Blogging takes time and energy and I have been running low on both! I have been traveling a ton lately for the One-Week Job Program. I just finished job #6 after having a busy week in Dallas, Texas. I am so thankful I got to spend week #6 at the Dallas Market Center to learn about the wholesale business. If you missed my first blog about DMC, read it here.

A special thanks is due to Meredith Hite, Dallas Market Center's Director of Public Relations. She is also the logistical genius who offered me the job, arranged my schedule, and ensured that the week was absolutely fantastic!

I love meeting people who are so gifted like Meredith and so on top of their game. For Meredith, public relations is her forte’ but there were many other young professionals with exceptional talent at Dallas Market Center.

My schedule was tight from Wednesday to Sunday since I was booked to be in a different place and with a different employee every hour! I'm thankful for the chaos though because I learned as much or more about the business than some of the long-time employees know.

In my next blog, I will give a breakdown of all the departments I visited and the role they play in putting on the Market.

For now, I can't help but share the main things that stood out during my week.

Some of the highlights of the past few days are:

Rawlins Gilliland's Tour:

Rawlins is the former Neiman Marcus Director of Sales and Product. During Market, he walks around the showrooms and finds the latest trends and "hot" items for buyers to pick up for low prices and resell for a good profit! His descriptions were hilarious and his sense of style was impeccable. I loved both hour-long tours I went on and I learned a ton! I was surprised to see "texting gloves" as a hot pick; apparently technology is truly taking over!

Free earrings from Elizabeth Carlock Designs

Elizabeth Carlock is a rising star in the jewelry business who exhibited at the Market. During Rawlins' tour, she gave each of us a free pair of earrings she designed! It was a pleasure to talk to Elizabeth and hear about her heart for non-profit work. To check out her designs and order jewelry, check out her website here.

The Boardwalk Bash Party

Emily Forsythe and Naseem Cox worked together to turn party plans into a party reality! Naseem works for the Dallas Market Center to create visual displays and Emily plans memorable events. The Boardwalk Bash took place on the first night of Market, last Thursday night. I was blown away by all the small touches that created a full-on party experience. Not only was there great food at different stands, a live DJ with a glowing mix-table stand, live models, beautiful clothes on the models, a photo-booth, but also free DMC sunglasses to promote the party!

Authentic Food!

The Dallas Market Center went above and beyond to host me for the week. Meredith arranged for me to have dinner with Market employees each night. I loved spending time with the staff outside of the office and enjoyed eating gourmet food together!

Here are 2 Dallas restaurants I really enjoyed:

Medina: Natalie, Casey, and I enjoyed Moroccan food at this great restaurant located close to the venue where the Dallas Mavericks play. We started off with a hummus sampler with hot pita bread and then for an entree, I ordered a fancy beef dish with couscous and potatoes.

Mia's-I went to Mia's with Whitney, Zach, and Sydney for a Tex-Mex culinary extravaganza! When we arrived, the place was packed! After finally getting a table, I enjoyed the "Tacos al Carbon," served with bean soup. During dinner, I was able to share what this One-Week Job program has meant to me. It sparked ideas from Whitney, Zach, and Sidney too as they brainstormed which jobs they would like to try.

I realize this blog is different than my past posts but I wanted to share more than just a play-by-play of my schedule in Dallas. The week was so hectic so I thought I would start with things that really left impressions on me.

Look for a new post soon about the different departments and my final thoughts on working at the Dallas Market Center.

Cheers,

Kieley Best

Follow me on Twitter here or email me at bestweekjob@gmail.com