I made a very last minute decision to go to Denver last week for the Democratic convention and had exactly zero tickets to anything. I quickly discovered these tips.
1. Prepare to invest a good part of your time basking around for tickets to glamorous parties, VIP upgrades, and credentials for the evening speeches. Conventions provide an opportunity to practice speed-patronage, hoarding, back-scratching, and schnoring.
2. Bring extra batteries for your cell phone. You will blaze through your battery with the furious texting.
3. It’s all about getting into the flow to get tickets. You have to ask favors, be ready to accept generous offers and be prepared to hoard a little to return favors.
4. If you have no other plans, hang out in the lobby of the main hotels. It will be like old home week, a reunion for your life. You’ll see people you didn’t even know were involved in politics.
5. Make it a game and skip the inherent status anxiety. All week long, the Google-Vanity Fair party was the party to go to - the crown jewel. I tried all the angles for getting tickets - to no avail. I even agreed to do a fundraiser for an out-of-state politician in the general gush of goodwill at the convention, "We can do ANYTHING!"
6. Don't give up. We were getting ready to go home from an after-party after Obama accepted his nomination. I was talking to my dear friend Norm, the uber brilliant litigator, founder of CREW, supporter of state’s attorney generals, and Obama fundraiser and advisor and some of Norm's friends decided they were too exhausted to go and gave us their tickets at 11:00pm.
7. Don't be too literal with party rules. The tickets to the glittering Google party had a hitch. They were non-transferable. We went anyhow and they ushered us in. Norm knew every federal elected and swanned me around - an incredible cap to a glorious week for Democrats.
8. Thank your patrons. John Rogers, I couldn't have done it without you. THANK YOU!!!
1. Prepare to invest a good part of your time basking around for tickets to glamorous parties, VIP upgrades, and credentials for the evening speeches. Conventions provide an opportunity to practice speed-patronage, hoarding, back-scratching, and schnoring.
2. Bring extra batteries for your cell phone. You will blaze through your battery with the furious texting.
3. It’s all about getting into the flow to get tickets. You have to ask favors, be ready to accept generous offers and be prepared to hoard a little to return favors.
4. If you have no other plans, hang out in the lobby of the main hotels. It will be like old home week, a reunion for your life. You’ll see people you didn’t even know were involved in politics.
5. Make it a game and skip the inherent status anxiety. All week long, the Google-Vanity Fair party was the party to go to - the crown jewel. I tried all the angles for getting tickets - to no avail. I even agreed to do a fundraiser for an out-of-state politician in the general gush of goodwill at the convention, "We can do ANYTHING!"
6. Don't give up. We were getting ready to go home from an after-party after Obama accepted his nomination. I was talking to my dear friend Norm, the uber brilliant litigator, founder of CREW, supporter of state’s attorney generals, and Obama fundraiser and advisor and some of Norm's friends decided they were too exhausted to go and gave us their tickets at 11:00pm.
7. Don't be too literal with party rules. The tickets to the glittering Google party had a hitch. They were non-transferable. We went anyhow and they ushered us in. Norm knew every federal elected and swanned me around - an incredible cap to a glorious week for Democrats.
8. Thank your patrons. John Rogers, I couldn't have done it without you. THANK YOU!!!
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