I am headed to a couple of cities this week with Houston on the first stop and then rounding out the week with a presentation at an event in Los Angeles.  I have been used to the travel schedule and working my way in and out of airports.  To me it has become second nature to go through the security checkpoints and sitting on a flight taking notes, doing expense reports and in fact even typing blog posts.  My daughter on the other hand is not so used to the idea of "travel".

I had to first explain the idea of falling from the sky at 5,000 fee or 35,000 feet.  It doesn’t really matter once you hit earth from either elevation.  I think she is still wrapping her head around that concept.  So much for the laws of physics.  It is her birthday which is why she gets a chance to travel on a quick overnight and a short time with her grandmother in Houston. 

I love travel and I get a chance to see a number of different places.  It looks as tough my year will end somewhere like it began with a trip to Las Vegas.  I am also looking forward to getting back to Hawaii.  I will be headed there in November and this time I have no choice but to include my wife on the trip. I wonder if she too will grasp the idea of what happens when you careen into the earth from either 5,000 feet or 35,000 feet.  Let’s hope I never have to try the theory.

Tags: Travel, Houston, Los Angeles, Hawaii, Conferences, Conventions, Trade Shows

I had to share this all of you because it struck me as somewhat funny.  I do believe it to be a fun way to see the progress of construction on a convention center site and a great way to follow along.  The Irving Convention Center has a web cam that you can follow the progress of construction.  The convention center is in Irving Texas and this is their elevator pitch on the city and why you should hold your event there:

Located immediately adjacent to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and in between Dallas and Fort Worth, Irving, Texas, (www.irvingtexas.com) boasts more than 75 hotels and more than 11,000 rooms. Las Colinas is a 12,000-acre master-planned community within the city of Irving, and is known worldwide for its quality and uniqueness. The area has a total taxable base of more than $7 billion and is home to 8,000+ companies, 30 Fortune 500 companies, plus the world headquarters of four. In the next three years, the area will see more than $4 billion in hotel, retail, entertainment, office, residential and meeting facility development.

I think that is pretty impressive for a smaller town in Texas if there is such a thing.  I may wait until they actually paint to see the paint dry but nonetheless I intend to keep an eye on it and see how it progresses.

Tags: Irving, Texas, Conventions, Trade Shows, Convention Centers

While I was in Austin recently I was fortunate to have some great BBQ and some wonderful company.  I had a chance to sit down also and talk with some new friends about social media and the meeting industry. 

Stephen Nold, an organizer for the recent MTO Summit in Washington DC paid for my brisket and root beer and also gave me some points to ponder as it relates to the meeting industry. We discussed the future of meetings, the past of events, and what the industry is doing and how it is fairing in the current economy.

I want to interview Stephen here and hopefully will get a chance.  Not only is he an influential in the business of meetings and events, but he also happens to be a blogger at Trade Show Week.  Stephen, next time I get to buy the BBQ and you get to win the argument!  Perhaps it will be at your event in London and we can discuss things over a pint and some bangers and mash!

Tags: Trade Shows, Meetings, Events, Social Media, London, Austin, MTO Summit, Washington DC, Stephen Nold

I wish I had the cure for the common cold.  I would cure myself right now.  I have spent the better part of the last three days coughing hacking and sneezing into toilet paper and bathroom tissue.  The reason?  Besides the obvious that I have caught a cold, I was at a convention and trade show.

As some of you know I was at the "Spring Break For Geeks" conference and trade show more fully known as SXSW Interactive in Austin Texas last week. I have been exposed to what they are calling "SXSW SARS"  No before you get into a panic if you have been there, it is really not as bad as it sounds.  My theory is that the people come home from a sickness like that because it is the season for giving.  We parents see this all the time.  You get many people in a room for the first time of the year and they spread germs like the plague.  Shaking hands, coughing into them and shaking them again.  It’s like a backfield handoff of germs and virus’ and bacteria.

My advice?  Whenever you think of it, wash your hands.  Your hands can never be washed too many times.  Now before you look like a freak with OCD about your cleanliness, you can also do this little trick.  Keep a tiny bottle of hand sanitizer in your pocket.  Many of the brands have small travel sizes that can be put into your pocket and used.  This is not a catch-all cure, but it can eliminate the probabilities that you will be sitting in front of your computer reading this while sneezing and blowing your nose thinking of how many hands you shook at an event.  Wash up, keep your hands away from your face and wear a space suit with o2 being pumped into it. Okay, maybe the last part is a bit of a stretch.  Stay safe and happy glad handing!

Tags: SXSW Interactive, Austin, Texas, Conventions, Trade Shows, Tips and Tricks

I have been spending the last four days in a room full of technical types doing live radio from inside the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas,  In what is called the "Spring Break For Geeks" or the Super Bowl for the Tech World, I have immersed myself with the locals, the tourists and the strange but true here in Austin.

I will describe to you the scenes I experienced and the what I have done over the last few days.  I will have a couple of links to share of the shows I did and you can listen in on what it was like there.

I first wanted to thank the City of Austin for its hospitality and the way I am always leaving, wishing I could stay longer.  The people at SXSW are doing a great job with this conference and trade show and the panels and the way they run the event.  I have a couple of photos I will share and will let you know about the restaurants I ate at the parties I attended and perhaps about some of the people I met. Most of all the great music, the food, and the company is always great and since this is my third year I cannot wait until I start getting ready for next year.

Tags: SXSW, Austin, SXSW Interactive, Austin Convention Center

Powered by Qumana

I was thinking about traveling to different cities today and the places that I have been and the places I will be going.  I have thought about the restaurants I have been to and some stand out as a place I have to go to again.  I will be headed to Austin soon and when in Austin, I always have to go to the Salt Lick.  Why?  Because it is great BBQ.  Better than anywhere else?  Probably no the best in the world, but definitely a great place to go while in Austin.

That made me think of the idea of a girl in every port, and of course, the rest of the brainstorming I was doing on a post here went you know where in a hand basket.  It did get me thinking about asking you the readers, what is your favorite place to eat when attending your convention or trade show?  I like Charley’s while in Orlando, I had some good Sushi at places in Seattle, Seafood in Boston, and Vegas, well everything I go to in Vegas seems to be good.  What conference do you attend and also attend because of the must have eats?

Tags: Restaurants, Food, Conventions, Trade Shows, BBQ, Orlando, Austin, SXSW

Freeman created a new exhibit concept for eight Teas city and convention visitors bureaus that received a top award at the recent American Society of Association Executives

annual meeting in San Diego.  The exhibit was named “Best In Show – First Place” in the Island Booth category. 

The island booth had eight pods containing the eight visitor bureaus within the state of Texas, all surrounding off of a center island that had a stage for live musical performances.  This also supplemented by a bar that served refreshments Texas style to participants.  The cities of Arlington, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Grapevine, Houston, Irving, and San Antonio, were grouped together for the exhibit. Sounds like an elaborate exhibit booth but as they say everything is BIG in Texas–well at least elaborate in Texas.  Congratulations from all of us at Convention Insider and Conventions.net to the folks at Freeman on their award.