Convention Arena Prepares for First Opening Session

Sound checks, stage positions and speaking cues -- the 2007-2008
National FFA Officer team was running through some final preparations
Wednesday morning prior to the opening session of the 81st National
FFA Convention in Indianapolis.

It's quite an impressive setup inside Conseco Fieldhouse with trusses
above the stage filled with lights, fog machines, a boom camera at
stage right, and yes, the return of the laser show. And of course, you
can't forget the speakers that the audio crew stationed in the back
has been having their fair share of fun this morning. At one point,
the "Cupid Shuffle" could be heard booming from the arena.

As for the national officers, though, practice this morning -- at
least the parts I caught running in and out of the newsroom --
involved running through positions for sponsor recognition and what
seemed to be opening lines for each session chair.

Some familiar faces to the FFA world were also running around
backstage prior to today's 1A opening session at 4pm. Last year's
National FFA President Beau Williamson and his teammate Southern
Region Vice President Jennifer Himburg were two of those faces helping
the current crop of officers with some of the little details of
National Convention presentation.

I also had a chance to meet with Bartha Audio Visual account executive
Jeff Smith backstage to talk about how the whole presentation was
coming together for the sound and video package that accompanies each
session. Smith, a former FFA member in Ohio, was very proud to be
marking his ninth year of working with FFA to produce the technical
side of convention, calling Bartha a "partner to FFA, not a supplier."

Later on, I'll be writing plenty more about the incredible
presentation Bartha puts on with some astounding details on what it
takes to produce each session, as well as some of the biggest
challenges both Bartha and the FFA face to make convention so enjoyable.

In the mean time, let's get ready to open convention with opening
session 1A at 4 p.m., 1B at 7:15 p.m. and 1C on Thursday at 8 a.m! See
you there!

-Geoffrey Miller