AP Prep

Few people realize how much work goes into setting an event up. Sure, wedding coordinators know it; even rave planners know it. The person I've seen who knows best is Kathy Packer. Kathy is the administrative assistant for the Denver bureau of the Associated Press and that title doesn't even begin to cover what she has to do to get not only the AP ready, but to get the interns ready as well.

Last night, right before our shift ended in the techinal equipment tent at 10 p.m., Kathy and her daughter Ginger pulled up with a mini-van filled with more than $1000 worth of water, pop, cookies, paper towels, plates, coffee and the usual trappings. The back end of her van was draggin' like she was hauling a swimming pool back there. Not only does she shop for this stuff, she transports it, unloads it, and no doubt accounts for it in the AP budget. The "T"'s are crossed, the "I"'s are dotted.

This is by no means the only shipment of staples this tent will receive. This is only to keep the crew working on setting up the computers and network BEFORE the DNC starts. Kathy does this work on her own time, and it includes such things as ordering 28 television sets and handling all of the office supplies for the huge amount of people that will be working in this tent. Tonight, it's around 8 p.m. and Kathy is out shlepping around. We expect her back in here shortly, and she says her night will go until about 10 p.m. as she sorts out the unending tangle that is the logistic of AP.

I haven't even mentioned the huge effort needed to coordinate the interns. There are about 30 of us, and one missed set of credentials can make a person's day rough. Simply it means you won't get into the Pepsi Center or surrounding area. It's not happening. I watched some guy try to talk his way into the Pepsi Center parking lot when I came in at 5 p.m. and he didn't get anything other than a chance to see if the turning radius on his car was good.

All the interns will have to delegated tasks, some of us will be matched up and mentored by other AP professionals. Some will be gophers, or hang out in the equipment tent and those schedules will have to be arranged, and of course changes will have to be made to accomodate the individual details of people's lives. At the most basic level, someone has to help familiarize the interns with the whole process of the DNC, and that someone will most likely be Kathy.

With a quick smile and teaming energy, Kathy will get all of this done. She is caring for both the human and the commodity end of the AP, and hopefully, the interns will see how dedicated she is and treat her with the respect she deserves.

If not, they'll have to answer to me.