Emceed a sweepstakes at one of the casinos last night. Since I was back-of-house (behind the scenes) I took my laptop and worked on the synopsis. Multi-tasking-R-Me. Made progress. It's going a tad slow as I'm thinking as I go, working things out in my mind, jumping back, adjusting, but it's all there. It's coming together. Yes!
Every ten minutes the marketing person would tap me out of my creative fog to pass me the name of the next winner. I flick on the mic. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to out $500 Every Ten Minute Sweepstakes taking place now until midnight. Just listen for you name and check the screens located throughout the casino. This could be your lucky night! Our 6:10 winner is Hedda Lettuce from Garden City, NJ. Congratulations! You have one hour to collect your prize at the casino cashier." I flick off the mic. I go back to puzzling through the synop. This pattern continues for six hours. Yup. Every ten minutes we give away $500. The catch is if I call your name, you better hear it or see it one of the TV monitors because you only have one hour to collect your prize. If you left to go home or to visit another casino you forfeit the prize.
But let's say you were present and you did collect your prize. One minute you're playing the slots, or blackjack, or dining in the buffet... the next you're $500 richer. I've always wondered what the winners do with that cash. Plunk it right back down at the craps table? Visit the gift shop to buy that overpriced rhinestone pocketbook that caught their eye? Make reservations in one of the gourmet restaurants? ("We'll have a bottle of your best red, Charles.") If I called your name, you lucky winner you, what would you do with $500?
Well, you know that I enjoy the occasional gambling foray. So, depending on if I'd won or lost to that point, I'd probably take $100 and play some more, but pocket the rest as a windfall. Remember when I won enough to buy my plane tickets to two conferences? Woohooo. That sure didn't happen often!
But then other times it was more like this:
NAd that was WAY exciting!