The Roving Van Gelders

Let Me Come Home

“Home is wherever I’m with you”

The lyrics to the Edward Sharpe song Homealways make us smile, it’s a reminder of our time living on the road. Our definition of “home” was a bit fluid during those years. We would use the term to describe our hotel for the night. Refer to the office in Detroit as our home base. When planning a trip to visit with our folk we would use both “back home” and “down…

Once More Into the Unknown: We are facing an exciting and frightening life change in the uncertain future.

In the two short years since moving to Portland, I didn’t think Josh and I would be ounce again facing a huge life change; but here we are. Three years ago my father passed away suddenly, something I am only recently able to talk about with someone outside of my immediate circle. I don’t think you can ever really prepare for something like this and thankfully I was surrounded by loving family and…

We made it all the way to Portland and no one died of dysentery, I’d say that’s a win. It took three stops and many helping hands but the truck got loaded and off we went. I know there were more than a few times confidence in getting everything to fit was low. We can be thankful for all the hours Josh spent playing Tetris. It was not just the back of the truck packed tight, the three of us…

Over the last nine years on the road we have worked with countless clients, taken exhibits to 48 states, and been exposed to a diversity of industries. While no two tours are the same, there are some national events that tend to draw in our customers each year. You can always count on at least one program visiting the Minnesota State Fair, one of the Maker Fairs, and the National FFA Convention.…

In Memory of Randy Rigg

Last week I traveled to my hometown for a memorial dedication ceremony. My father worked for a Rural Electrical Coop for 27 years. He began his career there as an appliance technician but due to his hard work and dedication he became an irreplaceable part of the organization. From managing systems that monitored the power grid to overseeing the installation of two wind turbines, his passion for…

One of the best parts about summer when you work in the experiential marketing field is the prospect of taking out new tours.  So many programs launch as temperatures rise and the opportunity to be a part of events that draw people out comes.  When looking at new programs there are a thousand things to learn about the equipment and how the actual shows will run.  Something that is hard for new…

Rolling In Two Directions

Well this year has brought a great deal of change and some heartbreak.  In January of this year we sat down with management and were informed that they needed us to fill some slightly new rolls.  Abigail was needed in-house as project manager for new and relaunching programs.  Josh was needed in the field for some tours that were having troubles.  He has a keen ability to come into stressed…

Adult Field Trip – Portland

We thought it was about time to share another one of our Adult Field Trips, taking in Portland.  This place is made for an AFT.  , While we have been there a few times, the opportunity to explore had not been present as our main client has an office in the Portland area.  When we finally had a weekend off and the time to see downtown, the focus was on finding what the must do things were.  Beer,…

Coming This Week: Oct 2nd – 8th

You can see from the red pins on the map that we are getting a little time in Florida, it looks like we will spend the batter part of two weeks soaking in some sun.  We will need it, very shortly we will be off to Canada. Courtesy of Google Maps Song of the Week: B.E.R. – Night Begins to Shine Week in Review: While heading north we…

We often make references to “Living the Brand”, which covers not just how you present yourself but also how you approach working on a new project. To create and maintain dynamic programing you will want to “know the brand” throughly and also have some insight into the industry. While we did extensive research about our German Headquartered client’s unique attributes, it was also essential to…

Bear and Flies, all of them Black

When Josh and I lived a sedentary life the possibilities for indulging in hobbies was near endless, fiscal resources aside.  In our first few years on the road it was an adjustment to pursue interests that also matched our nomadic lifestyle.  Dropped were the sewing machine and woodworking tools but we became avid backpackers based on our enjoyment in camping.  Having limited space for extra…