When I was an ex pat living in Geneva, Switzerland, Expedia made it clear my role was going to be based there and if I were to come back to the U.S., I would have to network and find a job based, you know, stateside.

I remember scheduling time with my mentor when I was back in the U.S. on maternity leave, and I told her about my predicament; sure it would be great to sign on for another two years of the ex pat gig, but I was traveling extensively and taking on more responsibility, both at work and home. It made sense for me to be closer to family, and American hours of operation, at this stage in my life. It’s worth mentioning, because in Geneva, you’re out of luck from 5:01pm on Saturday to 10am on Monday if you need anything from a grocery store.

Back to the point. My mentor, an incredible international communications professional, asked me, what do you WANT to do? Always straight to the point!

I probably said something self-deprecating, then said, “there is a real need for someone to clean up B2B event management.” Out of the gates her supportive reply was, “Great, I have heard about your track record of success, but get out there and communicate the value you add, with data. In other words, you need decision-makers to understand how you are moving the needle on strategic initiatives. You need to educate your stakeholders that events aren’t just about cocktails and canapés.” Great mentor, great advice.

So what’s the connection with Burning Man?

When you sign up to participate in Burning Man, you are in for an event focused on art, self-expression, and, if I am to be honest, self-reliance too. The Burning Man website even says, “Burning Man encourages the individual to discover, exercise, and rely on their inner resources.” This week long annual event held in the Nevada dessert lived up to that “pitch” point. Since this isn’t an adult-only event, I am sure universities in about a dozen years will have their pick of “my experience at Burning Man” application essays. Why? With the death of one participant, and torrential rains that turned Black Rock City into a mud pit, it was about survival, not just self-expression.

With taxes and fees a 2023 Burning Man ticket comes out to about $675 dollars. A way out the weekend of mud? Priceless.

Event organizers knew the event experience was handicapped from the beginning. Tropical Storm Hilary made landfall in Southern California about 10 days before the event kicked off on Sunday, August 27, 2023. As attendees were starting to get nervous and ask questions, event organizers ensured the press they were coordinating with local agencies to prepare for potential flooding, and their concern was for the safety of attendees. Ok, like what kind of preparations, exactly? And an exit strategy? Apparently not included in the so called “preparations” with local agencies.

One step back … the hurricane rain remnants were coming through (the DESSERT) so a flood is what, 99.99% likely?

As the camels in the UAE can attest, scorched earth (sand!) does not absorb water.

So as some intern was issuing said pre-event “we’re on it” statement, the delivery and installation folks were not caring about the people that had yet to show up, they had a job to do. And, to be fair, Burning Man is no different than even a large-scale corporate activation: installations can often take YEARS to go from idea to implementation to on-site setup, and the pre-event crews had jobs to do.

As the guests started scanning their badges, I can’t help but wonder what they thought they were getting into. Thoughts of Frye Festival, perhaps?

Self reliance? Tell that to the strain on emergency officials because of the event’s inflow of traffic, despite the forecast calling for more rain.

As of when this blog is live, one person is confirmed deceased. And the road (singular) just opened up about an hour ago.

(about 9pm pacific time, Monday, 4 September)

The lawyers … they are on the clock.

Yesterday CNN reported “more than 70,000 Burning Man festival attendees remain stuck in Nevada.”

Watching the US Open 🎾? Round of 16 late night Zverev / Sinner match?

Safe to say the Burning Man event planners are not.

A quick google search of what’s happening right now ☝🏼 See picture

The best reporting on the Burning Man situation I have seen has been Reuters. Follow along, as this mess unfolds.

But this …

Some of those comments were pretty funny. You know, funny not funny.

Back to “post-Labor Day September” tomorrow. 🫶🏼 And if you want to talk event management, and best practices around this topic, schedule some time!