Like I said yesterday, Catalyst 2010 totally exceeded expectations.
Now that I’m an old fart, the 3 days of the conference have probably replaced Christmas morning as the thing I get most excited about every year. I guess that explains why I barely got 5 hours of sleep the night before we flew out. Maybe it also explains why I showed up to the labs on Day 1 in urine-soaked footie pajamas.
And now, in no particular order, here’s 7 of my favorite things from this year’s conference, with visuals.
1. Being with Erica & 2. Hanging with Jake and Kim
She didn’t get a chance to come last year, so part of the fun for me was watching her experience the event for the first time. She loved it, of course. And she even seemed semi-comfortable coming backstage with me, despite Catalyst Staffer LV Hanson calling her out for having a cheddar biscuit from the volunteer’s dinner spread.
The other hott couple in that photo are our friends Jake and Kim. Funny that they live 15 minutes from us but we hung out more in Atlanta than we have all year.
3. The Acuff Shoutout
On Wednesday I went to Jon Acuff’s lab talk and it was standing room only (see above). 400 people were packed in and there was a line out the door of people they were turning away. Crazy. I stayed for most of his talk, which he crushed, and left right near the end…RIGHT BEFORE HE GAVE ME A SHOUT-OUT FROM THE STAGE!
Someone asked him what makes him laugh and apparently he said “Tosh.0, Tripp and Tyler’s videos, and Bryan Allain’s blog”. When I told Jon I had left the room right before the shout-out, he tried to take his shout-out back, but it was too late. In order to make it up to him, I donated a $1 Breast Cancer placard to him at a local restaurant later that night.
His response to my gesture:
Of course, he followed his shout-out up the next day by telling the CEO of Zondervan, Moe Girkins, that I was a fresh, fun voice she should keep an eye on.
And then the next day he posted my 7th Guest Post at Stuff Christians Like. Oh Jon, how I dost owe thee! And oh yeah, great hanging out.
4. Being Backstage
I’m a sucker for being backstage. I blame Caedmon’s Call for their Guild passes.
I just love being behind the scenes and seeing what goes in to the finished product. Whether it’s last minute tweaks on 3D video announcements, getting a sneak peak at the bowl cut a day early, or sitting in while Tripp, Tyler, Lanny, Ken, and Reggie work out the logistics of the potential Doritos Super Bowl commercial.
5. Connecting!!!
Ken Coleman – you’re a beast. Lindsey Nobles – great to meet you. Sarah Joy – keep looking for me in car rental lines. Matt Riggins – You’re my boy, blue. LV Hanson – thanks for the ride. Mandy – glad you stopped me to say hi. Mary – you should have stopped me to say hi one of those 4 times you saw me. Brad Ruggles – thanks for hooking up the Meetup again. Robin from Zondervan – great to meet you. Matt Chambers – keep doing the good things you’re doing. Mack K – Craig Groeschel should have been shadowing you. Brad Lomenick – not sure if you’ll ever be as cool as your parents, but you put on a great conference. Jeremie Kubicek – let’s do some single-A comedy together sometime. Tripp – visit me, you jerk. To everyone else I might have forgotten (Saddington, Curtis H, Matt, Yarby, Spence), great meeting you too.
6. Staying with Tyler and Amy
Is it normal to make really good friends this late in life? (and can I say “late in life” now that I’m 34?) Not sure on either front, but we had a blast with Tyler, Amy, and the boys and look forward to hanging with them again.
(Also, why can’t I keep my head still for a picture? See also: the Acuff pic)
7. Messing with Tyler’s Book
Tyler had some books for sale out in the main lobby so I went out there periodically to harass people who were looking at it. At one point i grabbed a copy and started laughing obnoxiously. Roll the clip.
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So those were my top 7 favorite things about the conference, but there was much more.
If you went, what was your favorite thing?
If you didn’t go, I promise I won’t post about it tomorrow.