Latest / Abbey the Podcast Lady / Why You Should Apply to Volunteer at PodFest 2027

Transcript

Why You Should Apply to Volunteer at PodFest 2027 · Abbey the Podcast Lady

• 0:06
  and welcome to another episode of Abby the Podcast
• 0:08
  Lady. Today we are talking about something that
• 0:11
  is very near and dear to my heart, and that is
• 0:14
  the event of PodFest Expo. It's coming up in
• 0:17
  January 2027. If you are unfamiliar with PodFest
• 0:21
  and you are a podcaster or you are an aspiring
• 0:24
  podcaster, this is a place you need to be. It
• 0:28
  is truly the best week of the year. And I have
• 0:31
  a very special guest with me today to talk about
• 0:33
  volunteering at PodFest. Welcome Nikita to the
• 0:36
  show. Hello. Thank you for having me on today.
• 0:39
  I am so excited that... One, you responded to
• 0:43
  my crazed email of wanting to have you on the
• 0:46
  show to talk about this. And two, just to talk
• 0:48
  about what it's like to be volunteer at PodFest,
• 0:50
  because this is something that I actually haven't
• 0:53
  done myself. So it's going to be kind of a peek
• 0:55
  behind the curtain for me. I did apply to volunteer
• 0:59
  as a track emcee. So we'll see if I get in or
• 1:03
  not. But Nikita, give us a little 10 ,000 foot
• 1:06
  overview of your role with this and how you help
• 1:08
  organize the volunteers. Yeah. So first I'd love
• 1:11
  to give a little bit of an overview about PodFest
• 1:13
  for folks who may not have heard of it before.
• 1:16
  So PodFest is the largest indie podcasting conference
• 1:19
  in the country. We are celebrating our 13th consecutive
• 1:23
  year in 2027. And so it brings over 2000 indie
• 1:27
  podcasters together in Orlando, Florida for us
• 1:30
  to create community, to learn new things, to
• 1:33
  get that support and so much more. So that has
• 1:36
  been going on. I have been involved with PodFest
• 1:39
  for the last Four years, I want to say, officially.
• 1:42
  And then I also was a speaker and whatnot all
• 1:45
  the way back to 2020, 2021, the COVID years.
• 1:48
  So volunteering is this magical beast that happens
• 1:53
  behind the scenes. You may not ever have. seeing
• 1:56
  the volunteers or you'll see us because of our
• 1:57
  shirts we have these bright beautiful yellow
• 1:59
  shirts but what we do is we make sure that folks
• 2:02
  feel welcome they feel cared for they know where
• 2:05
  they're going and that we just make this thing
• 2:07
  run on a day -to -day basis so my role with podfest
• 2:10
  is i am the registration and volunteer coordinator
• 2:12
  so i am that first friendly face that you will
• 2:15
  see when you walk up and walk into podfest and
• 2:17
  with the volunteers leading them we have numerous
• 2:20
  different positions so you can be a volunteer
• 2:22
  starting with Registration, greeting people.
• 2:26
  You can be a guide where you're showing people
• 2:28
  where to go. You can be a track emcee where you're
• 2:30
  helping specific tracks and being that person
• 2:33
  who keeps things on time, introducing speakers.
• 2:35
  You can show and be in charge of our VIP lounge.
• 2:39
  There's a whole bunch of options as a volunteer.
• 2:43
  10 ,000 foot overview about Podfest and kind
• 2:46
  of what it entails being a volunteer, but I'm
• 2:47
  sure we'll get more into it. Yes, definitely.
• 2:50
  So my first year at Podfest was 2024. That's
• 2:55
  like, I had no idea what I was getting into.
• 2:57
  And I'm from Minnesota and Orlando, Florida is
• 3:00
  the other side of the world for us. And so me
• 3:02
  and a friend came down to Podfest truly not knowing
• 3:06
  what to expect. We're like, is this going to
• 3:08
  be five people? Is this going to be 5 ,000 people?
• 3:10
  Like, we don't know what we're getting into.
• 3:12
  We did hardly any research. And the second we
• 3:15
  got there, we were immediately hooked. Within
• 3:18
  five minutes of us... Hitting those first greeters,
• 3:21
  getting our registration, getting all taken care
• 3:24
  of. We're like, we're coming back next year,
• 3:25
  right? You do such a good job of getting everyone
• 3:28
  into the fold and welcomed and feeling confident
• 3:32
  in what they're doing, even if they've never
• 3:34
  been there before, even if this is a brand new
• 3:36
  experience for them. They feel immediately like
• 3:39
  they're part of that pod family. And I think
• 3:41
  that's such a huge thing. Exactly. And it's like
• 3:44
  you were saying, as soon as you walk in, there's
• 3:46
  a lot of people, but you always find your space.
• 3:49
  So if you will, a lot of folks do say that they're
• 3:52
  overwhelmed when they come in. I'm an introvert,
• 3:54
  so I would love to just be quietly in my room,
• 3:56
  but yet I have put myself in front of everyone.
• 3:59
  But I'm still able to find my people. I'm a podcaster.
• 4:02
  I started podcasting in 2018. And my podcast
• 4:06
  is still going today. And so it is family. It
• 4:08
  is that pod fam. It's for creators, podcasters,
• 4:11
  video podcasters, and every... authors and everyone
• 4:15
  in between. And so it really is about finding
• 4:18
  your space. It's about learning and growing and
• 4:20
  asking for help along the way. Yes. And the nice
• 4:23
  thing about you guys in your bright yellow shirts
• 4:25
  is that you know who to ask for when it comes
• 4:28
  to asking for help. Like I remember last year
• 4:30
  I was a speaker and I was one of the first speakers
• 4:33
  on day one for the Pecha Kucha stage. And you
• 4:36
  guys were still kind of in the thralls of getting
• 4:37
  things set up when I was set to arrive. Like
• 4:40
  I'm like, I'm very punctual. So I'm like, I'm
• 4:42
  going to be there. before my arrival time. But
• 4:45
  there was volunteers everywhere making sure that
• 4:47
  I was in the right place at the right time. And
• 4:49
  it's just, let me grab your hand and get you
• 4:53
  to where you need to be because that's my job.
• 4:55
  I am here to help you get where you need to be.
• 4:58
  Exactly. I think that's the indie podcasting
• 5:01
  magic. And it's especially helpful for beginners,
• 5:04
  for folks who there's a lot of people who come
• 5:06
  and say, I don't even have a podcast. I've been
• 5:07
  thinking about it. I've recorded a trailer. I
• 5:10
  don't know how to record. I don't know what to
• 5:11
  do. And they leave with so much support. It's
• 5:14
  not about, oh, well, my podcast is bigger than
• 5:16
  yours. We have folks who get millions of downloads
• 5:19
  per week who have six figure sponsorships. And
• 5:22
  we have those who are just getting started and
• 5:23
  they are in the same room and they build community.
• 5:26
  It really is like a family. And so for those
• 5:29
  beginners and for those people who, whether they're
• 5:31
  a speaker or just coming, this is really that
• 5:33
  space. And volunteering is also a way to kind
• 5:35
  of get in there and say, okay. I don't know where
• 5:38
  to start, so let me just kind of help out a little
• 5:41
  bit. That's my secret sauce of how I get integrated
• 5:43
  into things is I kind of try to volunteer and
• 5:46
  see, well, what's happening behind the scenes?
• 5:48
  Is this a dumpster fire or are these people really
• 5:50
  legit and really here to help? And that's thankfully
• 5:54
  what we do. Yes, and it's so great. Just the
• 5:57
  connections you make. One of my favorite volunteer
• 5:59
  stories is year one when I was there. We were
• 6:02
  just hanging out after in between some sessions
• 6:05
  and I look over at someone in a volunteer. shirt
• 6:07
  and I'm like that girl looks so familiar like
• 6:10
  I know I've seen that face before I know I've
• 6:12
  seen that smile before and the session starts
• 6:14
  and I'm sitting there I'm still just kind of
• 6:16
  looking at the back of her head I'm like I know
• 6:18
  that person who the heck is that and it turns
• 6:21
  out it was Tammy Barber who was a Dallas Cowboys
• 6:24
  cheerleader in like the 80s and 90s and I am
• 6:28
  a huge fan of Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders making
• 6:30
  the team I've seen every episode on CMT I'm watching
• 6:34
  the new show like I'm like, that's Tammy Barber.
• 6:36
  And she's volunteering at PodFest. This is insane.
• 6:40
  And then I got to meet her and chit chat with
• 6:42
  her. And I'm like, this is just an insane experience
• 6:44
  that I never thought I would have in my life.
• 6:47
  And she was just so sweet and helpful. She was
• 6:48
  the perfect volunteer. Exactly. And it's amazing
• 6:51
  and bittersweet that you mentioned Tammy because,
• 6:54
  of course, she passed away in this last year.
• 6:55
  And so to know exactly who you're talking about.
• 6:58
  Yes, there's 2000 people. Do I know everybody's
• 7:00
  name every day? Of course not. But we remember
• 7:03
  faces. I remember Tammy and that smile and she's
• 7:06
  going to do that, that toe touch and whatnot
• 7:08
  if you get her on a good day. And so just knowing
• 7:11
  that these are everyday people. With people first,
• 7:14
  podcasters second, and then amazingness, quirky,
• 7:17
  unique beings third. And so that's the magic.
• 7:20
  That's what makes us that pod fam. Yes, it's
• 7:22
  incredible. And last year, I remember I work
• 7:25
  with podcasters across the country. I produce
• 7:27
  their podcasts for them. And I actually met one
• 7:30
  of my clients at PodFest the year before. But
• 7:32
  then Mark Hicks last year was one of the greeters
• 7:35
  at the door on day one. And I'm like, oh my gosh,
• 7:37
  it's so nice to see my client in person. So he's
• 7:39
  getting me my badge and I'm giving him a big
• 7:41
  hug. And it's like, it's just... like a big family
• 7:43
  reunion coming together and you just never know
• 7:46
  where you're going to see your best friends.
• 7:48
  It's so great. It is. And I know like all this
• 7:51
  great stuff with Podfest, like this is too good
• 7:53
  to be true. It is true. It is because you can
• 7:56
  find, like we said in the beginning, your space.
• 7:59
  You can find your folks. This is really a homecoming.
• 8:01
  Every year we have folks who come to PodFest,
• 8:04
  who plan it like, this is where I get to meet
• 8:06
  everybody. This is where I get to hang out. People
• 8:08
  with potential clients and not just, oh, I'm
• 8:10
  coming here to try to make money. But hey, I
• 8:12
  see you have a genuine need. This is my expertise.
• 8:15
  I'm also a podcast producer. Let me help you.
• 8:18
  Like, you know nothing about... recording let's
• 8:21
  sit down and talk about riverside let's sit down
• 8:23
  and talk about audacity if riverside is not in
• 8:25
  your budget just show you the basics because
• 8:27
  the goal is for you to be successful in the way
• 8:29
  that works for you for you to figure out what
• 8:31
  makes you successful. And so I could go on and
• 8:34
  on about PodFest. It's something that I hold
• 8:36
  near and dear to my heart. I first got involved.
• 8:39
  I was a closing keynote speaker by just some
• 8:42
  by the universe just coming together. And I literally
• 8:44
  had my three week old son sitting on the table
• 8:47
  because it was virtually next to me while giving
• 8:50
  this presentation. And then the next year or
• 8:52
  two years later, I was able to announce that
• 8:54
  I was pregnant to everyone at PodFest with my
• 8:56
  second. So like this is a family. This is what
• 9:00
  podcasting is about. It's not about trying to
• 9:02
  be the best. It's being your best. And the only
• 9:04
  way you can do that is if you're a part of a
• 9:06
  community. yes oh how special to get to announce
• 9:09
  to go from like infant baby child sitting next
• 9:12
  to you to announcing your next one like that
• 9:13
  is so cool like that is that is a moment that
• 9:16
  you just never forget it's so special it is definitely
• 9:19
  so truly grateful i have some faqs that i have
• 9:23
  actually been gathering from some of my friends
• 9:26
  who are going to podfest we're all talking about
• 9:27
  kind of what our game plan is because we're all
• 9:29
  looking at our calendars we're like okay it's
• 9:31
  september what's our plan for january so One
• 9:34
  of my first questions I got from actually a couple
• 9:36
  of my friends is they have applied to be speakers
• 9:39
  at PodFest. And I told them, like, guys, maybe
• 9:43
  we should volunteer to be like volunteers. Like,
• 9:45
  let's apply for this, too. But their concern
• 9:47
  was if I apply to be a speaker and then I apply
• 9:51
  to be a volunteer, will that like negate my speaking
• 9:53
  application? Like, how does that work? Right.
• 9:56
  So the answer is absolutely not. The great thing
• 9:58
  about PodFest and how we're a family is there
• 10:00
  are. Six of us that make this happen, like on
• 10:04
  a yearly basis where we meet every week. And
• 10:07
  so the person who's in charge of the speaking
• 10:09
  and the scheduling, I see every week, we meet
• 10:11
  twice a week. And so I know who the speakers
• 10:13
  are and I'm like, okay, when is Abby speaking?
• 10:16
  She's speaking, okay, Thursday at noon. Okay,
• 10:18
  so I'm not going to put her on for Thursday because
• 10:20
  her brain is going to be like, I need to be in
• 10:22
  speaker mode. But on Friday and Saturday, then
• 10:25
  definitely I can have Abby help. Or she's Thursday
• 10:27
  morning, give her a break, maybe Thursday evening.
• 10:30
  And so we are well aware. communicate. And so
• 10:33
  your speaker application does not negate your
• 10:36
  volunteer application or vice versa. Okay. That
• 10:38
  is super good to know. And I'm going to be clipping
• 10:41
  that and just sending them that like, Hey guys,
• 10:43
  let's just do it. Let's just do it. So what are
• 10:47
  kind of the perks of volunteering with PodFest?
• 10:50
  What's the cherry on top to make them fill out
• 10:53
  that application? Exactly. I was like, I hope
• 10:55
  she asked what the perks are. If not, then I'm
• 10:57
  going to share. So there are many perks as far
• 11:00
  as like being around everyone, getting that inside
• 11:02
  scoop, getting to know what's happening. Some
• 11:04
  tangible things is that when you volunteer for
• 11:07
  three, three hour sessions, so that's like a
• 11:11
  chunk, two to three hours each day for three
• 11:12
  days, then you are eligible to get an upgrade.
• 11:15
  So if you have like an expo pass. then you are
• 11:19
  eligible to upgrade to a creator. If you are
• 11:22
  a creator, then you have the option to get the
• 11:24
  recordings for the next year on us. We aren't
• 11:26
  able to completely comp a ticket, but we know
• 11:28
  that you do put in that hard work. And so we're
• 11:30
  able to do that. You also get your shirt that
• 11:32
  you get to keep. You also get meals. So when
• 11:35
  you are working, if you work during lunch or
• 11:38
  dinner, you get that lunch or dinner as well.
• 11:40
  So we want to make sure that you are fed. There's
• 11:42
  plenty of snacks. So that is exactly what comes
• 11:45
  with the perks. I also want to be clear about
• 11:46
  what's not included. So housing or the hotel
• 11:49
  is not included. So that is up to you. If you
• 11:52
  have, say, a creator pass and you want the VIP
• 11:55
  pass, we cannot do the upgrade for the VIP pass.
• 11:57
  So I would be remiss to say here's everything
• 12:00
  you get, but I also want to be clear about what
• 12:02
  you don't get. I think that's super important.
• 12:04
  So if someone does get selected to volunteer,
• 12:06
  they do need to buy their pass to get in. They
• 12:09
  need to cover their airfare, their lodging down
• 12:13
  to Orlando, Florida. But once you get there,
• 12:16
  you're taken care of. Correct. Correct. During
• 12:18
  your shifts and whatnot, you are taken care of.
• 12:20
  You are fed when you are working. Other than
• 12:22
  that, folks are always out hanging out with other
• 12:25
  folks. So it's not like we have a lot of volunteers
• 12:26
  who work the day before like, oh, we want some
• 12:28
  food. They're like, I'm hanging out with a new
• 12:30
  person that I met. So, so yeah. Well, and I also
• 12:32
  want to point out too that working is kind of
• 12:35
  a relative term here because it's not like you're
• 12:38
  out digging ditches or doing like hard manual
• 12:41
  labor. Yes, there might be some little moving
• 12:43
  things involved, but it's not like it's hard
• 12:46
  work. It's kind of. It's kind of just fun. Like,
• 12:48
  I can't imagine it feels like work at all. No,
• 12:51
  you really are having a conversation. So, of
• 12:53
  course, registration, you come up and give people
• 12:56
  their badges. Greeter, you're, hey. Are you here
• 12:58
  for PodFest? Welcome. Tell me about your podcast.
• 13:01
  Come right this way. This is where we are doing
• 13:03
  check in. If you are a room attendant, you're
• 13:05
  sitting in the back of the room getting the same
• 13:07
  information as everyone else. And you're helping
• 13:09
  the track emcee if they're like, hey, we're having
• 13:12
  an issue with sound. Can you contact AV for us?
• 13:15
  Then the volunteer will do that. And so it's
• 13:17
  not like you're missing out. That's also another
• 13:19
  big question that comes up is like when I'm volunteering,
• 13:22
  do I not get to attend any sessions? Well, that's
• 13:25
  why in the application we ask, I ask what you
• 13:28
  want to do. And I try to stick with that because
• 13:30
  if you say, do not like. A big people person.
• 13:34
  That's legit. If you're an introvert, I may make
• 13:36
  you a room attendant so that you don't have to
• 13:38
  be the first face, but you know you want to volunteer.
• 13:40
  If you were like, I love having conversations,
• 13:43
  I may put you in the VIP lounge so you can really
• 13:45
  make our people feel seen or registration. And
• 13:47
  so the goal is to find a space that fits for
• 13:50
  you because as in podcasting, every podcast,
• 13:54
  every volunteer is unique and we want to make
• 13:56
  sure that you are supported in that. Yes. And
• 13:58
  I think that is so great because I think another
• 14:00
  fear that I know one of my friends had is she
• 14:02
  She's like, well, I'm thinking about applying,
• 14:04
  but I don't want to get put somewhere that I
• 14:07
  didn't select. She's like, I can't imagine doing
• 14:10
  the AV thing because she's just not techie. She's
• 14:13
  like, what if I get stuck doing AV? I can't do
• 14:15
  AV. Right, right, right. And like I said, I ask
• 14:19
  and I really work to put folks where they want
• 14:22
  to be. And then sometimes people change their
• 14:24
  mind. They're like, I can't do this. Let me know.
• 14:26
  And I will say this because folks tell me all
• 14:29
  the time, I'm an amazing and fun and great person
• 14:32
  to be around. So there's also that time, those
• 14:34
  times when you volunteer and that person is just
• 14:36
  not someone you gel with. Like they're mean,
• 14:38
  they treat you like minions. They're like, you
• 14:41
  need to go do this. Like, I'm not that person.
• 14:44
  It's just not in me. And so we have our own little
• 14:47
  chat group going in there. Many times when volunteers
• 14:49
  like don't show up, that's the reality of sometimes
• 14:52
  if I have a hundred volunteers, like there was
• 14:54
  a year where only 60 showed up. And so I'm 40
• 14:57
  volunteers short, but it was had to do, granted.
• 15:00
  caveat that had to do with the wildfires that
• 15:03
  year we had the wildfires and a whole bunch of
• 15:05
  our staff and attendees could not make it but
• 15:07
  then we were stuck and so i'm sending out hey
• 15:09
  everyone i know that you're hanging out but does
• 15:12
  somebody want to watch this room if you're already
• 15:14
  in room one watching this talk can you be my
• 15:17
  room attendant for room one of course nikita
• 15:19
  we've got you like it's a family i'm never going
• 15:21
  to take advantage of you and also we're working
• 15:23
  together so So on that note, how many volunteers
• 15:27
  are you looking for? Like what's that magic number
• 15:30
  that you feel really comfortable going into January
• 15:33
  with saying, okay, based on our rule of attrition
• 15:36
  here, if we have this many, I think we're going
• 15:38
  to be okay. Yes. And I honestly would say to
• 15:41
  make in an ideal world, like my optimal would
• 15:44
  be 75 to 80 volunteers. And that's because we
• 15:48
  start at on some days. 6 37 a .m and we go all
• 15:53
  the way to 8 or 9 p .m and so i don't want my
• 15:56
  volunteers to be there that entire time you will
• 15:59
  not be there that entire time there are often
• 16:01
  times near the end when it gets a little slow
• 16:03
  or if i'm like where are my volunteers i'm like
• 16:05
  you know what we're slow it's saturday registration
• 16:08
  is not a lot of people i'll handle it My sister
• 16:11
  comes and helps every year. You know what? Me
• 16:12
  and my sister, we've got it. You all go and enjoy
• 16:14
  PodFest. That's one of those things. We want
• 16:16
  to make sure you are enjoying it as well and
• 16:19
  not just volunteering the whole time. And so
• 16:21
  I hope I answered that question. Yes, definitely.
• 16:23
  And as someone who, whenever volunteers are asked
• 16:26
  for, I'm usually the hand up, like sign me up,
• 16:29
  where can I help kind of person. I think that
• 16:32
  this is such a great way to just get involved.
• 16:35
  help out, but do it in a fun way. Like I said,
• 16:37
  this isn't work. This is like just being part
• 16:40
  of the fold and to be part of it is so special.
• 16:44
  Like everything I do, I was just talking to my
• 16:47
  husband about this the other day. I'm like, I
• 16:49
  don't remember the last time I was just somewhere
• 16:51
  as an attendee of something. Like I've always
• 16:55
  just been part of something. I like that. I think
• 16:57
  you get to know people deeper. I think you make
• 16:59
  better connections that way. I think you learn
• 17:02
  more. It's just what a great opportunity. Exactly.
• 17:05
  And we said it earlier, but especially for beginners,
• 17:08
  like even if you've never been to Podfest, those
• 17:10
  are the amazing people I want. One, because you
• 17:13
  can do registration because all you have to do
• 17:15
  is look for the name. Two, you can be a greeter.
• 17:17
  People are going to find you. And what we do
• 17:19
  the day before, whenever you arrive. I take you
• 17:22
  on a tour. The good thing is, Podfest, we're
• 17:23
  in one whole wing of the hotel. You literally
• 17:26
  stay in there. So I walk through and say, hey,
• 17:29
  y 'all, here's where the lounge is. Here's where
• 17:32
  our hangout spot is. Here's where the registration
• 17:34
  desk is. Here's where the expo hall is. So you
• 17:37
  know where everything is. And so when people,
• 17:39
  they're going to come up to you, you can say,
• 17:40
  oh, well, you see that other volunteer? Go to
• 17:43
  that other. Keep going. You're going the right
• 17:45
  way. Go for that other yellow shirt. They'll
• 17:46
  show you exactly where to go. So just because
• 17:48
  you've never maybe been to Podfest or you're
• 17:50
  a beginner podcaster does not mean that you are
• 17:53
  not qualified because you are more than just
• 17:56
  a podcast. It's a whole other thing. You're more
• 17:57
  than that. You are a person, and so you bring
• 18:00
  all of you and all of your expertise as well
• 18:03
  to podfest. Yes, and just all that magic, too,
• 18:05
  especially if you're comfortable just, like,
• 18:07
  smiling and saying hi to people. That is its
• 18:09
  own little level of magic that makes other people
• 18:12
  feel so comfortable and so safe, and I think
• 18:15
  that's so important, especially, like we said,
• 18:17
  for those beginners. Exactly, exactly. So we
• 18:19
  would love to have folks. I don't know if I said
• 18:22
  it in the beginning, but PodFest is January 14th
• 18:25
  through the 17th, 2027. So any information that
• 18:28
  they have or want to volunteer, you can go to
• 18:30
  podfestexpo .com or email me at Nikita at PodFest
• 18:35
  Expo in order to get some more information. And
• 18:38
  when do applications for volunteering close?
• 18:40
  Are those going to be open for a while yet? Yes,
• 18:43
  so they're going to be open for a while next
• 18:44
  week, which if you're listening to this in live
• 18:47
  time, it's going to be September 9th, 2026. We're
• 18:50
  having a volunteer interest call from 12 to 1
• 18:52
  p .m. Eastern Standard Time so that if folks
• 18:55
  are interested and have questions, they can come
• 18:57
  to that call. Applications close, I think I said
• 19:00
  the end of the month, the end of September. I
• 19:03
  will double check and if that turns out to be
• 19:05
  wrong, that is new. The now end date will be
• 19:07
  the end of September just to make sure that I
• 19:09
  am following what I'm saying. So the end of September
• 19:11
  will be. when applications close. Okay. And then
• 19:14
  I think I saw that you guys are going to start
• 19:16
  rolling out volunteer announcements, emails,
• 19:19
  letting people know around the 14th. Is that
• 19:21
  correct? Correct. Correct. The week of the 14th.
• 19:23
  Yeah. Okay. Wonderful. Well, Nikita, this has
• 19:25
  been so great, so informational, and I am so
• 19:29
  looking forward to seeing you in person come
• 19:30
  January. It's going to be here before we know
• 19:32
  it. It really is. And I will be right at that
• 19:34
  registration table. So I can't wait to see you
• 19:37
  again and hopefully have you volunteering as
• 19:39
  well.