Around every corner there is a stage, and I am standing behind the curtain to make sure the show goes smoothly. This is the life of an event planner: every day there is preparation for some future get-together. My job is to convince people an event is needed, convince other people to help me put it together, and convince still more people that they want to attend. That’s a lot of convincing. I guess my true job is really selling, but let’s stick with the Event Planner label for the purpose of this blog.

The purpose of this blog is to offer a big box of thanks to the people in the second category. I have wrapped up a large event at Jim Hudson Lexus, and am riding that exhausted-relieved-happy-grateful wave right now. Since “he who is grateful gives credit where it is due”, I offer the following party summation.

The star of this latest show was the re-designed Lexus GS, which competes with the Mercedes E-Class and BMW 5-Series. Lexus did an amazing job with the car, from the aggressive design cues to the world-first 12.3” display screen. 2013 GS drivers will be able to adjust their 18-way seat for comfort, make dinner reservations, buy movie tickets and update their Facebook status from their car. Then they can drive 0-60 in 5.7 seconds while listening to Pandora and having an Enform concierge give them directions to their next destination. It is car and computer, performance and luxury, style and function. If they could find a way to build a shower into this vehicle, you could almost live in it. Suffice it to say, this GS definitely gave us a good excuse have a party, and Lexus made it perfectly clear that we needed to do it right.

So Lexus gave me the first 3 pieces of the event puzzle: reason, date, and location. The rest was up to me. I always choose my caterer first, because –as any event planner will tell you- the caterer makes or breaks any party. I am particular about the caterer I choose, because I am a high-maintenance planner. Thankfully for this gig I chose Fat Man’s Catering; Brad and his event manager Dorie made my job so much easier! They revised the menu when I pushed for a “wow-factor” and came up with an assortment of food that impressed the guests. Brad and his son Havird helped select amazing wines for the event, and there wasn’t a single guest who wasn’t thrilled with the presentation.

In addition to Brad and his team, I also want to thank a group who are loyal and helpful to me through almost all of my events, extending the utmost in courtesy and excellence: Brook Facey of Brook Facey Photography, Tara Scheyer for music, Margaret Brown for flowers, John and VJ of American Audio Visual. I also want to offer my appreciation to Jim and his team at Ranco, for setting up an amazing tent and bar for the occasion. Jim’s team worked extremely hard to make sure we had a special atmosphere.

My sales/event planning gig can be stressful at times, but getting to work with people like Margaret, Tara, Brook, Brad, Jim and VJ made it fun.  The stress was also abated thanks to the team at Jim Hudson Lexus. They encouraged guests to attend, assisted with set-up and tear-down, and moved cars for parking. Mr. Hudson drove in from Columbia to join the festivities, and Carrie Pulliam drove in from Statesboro to help with registration. The day of a Jim Hudson Lexus party was wide-open activity, and it was cool to see all of the teamwork behind it.

Finally, I want to offer a shout-out to all of the guests who attended the festivities-you shared your excitement for the new GS and we appreciate your loyalty to the dealership.

Check in soon to www.facebook.com/jimhudsonlexus , where we will post Brook’s always-amazing photos, and while you are there, be sure to view picture albums of past parties. Then be on the lookout for the next Lexus show, and when you do, be sure to peek behind the curtain to say hello to Angela. She may be a little stressed-out and needing a friendly face.