Convention Insider (Conventions.net)

I have been frantically trying to get ready for Las Vegas this week.  Getting things set up so I can present for my speaking engagement while I am there on Friday, work the booth I have set up for Saturday and Sunday, and have time still to meet with a number of clients and get some board meetings and other things I have yet to get accomplished while I am there.  It will be a miracle if I am even able to see a blackjack table or other gambling game while I am there.  If you happen to be in Vegas or if you are going to be there for the Blog World and New Media Expo coming up this weekend, please feel free to look me up as I will be at booth 209, and I will also be at the International Blogging and New Media Association booth as well.  If you see a guy that looks like me at the Bellagio in line at the buffet, it really isn’t me.  No really, I swear!

I have been reading in Trade Show Week about Gaylord Hotels possibly heading toward building a property in the Phoenix area.  It made me think of a few years back when checking out a number of resorts in Arizona to plan a golf outing for myself and my brothers in the Spring.  I was reading that many new golf courses were sprouting up all around in the desert of the southwest and particularly in the Phoenix and Tucson areas.  The problem was that there were laws in place that allowed developers to have the golf courses as long as they were not larger than 90 acres, and they could not have more grass than a certain amount for fairways and greens.  It seems as though Gaylord is in the right ball park as it relates to the amount of acreage at 100 acres.  I am wondering if Gaylord intends to make this a travel destination with golf and other amenities.  I have been to their property in Orlando and have reported before about Gaylord National, and if I know them, a property in Phoenix will be a gem in the desert.

[photo courtesy of Simon Choy]

I have been following along with some of the news about what is happening with the hurricanes this season.  I guess it goes back to the day when I worked for a large insurance company and I always wondered how bad of a hit my 401K would take when the numbers came out about how much we spent on hurricane damage.

I watched as Gustav hit the coast and watched with the rest of the country as CNN and others reported the damage.  Now I sit and watch as Ike gets ready to land near Houston.  I have family in the area and will be keeping in touch with them as the storm takes its toll on the coast again. 

Trade Show Week is reporting that George R. Brown Convention Center will be shut down and that some of the events there will be canceled or postponed.  It is tough for these areas during hurricane season and it is anyone’s guess what will happen with the storms when they hit land and where that might be.  Here is hoping that all of the events and the convention center come through without problems.

As back to school seems to be a memory now and as Summer fades into Fall, I am ready to get back into the swing of the new convention season.  I always think of trade shows and conventions kicking off with the big CES show in Las Vegas every year and I was just thinking about that and perhaps making my reservations soon.  That would of course mean that I would need to register early, make my travel plans and get a room scheduled and then I remembered that I would not be the procrastinator I was if that was the case.  In fact the CES show in January is preceded by the IAEE show in December where I am a speaker, and I have yet to even think about getting prepared for that trade show which is THE trade show for trade shows!

I usually do a Friday Feature where we have a chance to see a company within the industry and get a behind the scenes look and perhaps even an interview or two, but I have decided that I want to do that more often and will be doing more of that as we get into the Fall season.  I will be doing Fall Feature stories instead of only on Fridays!  Stay tuned as I get the interviews lined up and the companies on board for them to give us the inside scoop on what they are doing and how they are doing it. 

Next week I am headed over to Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Convention Center.  I’ll be posting from there towards the end of next week so perhaps I will include some pictures and interviews while I am there.  If you see me introduce yourself!