Sometimes it's easy to forget about those behind-the-scenes people who literally set the stage for performers like our own musicians and speakers. I'm talking about the very talented people who handle the staging and rigging, the props and stagesets, the lighting and sound, all the elements that allow the onstage stars to shine. These people have to push on, even if the setting up for an event, the running of the event itself, and the tearing down/clearing out after the event all run together into a single 30-hour marathon. They have to be highly skilled (theatrical technology evolves on an almost-daily basis) and physically strong (try to raise just one section of truss or unfurl just one length of copper cable--then imagine doing that several times over while balanced on top of a 12' stepladder). They have to possess the intelligence and temperament to solve the hundred unforseeable problems that inevitably pop up. Simply put, they have to Make the Show Go On. Even if the equipment arrives late or the caterers arrive early. Even if the pipe turns out to be a little too long or the drape a little too short. Even if the GM is nervous ("Yes, ma'am, we'll move the screen and reconfigure the projection so we're six inches further from your chandelier") or the fire marshall is creative ("You dusted off a code from 1956 that says we have to do WHAT?") or the weather is unpredictable ("Bob, run over and un-stick Herman, his hands are frozen to the rigging again.") Unlike the onstage-talent, the greatest payoff for the offstage-talent is a complete lack of appreciation from the audience. They're the guys who design and fabricate the box that allows the magician to saw the lady in half. If they've done their job well, no one will give any thought to them having done their job at all.