“You would be correct.” I smile, already more at ease. Harley’s right; they wanted this meeting with me. And I’m better at this than I give myself credit for.
“Aren’t you hosting the championship dinner for the University of Colorado’s college soccer team the following weekend? It must be quite the shift.”
I appreciate that they’ve done their homework on Spark House. “It is. Take down and turn around can be quick at times. Some events require extensive setup—like the soccer dinner, for example.”
“I imagine. You’re quite unique in your approach to the events you host.” He opens the door to a conference room and ushers me in ahead of him.
A woman sits on the side of the table facing the door. She glances up from her tablet, eyes moving over me, taking me in. I roll my shoulders back and stand a little taller. I remind myself that I’m here because they called me, not the other way around.
“London Spark, this is Tish Malvern, the senior account manager for Holt Media.”
She rises and reaches across the table, holding out her hand. Her smile is stiff and a little on the frosty side. I assume they’ve hosted a lot of these meetings.
“It’s wonderful to meet you. Thank you so much for having me.”
“You’re very welcome, London, I’m sure.” She motions to the table, which is meant to hold at least a dozen people, not just three. “Why don’t you have a seat and we can tell you a little bit more about the Teamology initiative at Holt Media.”
“That sounds perfect.” I slide into the chair across from her, and Mitchell rounds the table to take the seat beside her.
Tish sits ramrod straight, nothing but a tablet, a folder, and a glass of still water in front of her. Mitchell, on the other hand, flips open his tablet and sets it up so the cover is facing me. It reads KEEP CALM AND DRINK DECAF. He also has a travel mug set up beside him with a red circle and a line through the word DECAF. Clearly he’s the one with personality here.
“As Mitchell explained yesterday, Holt Media is starting a new initiative. New to Colorado, anyway. Our hub is in New York, and we’ve rolled out something similar with great success. We pair companies open to sponsorships or sponsored ads with companies who have similar goals and beliefs. Specifically, we’re looking to help companies who prioritize the environment and going green to connect and cross promote. The goal is to streamline revenue and provide opportunities for smaller companies to flourish. What’s different this time is that we’re working with Selene Angelis, who is heading the social media marketing plan. We think with the combination of company-driven social media outreach and social media influencers, like Selene, we’ll have even more success than our first initiative. We were referred to you by Go Green, who said that despite some early hiccups, they’ve been very pleased working with Spark House.”
“The Go Green team has been incredible. It’s absolutely an honor to be considered.”
“We’re glad you could make it. Would you like to tell us about Spark House and how you feel your model supports our green focus?”
“Absolutely. Are you amenable to a multimedia approach?”
“Of course.”
Tish leans back in her chair, and I rise and move quickly to the front of the room. It only takes a minute to connect my tablet and bring it up on the screen, but a minute of silence can feel like an eternity, so I fill it with light, but purposeful conversation.
“Spark House is different from other family-run hotels in that while we host events such as wedding anniversaries, we also provide the opportunity for dynamic events meant for team building. Mitchell and I were discussing the unique premise of Spark House. Our focus has always been on community and bringing people together. Which is why we go above and beyond at every step. Something I’ll touch on more a little later.”
I pull up the slideshow, starting with our mission statement and launch into my presentation—the one I usually give to new potential clients or business partners—pausing to answer their questions and explain how over the past several years, we’ve shifted from a typical event hotel to a more dynamic, unique, and interactive model that has resulted in a significant uptick in our business. “As opportunities to increase efficiency have become more widely available, we’ve adopted new processes to facilitate a greener experience.”
I click onto the next slide as a man walks by the open door and then backtracks, stepping into the conference room. I pause and glance uncertainly at Mitchell and Tish.
When all they do is stare at the man who has entered the room, their faces reflecting low-level panic, I decide my best bet is to address the elephant in the room. Or in this case, a rogue man in a suit. “Hi there, I’m London Spark, of Spark House Event Hotel. Would you like to join us? I’ve just gotten started.” I motion to the slideshow and give him what I hope is a welcoming smile.