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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 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!!!
Marya Stark
