Matt Weaver’s Brew HaHa Interview

I’ve always thought my job would be perfect for a reality show, as long as I could remain anonymous and they would somehow protect the guilty parties that make my job insane.

I have a fascinating job! I kick-off the year with a big New Year’s party on the casino floor, then host one of the biggest beer events on the west coast, plan a country concert music series in June, set off fireworks over the 4th of July, celebrate classic cars in August, and then I’m in charge of the biggest rib festival in the country over Labor Day weekend.

The craziest things happen when you produce events. When I interview potential interns I ask them how well they handle random people and situations, because that is the life of an event producer. For the last few years I’ve been trying to figure out a way to capture some of the fun and document the craziness, without making a deal with Bravo TV of course, so I decided to buy an iPad and find a way to document my life as an event manager on my own. If I get enough video views I might just have to upgrade to a real camcorder.

This was the first interview I’ve taken since I bought the iPad. The interview was taken at Brew HaHa, the annual Sierra Arts Foundation Fundraiser that was held this year on Friday, February 13 at the Nugget Casino Resort. My friend Matt Weaver from Morrey Distributing was a good sport and let me interview him.

Here are a few lessons I learned from my first interview…

1. I need to buy microphones. Sorry the audio levels are awful. We tested several locations at the event for the interview and it was just too loud. Finally we decided the entrance hallway would be best. We had to yell at each other the whole time, which was a little awkward and made me want to end the interview after two questions.

2. Try not to watch what is going on behind you and act natural. Watch out for those girls having too much fun around the 40 second mark.

3. I wanted to capture the essence of why the distributors and the brewers support this event, but I wasn’t able to do it justice because it was so loud and hard to host the interview in those conditions. I’ll have to try again next year.

4. If you are going to do interviews after working 15 hours you must add lots of eye makeup to hide the dark circles under your eyes better.

5. I need to learn how to edit video. I am using iMovie and I’m clueless! I look forward to developing iMovie skills as I develop Mad About Events Blog. Until I develop more skills I better try to do one take interviews. Editing may not be an option for a while.

If you enjoyed this video make sure to follow Lisa Jansen’s YouTube Channel. I will be uploading more interviews and video taken at events.

Special thanks to the lovely Bre Reinhardt for being the iPad camera operator.
Image Credit

Fight Night Event! Mayweather vs. Pacquiao

Mayweather negotiated the terms and conditions to announce the fight first.

Just saw the Tweet! Mayweather and Pacquiao confirmed their fight today for May 2 in Las Vegas. Like all good Casino event planners, I was thrilled! I’m not necessarily a fan of fighting, but I am a fan of giving our customers what they want, and they love fight night!

This fight is being billed as the richest fight ever because of the amount of money involved. According to The Associated Press, Mayweather could earn $120 million (or more) and Pacquiao will most likely earn $80 million. Add in the profits from tickets, sports betting, and pay-per-view revenue and this event is going to break financial records. I guarantee most Casinos in Reno will have fight night parties or show the fight on the casino floor screens. Oddsmakers are already picking favorites and expect tens of millions to be waged on the fight in Nevada alone.

These two boxers are incredibly popular for various reasons so there is going to be a lot of interest for fight night parties and casino events. We usually show the fights in the Celebrity Showroom at the Nugget Casino Resort and they do quite well. Fans like to watch the fight in the glamorous showroom, it is a fun and unique place to watch fights. Since this is going to be the biggest fight we’ve seen in a long time we might need to move the party to the Ballroom.

Before I start planning this fight night party I’d love some words of wisdom from fight fans. Have you ever gone to a fight night party? Please comment below on what was the best and worst part of the event. Is there anything that would have made it a better experience? I’d bet this fight won’t end in a knock out – but my fight night party will!