Admin Arsenal! Seattle’s Most Powerful Secret Weapons Unite

On Thursday night, calendar invites alerted many of Seattle’s most powerful secret weapons that it was time to log out. Those who spend their days managing, herding, calculating, planning and executing behind the scenes were now stepping into their well deserved spotlight at the OfficeNinjas Tech event in the beautiful Impact Hub Seattle venue. The terms office manager, administrative assistant, and people coordinator are only a few of the titles we stamp on our LinkedIn profiles, but the common thread among all of us is that of an agile Office Ninja.

The opportunities to meet peers were abundant. The energy was vibrant while everyone found their seats and attempted to snag just one more glass of wine. After a quick getting to know your neighbor game, the show was up and running!

The vendor demos were aligned with the theme of the night — strengthen your administrative arsenal. Each app, product, and service provided a way to help Office Ninjas do their job more efficiently. But more importantly, they allow us to do our jobs with zeal.

Seamless, Meldium, & Postmates focused on user logistics that can give Office Ninjas more power with less clicks. Uber showed us how to get around in style while nearly auctioning off their bearded Community Manager. Other presenters like Haiku Deck helped us see presentations in a new format while Clipsi insisted we collaborate via intriguing content. Poppin inspired everyone to “work happy” with brilliant color coordinated desk accessories.  And Gratafy along with CLASH entertained our ideas of team bonding. CLASH even got us on our feet and into the air!

For every fabulous vendor present, an equally fabulous prize was awarded. Gift cards, discount codes, and swag was given to each and every attendee. Some of the top prizes were from OfficeNinjas, Turnstone, Poppin and Delta Air Lines.

While no office ninja goes by the same name, the crowd could all relate on many levels. Some of the biggest laughs of the night revolved around vacation policies and running a 24/7 emotional support lines for staff. Perhaps boring to some ears but we Office Ninjas truly know how to have a good time. The first OfficeNinjas Tech event in Seattle was complete with a solid setup of tasty treats and drinks, courtesy of The Catering Company.

The attendees ranged from all ages and backgrounds. I met with some who were just entering their first administrative career roles to those who had been in the business for 30+ years. A few shared stories about working for Bill Gates, Paul Allen and other well known names. Those in attendance displayed the huge diverse community that makes up the Seattle administrative scene.

I am truly honored to have been the MC for the evening. I left the OfficeNinjas Tech event with a newfound pride in my own job as Culture Manager for UP Global. The presence of a collective group is a powerful tool. I hope to continue exchanging resources with my new friends from the event both offline and online. I can already see the abundant opportunities to reach out and help each other while adding to our administrative arsenal.

For full coverage of the festivities, check out the facebook photo album here.

So enough about what I thought – what did you think of the event? I’d love to hear your favorite parts of the evening!