I've been on the faculty of Exhibitor Group for more than 20 years. I don't always get to experience the cities where I teach, so when I was asked to plan a venue field trip for EXHIBITORLIVE 2024 in Nashville, I was thrilled.

I have a confession to make: I don't like country music. Maybe it's because I grew up during MTV's heyday, but when I think of big hair, I think of Whitesnake before Reba McEntire, and when I hear the word “cowboy,” Kid Rock comes to mind before Toby Keith. Speaking of Mr. Keith, as an event professional, the thought of outfitting a party with red Solo cups as he suggests in his song gives me hives. But I digress. My assignment for the field trip was to pick a few unique venues suitable for events of different sizes, then showcase them to a group of 25 event professionals in case they're ever asked to plan an event in Nashville. I chose several venues I thought would appeal to the group, focusing on sites that were close to one another to minimize travel time. Each site planned a presentation to share what made them special, and some even lined up a tasting of their food offerings or a sampling of a signature cocktail.

Our itinerary was simple. We'd bus to our first location, walk through our second to the third, then bus to the Grand Ole Opry. I'd arranged for our arrival at the Opry to coincide with a video presentation about the storied venue. The rest of the schedule was pretty flexible, so it would make for a relatively stress-free afternoon for me as the organizer. And since we event planners must anticipate something going wrong, avoiding needless complexity is always advisable.

The day of our field trip was beautiful, and our group was on time, pleasant, and engaged. Our first stop, The Country Music Hall of Fame, made a terrific first impression. A few weeks before our visit, Toby Keith was voted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Let's all raise our red Solo cups to him for that accomplishment.

I didn't recognize most of the names along The Music City Walk, our second stop, but Dolly Parton stood out. She is a national treasure, though those who plan events for a living have no idea what her song “9 to 5” is about. I've heard it's a reference to traditional working hours, but based on my experience, that seems unlikely.

When we arrived at Ole Red, our third stop, I reminded the group of the importance of leaving on time in order to make it to the Grand Ole Opry on schedule. Our hosts gave a fabulous whiskey presentation and tasting, a wonderful food buffet, and a video presentation. Then they invited us to the fourth floor to see the views from their rooftop deck. With a solid 30 minutes to spend at the venue, I knew we'd be cutting it close, but would be fine.

The elevator wasn't large enough to hold our entire group, so we split into two smaller groups. One of our hosts went up with the first group while the next group waited. Twenty-five minutes later, I assumed that the first group returned to the bus, but when I went to check, we were short about 10 people.

It was here someone asked the unthinkable: “Could they be stuck in the elevator?” I'd like to point out that though there are many songs about elevators, none from the country genre crack the top five.

Someone suggested we head to the Opry and let the group stuck in the elevator fend for themselves. I was getting anxious. We were behind schedule, and I didn't know where my people were or how Toby Keith would handle this situation, but I was pretty sure he wouldn't leave anyone behind. I called the Opry and told them we'd be late. My news was met with sincere southern graciousness, and not in a “Bless your heart” kind of way.

I went back into Ole Red to hunt for the missing. I pressed the elevator call button, but no elevator came. So I took the stairs to the fourth floor, cursing my love of shoes that sacrifice comfort for style with each painful step.

The roof deck was empty. So was the third floor. And the second. As I walked past the elevator, I heard giggling — clear but faint — from behind the elevator doors. Certain it was my group, I yelled out to them, but I got no response. Nobody could hear me. I was relieved that it sounded like they were having fun. I also was relieved that nobody was singing a certain Aerosmith tune that definitely cracked the top five elevator songs.

By the time I found my Ole Red contact, she had already called the fire department. She confirmed that yes, my group was indeed stuck in the elevator. When the firefighters arrived, things moved quickly. They pried open the door, revealing that the elevator was about three feet above the floor. They used a ladder to help folks climb down to safety. Everyone was remarkably calm — probably because it takes a lot to frazzle event professionals — though the whiskey tasting probably hadn't hurt.

I met the Ole Red employee who was stuck with my group and learned she effortlessly kept everyone calm during the ordeal. If you have to be stuck in an elevator with someone, her temperament made her exactly the right person. However, as I led our group to the stairs and passed a life-sized cutout of Blake Shelton (who owns Ole Red) smiling and pointing at us, I couldn't help thinking that being stuck in the elevator with him would have made for a better story.

By a 100 percent vote, the group agreed to a later return to our hotel so that they could visit the Grand Ole Opry. We were a full hour late but managed to see the last showing of the video presentation, so in the end everything worked out. The Opry is as grand as its name — the songs of the legends who have performed there seem to echo in the silence.

After we were safely on the bus, a few members of our group joked that their elevator ordeal should appear in this column. Wish granted. Though personally, I think it would have been better immortalized in the down-home charm of a Toby Keith song.

I know I'm a teacher, but our little adventure was educational for me, too. I learned that Nashville has some terrific event venues staffed by delightful people. I learned all firefighters are heroes, but not all firefighters belong in a calendar. I was reminded that no matter how hard we try to plan for the unexpected, we can't plan for everything when the unexpected inevitably happens. And I gained a whole new appreciation for country music and the talented artists of that uniquely American genre.

But I still hate red Solo cups.