This is my first All-Star experience as a FILO rookie and I'm quickly thrown into the fire with Sunday Setup Day, when 16 semi-trailers arrive from St. Paul filled with courts, hoops, signage, inflatables, kiosks (and seemingly everything but the kitchen sink). Our first task, after meeting in the hotel lobby at 6:15am, is to head over to Convention Center but of course we have to wait for the doors to open (First In). Once inside we all start the task of getting the gear off the trucks and to the right location in the Convention Center, which is easier said than done amidst the chaos of speeding forklifts and escalating jib-lifts . A dozen different companies are working furiously to get power on, lighting set up, print/audio capabilities running, and courts, hoops and bleachers constructed and its like mass chaos.
My specific role today is to help direct each item to its proper location and thanks to the forethought of our experienced crew the chaos becomes organized. Even a first-timer like me can handle it because every item is color-coded to match a specific location. For example, crates with blue labels go to the Walk of Fame section, kiosks with yellow labels go to autograph area and pink items head to the Hall D. The other FILO's do the real work lifting and moving gear, but the biggest challenge is to keep your head on a swivel and avoid getting hit by carts or bicycles whizzing by with workers on the move. I quickly realize why our CEO Kevin Weinhandl emphasizes safety all day, every day and at the end of the day my muscles and bones thank him for it.
It's 6:00 pm now and as the FILOs gather for a well-earned dinner, the event is well on its way to being fully-built. Pop-a-shots are ready, bleachers are standing, signage fills half the walls and columns and lights and audio are working great…for now. But, there's a lot of work yet to do and nobody with a FILO shirt is leaving until the lights go out and they kick us out (Last Out).
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| Written by: Lou Bavaro |
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