Why the Limp?

I’ve written about shoes before. One blog was literally titled “Shoes.” Another was called “These Boots Ae Made for Walking.” In the meeting and events industry, shoes can make or break you during an event. Everybody needs to wear shoes, but sometimes you need to sacrifice style and fashion for comfort and survival. I’ve spent hours upon hours upon hours on my feet (as I’m sure many event planners can attest to) walking back and forth on cement convention center floors overladen with the thinnest carpet known to man. I’ve racked up 13,000 steps before 10am several days in a row during an event. I learned in year one that wearing good, comfortable shoes is a necessity regardless of whether or not they coordinate with my outfit.

I don’t normally have the opportunity to sit and smell the roses during an event. I’m usually the person calling the shots; ensuring the task list is complete, people are in place, wheels are in motion, and everyone has what they need to be successful. Recently, however, I was a cog in the system, doing my part to contribute to the greater good. I was only responsible for a small portion of the sum total, a position I can’t remember finding myself in for the last couple of decades, but one I rather kind of enjoyed as it gave me a chance to make more observations than I generally have time for.

As I watched the masses walk back and forth between breakout sessions, the exhibit hall, registration, meals, conversations, and bathrooms, I was looking for a variety of things. I’m always on the lookout for a good backpack. Event planners are the best source of information when it comes to knowing which backpacks are lightweight, comfortable to wear, can fit everything a planner needs, are durable, provide padding for the computer, hold all of the gadgets and whatnots, have smooth running zippers, and can withstand a multitude of flights, site visits, hotel rooms, drops on the floor, kicks under the table, and changing weather conditions.

Besides backpacks, event planners also provide great information on which pants, skirts, blazers, shirts, and socks make the cut for the ever broad category of “business casual” or as I like to refer to it as “snappy casual.” When talking with professionals from the meetings and events industry, you can learn which fabrics are breathable or might spontaneously burst into flames as you walk; which ones won’t wrinkle, which ones are itchy, and which items can be mixed and matched to wear interchangeably for the duration of the event so you can pack your entire week into just a carry-on.

But during this particular event, shoes got my attention. I watched as, what appeared to be smart, well-educated individuals, trudged back and forth wearing the most unusual selection of footwear. I saw slip on sandals with kitten heels almost take down a woman because she tried to outwalk them. I observed as women who thought it was a good idea to wear their highest and thinnest heels to a convention center event walk like baby giraffes for days. But the one that took the cake was this adorable, well-appointed young man in a spectacularly tailored suit, wearing pointy-toed, pink flats, shuffling and limping miserably past my desk. I would be interested to hear what his thought process was as he got dressed this morning.

Needless to say, I just want to remind event-goers that your shoe selection will dramatically impact your experience. Take pause, think about how much you will be on your feet and how little anyone will care what shoes you are wearing.

Do you have an extraordinary shoe observation? Share it here or send me an email!

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