digital revolution happening right before our eyes.”
That’s a good quote, right? Anyway, everyone was on their toes as this was serious! From figuring out table placement, to making sure the food arrived on time—there was lots to do. And if things didn’t go well, people would surely share the gossip on their Facebook or Twitter. 🙂
For the first time, my favorite red couches with their squishy, colorful pillows couldn’t soothe my anxiety, I was ready to jump in and be helpful for all the prep. Ok, fine. Yes, I was at work, and yes I should be helping, but I just needed someone to tell me what to do because I’m 12! What’s wrong with that?
Michelle, quick, Ky (Office divvy co-founder) is walking in your direction!! Ask him a very important question!!
“KY!!! Can I ask you—” and he’s gone. Just like that, he’s looking over someone else’s work. Someone older. The shock of rejection! I see how it is… (Just kidding, please don’t kill me?)
“Who’s free to help?”
Oh, Lisa. Thank goodness. (Lisa is another Office Divvy co-founder and she was working on food placement.)
Like the typical Michelle I am, I raised my hand, shook it, and said “ME!!” But, thankfully, that sense of professionalism that my parents are always trying to ingrain into me kicked up and, grabbing my upraised hand with the other, slammed it down on the table. Come on, Michelle. You’re in a professional office full of professional people! You already learned this the hard way on your first day? Remember? (Read my earlier post, “Intern at a Startup” for that).
“This is how you’re going to cut the strawberries…” said Lisa. They make everything look so easy here! The diced up the strawberries for our delicious-looking berry bar. I tried my best and managed to almost lose just one finger, one time, but I finally got the hang of it!
I was washing my hands, trying to remove that sweet berry smell, when I heard the wind. Insane gusts. And lots of rain!
Oh great… The next thing you know, stickers are flying and the tablecloths are soaring down the our parking lot. What perfect timing, wind! Don’t you just love the summer Florida weather? After all that work…
Fortunately, the weather cleared up (thank you Mother Nature), with a few hours to spare. Yay! The party was just a few hours away! Oh, no! Now we really needed to make everything perfect. From setting the tables to precisely picking where all the food was going, the pieces were coming together and #SMDayPC was coming alive!
But little touches were still needed. The Periscope live stream had to be set up and ready to stream. After multiple attempts of trying to get the angle just right, we finally had the stream displayed on one of the TVs in the space.
At the same time, we had a presentation display on our big screen which included our event sponsors, internet password, and even a fun Entrepreneur trivia game. Now we were one step closer to completion.
To spice things up (and to make it more fun), there was the Social Teller scattered throughout the facility, and paper heads of Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey to represent Social Media angle, in case there was still somebody who didn’t get it.
We also had random props like giant sunglasses. You can never go wrong with those.
At around 5:00p.m. the food arrived.
Ymmmmmm. Pasta, shredded pork and falafel-sliders. Hmmmmm, cupcakes!
That’s when the people started coming. Soon the food area was teeming with life. People were interacting. They were being social! This was the personal, face-face side of Social Media.
Here’s the coolest part—The Twofie Shootout Contest! You’ve heard of the infamous “selfie“, but you’ve probably never heard of the less infamous “twofie?” It’s twice as good because it stars two people, not just one.
But the contest rules are pretty strict. Your nose and ears, as well as those of your companion, have to be seen in the picture. If not, the photo is not counted. The person with the most twofie shots in 45 seconds wins!
Of course the winner of 2015’s Twofie Contest was last year’s returning champ Maria Marte! She’s so dominant that her challengers probably think the contest is rigged somehow.
Oh, man! If things weren’t cool enough, we finished with Flagler Cigar Company freebie cigars.
As Ky says:
“Because no good party should be without a good cigar!”
Looks like they sure were pleased! The cigars were quite a hit. Just six more years Michelle. Six more years!
As the sky began to dim, so did the Palm Coast Social Media Day 2015, as attendees were forced to take their social media home with them. In the end everything was worth it! Now it’s my turn to proclaim this moment a very proud one for Office Divvy.
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This is a Guest Post by Michelle. Michelle is a middle school student in Palm Coast, and a Business Intern at Office Divvy. She makes terrific observations about everything, and she’s a superb writer. Michelle is also a Tropicana Speech award winner for Flagler County.
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