I’ve spent the last couple of weeks in New York working Fanatics Fest, and every time I come here I’m reminded why this city has the reputation it does.
The headlines usually focus on celebrities, athletes, and million-dollar collectibles. Mine start a little earlier—before sunrise, with steel, forklifts, coffee, and 30,000 steps a day.
This wasn’t a vacation. It was work. The kind of work our industry understands.
I stayed in Hell’s Kitchen, and it was probably my favorite part of the trip. Not because it was polished—it wasn’t. It felt gritty, loud, crowded, and alive. Walking those streets, I couldn’t help but think about all the stories I’d heard growing up about New York decades ago. Whether that’s exactly what it was like or not, the neighborhood still carries a rough-around-the-edges character that feels authentic. It’s a place where you keep your head up, keep moving, and mind your business.
That same attitude carries over into the convention business.
Inside the Javits Center, thousands of people are doing jobs most attendees will never notice. Carpenters, electricians, freight teams, labor crews, account teams, project managers, operations—everyone pulling in the same direction so that when the doors open, the fans think it all just appeared overnight.
It didn’t.
It was built.
Some days topped 30,000 steps. Between the July heat, long shifts, and constant movement across the building, it almost felt like New York itself was part of the workload. Then, in true NYC fashion, a tornado warning rolled through and changed everyone’s plans, adding another day to the trip.
That’s live events.
You can have the best schedule in the world, but eventually reality gets a vote.
One of my favorite moments was simply walking the city after shift. Grabbing dinner in Hell’s Kitchen, watching people from every corner of the world moving in every direction, then waking up a few hours later to do it all again. It’s exhausting, but it’s also why people fall in love with New York.
Fanatics Fest is an incredible event, but what sticks with me isn’t just the athletes or the displays.
It’s the people building them.
The fans see the show.
We build the experience.
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