When I won the auction for backstage access to Netroots Nation 2010, it never entered my mind that I’d be playing with Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s granddaughter. But there I was, hanging out waiting for a photo op with the Speaker, with Isabella tearing up and down the hall. Pointing at the stage that her grandmother had just spoken from, she made a beeline towards the stage door. Having been in and out of that door many times, all I could think about was the floor level open access hatch that led under the raised floor and the Speaker’s protective detail tearing the stage apart to retrieve Isabella. But I had too little faith in the instincts that must run in the family. Isabella headed up the stairs to the stage where someone else corralled her before she could get hurt on the decidedly un-childproofed stage.
Seeing Netroots Nation from backstage was both a privilege and a blast. I saw the hard work that goes on to bring speakers to the stage, had the chance to mingle with some of the speakers. What I saw was the tip of the tip of the iceberg. I didn’t see the front-of-stage work, or the work that goes into managing the panels, the exhibit hall, or the social events. What follows is some of what I witnessed backstage to give you a taste of the scene behind the scene.
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