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Lights Go Out
Luncheon Accident Turned Genius
John Medaris, Broker/Owner EXIT Advantage Realty with Tami Bonnell, President EXIT U.S.
Fairfax, VA - Everything was set for the first “60 Minutes With EXIT” event in Northern Virginia. The largest banquet room at the Marriott was decorated with EXIT banners & balloons; 20 tables, set for 10 people each, with flower center pieces and programs at each place setting. Upbeat the music was playing to draw the crowd into the room to enjoy coffee and soft drinks prior to the program beginning. All was going as planned for a perfect Event.
Energy was high as the 200 invited guests took their seat in anticipation of the hearing the guest speaker, Tami Bonnell. You could have heard a pin drop as Tami started to talk. No one left their seat to take a cell phone call, no one left for the restroom, no one even talked to their neighbor. Everyone’s attention was on what Tami was saying. “What can you do with that?” asked Tami. After the program an agent remarked that she had never been in a room of real estate agents where no one moved for an hour. Everyone starting talking at once after Tami’s speech, “Hey this company is great!”, “I might look into having my license switched over.”
Then it happened, in the middle of everyone enjoying their lunch, the entire banquet hall went pitch dark. You couldn’t see your hand in front your face let alone your plate of food on the table. The music had stopped and there was a terrible silence everywhere there was supposed to be people enjoying the perfect luncheon. The only thing you could see in the room was the red emergency EXIT lights over every door in the banquet wall. Then from no identifiable location a voice rings out; “it’s ok everyone, please remain calm, keep your seat and continue eating.” “We just wanted to let you see how our company’s signs are all around you.” You just needed to have the lights to go out to see them sometimes.” The crowd responded with what seemed like deafening laughter. “That’s so cool!” one agent said. “I bet they planned that” said another.
Little did the attendees know, the local fire marshal had visited the hotel management announced they would be perform an “emergency test” throughout the building during our event. What we realized later is we couldn’t have planned a better way to get the EXIT message across to our audience then have the “Lights Go Out” during our event. In fact we plan on making the “accident” a tradition. Who knows maybe EXIT luncheons will become known as the “Lights Go Out” event.
John Medaris, Broker/Owner
EXIT Advantage Realty
12015 Lee Jackson Memorial Highway, #150
Fairfax, VA 22033
703-766-4600
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