Party Train

Since I have been in Direct Sales, for years, my company would host two Conferences. One always traveled to different cities, and the other would be in Chicago in the summer. This was a forum where many consultants would gather and learn how to make the most of their business. We eat, sleep and socialize together and I envision it the way I would Summer Camp. So imagine, a company made up of about 99.9% women, varying in ages from 18-80 descending upon a town. In my company the personalities range as vastly as the ages. We have diversity of age, creed, race, and even family structure. So a giant melting pot is a good way to describe the group.

There are always those that head right to the hotel room after the dinner or banquet and settle in to a good book or a phone conversation with the husband and children. There are some that resume work and begin brainstorming and re-hashing the meetings or classes. There are the party animals that hit the strip of "establishments" as fast as lightening.  And then there are the rest of us that do a little of each!  One night, we got sprung a little early and the ladies I was with were interested in going to a local piano bar. Cocktails consumed, dancing began and as I looked around I noticed that we were not the only conference in town.  Gentleman dressed with their business casual/convention attire surrounded us. I am sure I saw a name badge swinging from a lanyard or two. The group of ladies I was with numbered about 12 and as the night went on different trios of the group started to head back to the hotel, the morning meetings were fast approaching.

As I looked out on the dance floor I noticed one of my friends dancing closely to a new friend. As a couple of us danced up to her, we said "Shirley, we are going to get going... are you ready?" And a very intoxicated Shirley very decidedly said "NO, i'm staying here with Jeff!"  A five second internal struggle happened, as I thought to myself, this really isn't my business ... and then I thought about how unhappy Shirley's husband and family would be with me if I left her at this bar alone with "Jeff". So the three of us that were left, hatched a plan. We started all dancing in a circle around Shirley and acted as if we too were going to stay! And then I whispered to my co-conspiritor to "hop on" the party train. We began a conga line/ party train and yelled, "Shirley! Party Train!" And as we sandwiched her in the middle we party trained right out of the bar and into a cab that was waiting and off to our hotel.  Shirley was a little unhappy with us for a minute, but then she fell fast asleep and then thanked us many times the next day!