Diane DiAntonio does more before 9 a.m. than most people do all day. On show days, she rises at 3:15 a.m. By 5:30, Diane is pulling her Mitsubishi Spider into the parking lot at the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center in downtown Boston. ("I keep the convertible's top down as much as possible.") She greets the overnight security guards en route to her cubicle in an office of five convention services coordinators. There, she opens her clipboard and studies the DCI show's schedule and 40,000-square-foot layout for opening day. Dressed in a power suit and black pumps, and with a band of keys strung around her forearm, this vivacious convention services coordinator is on duty for a long show day at the Hynes.
6 a.m.The floors were marked in the exhibition hall in advance for the trade show at DCI's Corporate and e-Business Portals Conference, which will be held for three days on the convention center's third level. A pharmaceutical company is holding a show on the first and second levels the same days. "I do need to coordinate with the other show," she says, making a note to meet with its convention services person.
6:20 Diane's on the move, deftly juggling her cell phone and two walkie-talkies - one for contacting convention center staff and the other for communicating with DCI's organizers - as well as her clipboard. She visits the exhibitors who are moving in to set up for the 12:30 p.m. opening. She needs to ensure that meeting rooms are set up with the proper amenities and AV equipment for each of the sessions. She checks with the registration desk staff to confirm they have everything they need. (These are rounds she'll make numerous times today.)
6:45 Diane meets up with the show's meeting planner. who wants the doors unlocked for attendees who will begin arriving to register at 7 a.m. Diane, aka "26" over the airwaves, gets on her walkie-talkie and calls a staff member to open the doors: "26 to available Hynes unit."
The planner also requests a pager system to be set up so DCI show staff can make announcements over the floor. Diane contacts the sound employees and also adds the request for additional equipment to the show's bill.
Before joining the Hynes Convention Center six months ago, Diane was a show manager for New England Cable, so she knows firsthand that the planner's primary focus is keeping attendees happy. Now, she's juggling multiple shows. "As soon as these guys are out, there's another one coming," Diane says. "It's interesting to see different shows come in. They transform the whole place."
7 a.m. She looks at her watch. "Registration starts right now."
She notices the battery of one of her walkie-talkies is low, so she walks briskly to the elevator and goes down two floors to her office to replace it. While there, she also checks her phone messages and grabs an Altoid (one of many she pops into her mouth throughout the day).
7:30 Off to the exhibit hall. Diane says one of the biggest challenges is knowing the building's layout. She usually enters rooms through a back entrance, so as not to disturb the flow of traffic, or in this case the construction of exhibits. She has developed her own daily checklists and makes notes as she moves. She then confirms with the sound technician that the paging microphone is in place. Another call from the planner: The logos that are supposed to be on the video screens in front of the meeting rooms aren't up. "That is a huge problem," Diane says, wincing. She stops, turns on her heels, and still walking, begins calling on her walkie-talkie "Signage . . . Frank, Frank, Frank, Frank."
While she's waiting for his response, she makes sure there's a T-1 line in a classroom for the afternoon. Within minutes, Frank gets back to her and the signage is up. Crisis averted.
8:00 a.m. Back to the exhibit hall. A Harley- Davidson to be raffled off at the show becomes an obvious meeting spot. "Meet me at the Harley," she tells the exhibits manager on the walkie-talkie. She asks the Hynes customer service representative how the exhibits are coming along. So far, all of the exhibitors who requested electricity, Internet access, or water for their booths got what they need. Well, almost. One of the booths needs an IP address for its computer, which is connected to a T-1 line.
8:45 The walkie-talkie bleats out a request that she use a house telephone to call extension 7002. It's Sarah Leach, the other show coordinator, who wants to discuss the traffic problems she's having with pharmaceutical show attendees leaving their opening session. She doesn't want to discuss it openly on the airwaves.
Attendance is larger than anticipated at the pharmaceutical show, so DCI's attendees should use the elevators to get from Level 3 to Level 1. Now, Diane needs to let the planner know that. The planner agrees, but points out that the pharmaceutical attendees are drinking coffee from DCI's break station.
Diane calls Sarah to a house phone to discuss the issue. While she's on the telephone, another person from the exhibition area calls looking for a FedEx box that was signed for but cannot be found. ("It's a huge building; things get lost," sighs Diane.) She makes calls to the loading dock and security, and the box is found. It was at the booth, under another box.
10:05 a.m. The exhibit show organizer and catering representative want to discuss the lunch setup in the exhibit hall. The three of them walk around the exhibit floor. The food will be on tables in the center area with drinks at another table on the end. But there's concern regarding aisle clearance for safety reasons. Diane suggests putting a couple of "high boys," tables where you can stand and eat, in an empty booth area and along the walls. After everyone's clear on what they need to do, Diane heads back to her office. "I get out of the way and let everyone do their job."
The planner calls on the walkie-talkie to say the attendees are warm. "Can we cool down 302?" Diane asks the Hynes staff. Done.
12:15 The exhibit booth staff has eaten and the DCI Show is opening. "I still want to squeeze in lunch," Diane says. There's a food court inside the convention center where she grabs a chicken wrap. While eating she keeps an ear on the walkie-talkies.
1:30 p.m. She walks through the exhibit hall. Attendees are mingling with exhibitors and lunch is nearly cleared.
2 p.m. Diane confirms with security that there've been no thefts or problems. She runs into the plumber and talks with him for a bit; things are slowing down. To make her job easier, she says, "It's key to know everybody." And it surely appears she does, as she walks through the hallways saying hello and asking everyone how they're doing. "The people I work with are great," she says. "I have fun." But maybe not as much fun as rock stars have, she jokes.
"I'm pretty positive," says the 28-year-old. She believes balance is the key to success in this fast-paced position.
3 p.m. Back in the exhibit hall, she's discussing with the staff that the planner wants the lunch buffets horizontal, not vertical, on Tuesday. And she wants more seats. Diane also confirms that the upcoming break (with hot dogs and pizza) is set to go.
4 p.m. Daily ice cream break on fashionable Newbury Street. "There's not one problem Newbury Street can't solve," Diane says happily, her walkie-talkies continuing to squawk.
4:45 Back to the Hynes and to the show floor. Attendees are snacking and talking with exhibitors. Everything's good.
5 p.m. Relaxing on the sofa in her office, she scans tomorrow's schedule.
5:30 She checks in with the show planner, and puts her walkie-talkie into a charger. She confirms the planner has her cell phone number before she leaves.
5:50 She pops one last Altoid in her mouth and checks her messages before departing.
6:02 p.m. Diane's on her way home, intending to pick up some Mexican take-out. This week she'll avoid socializing in the evening so she can go to bed early. "For me to stay focused, I have to stay fresh."
7:30 p.m. She's changed out of her corporate clothing and business mode, sitting on the deck going through mail and drinking a Coke. The phone rings and she lets the answering machine get it. It's not her cell phone, so it can wait.