One of the perks of working the trade show circuit is the abundance of interesting people you meet on the job. Lots of boring business stuff, of course: No shortage of contracts to sign, blueprints to review, bodies to manage, or suits to schmooze. But there’s a certain mentality that thrives in the industry: Work hard, play harder. As an events coordinator, Gemma’s responsibility isn’t just maintaining an immaculate corporate image for the public-facing side of the company; it’s about making connections with people. Truth be told, it’s who you know and how you treat them that determine the kind of insider access you get in the future.
Valerie—Val to her family, Vix to her friends—was no stranger to a fast pace. After a pivot from the byzantine chaos of software production to the ‘glitz’ and ‘glamor’ of marketing, she found herself actually looking forward to those all-too-frequent business trips that swept her around the country with exhausting regularity. What was once a dreadful slog through airport security multiple times a month was now an adventure! Each trip a journey into the unknown! An opportunity to make a lasting impact! Meet new people! Learn new things! That’s what she told her colleagues, anyway.
But really, what Vix looks forward to most these days isn’t found on the business side. When she met Gemma in an airport lounge several years ago, she didn’t realize that they’d be working together in the future. In fact, she was initially much less than impressed by the tightly dressed woman making no disguise of a once-over, cocktail in hand.
Who drinks at eight in the morning, anyway?
Things obviously became a little awkward during boarding, when she discovered they’d be sitting together for the next five hours. But unbeknownst to Vix, Gemma possessed a certain talent for charming the pants off of unsuspecting targets. Something about her eyes made it almost impossible to look away, and Vix found herself strangely invested in lengthy stories about legal documents and fire marshals. Who knew they were such fascinating subjects when they happened to roll off a specific tongue?
Once they’d landed, Vix realized she was starving. She’d been so bewitched by her seatmate that the hunger had managed to sneak up on her. Sensing an opportunity to become better acquainted, Gemma suggested the restaurant in the lobby of her hotel. She was a regular in this town, and she knew some gourmet cuisine would pair well with stiffer drinks and deeper conversation. Vix wasn’t normally one to follow a stranger like a lost puppy, but she heard her mouth agree before her brain had registered. It wasn’t the rashest decision she’d ever made, but there she was, living dangerously and making a new friend like a full-fledged extrovert. It had been a while, after all, and for once, someone else had taken interest first.
At the very least, she figured she’d get a free meal out of it.
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