Nerves, lots of nerves running. Checking through my list of of gear. Making sure I have bins ready to display prominently this year. Last year I had a single space, and I didn’t get quite the traffic I was looking for then. This year will be different.

Got to the space outside the Carpenter Theatre, and nerves are subsiding. The traffic is kind of crazy, but I’m optimistic. I get a space surprisingly close considering the change in parking for the event as a whole. J and his employees show me around, and let me know what the setup will be like this time. My suggestion of bins wherever there is regular trash and recycling goes through.

Luckily the morning is relatively cold, because I am nervous, a little sweaty, and trying to push through and set things up as I see fit. I make a kind of stand-o-buckets showing off the Compost RVA logos. Moving around the space and getting an idea for the breaks/meals throughout the day, the planning starts in my head, “How much time will I have? I need this much time in between each break? Make sure there are enough buckets? Don’t forget the drink area of the tent?” All these things go rushing around, but I want to make sure everything is covered.

Time is ticking, everything is setup. The lobby doors open, and out flows what seems to be a never ending line of people, and the TEDxRVA meals begin for the day.