There's so much happening on the Missoula campus, it's going to take an army of tireless workers to accomplish the ever-growing “to-do” list.
Beginning Friday, back-to-back undergraduate and graduate research conferences involving upward of 400 people will descend upon the University Center to showcase their original and cutting-edge research.
And all of that is just a day before the Montana State Science Fair, which begins Sunday when young scientists arrive with their award-winning projects for a two-day competition.
When the middle-school and high-school researchers clear out on Tuesday, preparations begin for the arrival and performance of rock star Elton John on Friday, April 11. Workers will start building the stage for that show Wednesday.
Whew. And then there's a month filled with more concerts, conferences and the Kyi-Yo Powwow.
“There is certainly a sense of challenge and satisfaction of being part of and coordinating events like this,” said Mary Muse, director of the Adams Center. “But I warned my husband, my father-in-law and my puppies that my life is not my own for a few weeks.”
Last weekend, just as Adams Center staffers were sweeping and cleaning up after the Home and Garden Show, Obama's staffers were walking through the building and scoping out its potential for a rally.
Although busy with high-profile visitors, the pace and the frenetic planning has become more or less business as usual at the Adams Center, Muse said.
“It's all very exciting, and who knows? This gentleman who will be here on Saturday may end up being the next president, and that's very exciting from the perspective of seeing how the machinery of a campaign works,” she said.
Obama's campaign staff is such a well-oiled machine that they can get a rally venue whipped into shape in less than three days, where in most planning situations, it takes about five weeks to organize, set up and take down the equipment associated with an event.
“Their machine is not very different than watching a really good tour come in and put on a concert,” Muse said. “There are several moving parts to this - dealing with the media, logistical sound and light challenges, hospitality, traffic flow, crowd management, security.
Each of those things has a myriad of details to be orchestrated.”
Getting the house in order for the big event will take a huge push from UM staff, Muse said, and that effort began in earnest on Wednesday.
“The last person left the building at 3 a.m. this (Thursday) morning,” Muse said. “And I have to say the timing is amazing because we just purchased new carpet tiles for the arena floor, and this will be their debut. That's what the staff was doing at all hours of the night - laying the floor and labeling where each piece goes.”
Reporter Betsy Cohen can be reached at 523-5253 or at bcohen@missoulian.com
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