Tweets from my Trip

So, for the last two weeks I've been out on the road for a meeting and tradeshow, and had a few "tweets" pop in to my head. But, for some reason I never posted them. I don't have a good excuse, I have a Twitter application on my phone. Anyway, I thought that it would make a good blog post to start the week (not including # and @ because let's face it, I don't feel like looking them up), so:

The 12-year-old kid behind me just asked if we were flying over the ocean from Seattle to Orlando...should I be worried about the school systems?

Tom Peters just told me presentation skills are important as he is running around, going off on tangents, has unreadable slides, and keeps saying he forgot his glasses.

I have no idea what the takeaway from the presentation was...something about excellence which this was far from.

Very impressed with the new regime, and their strategy and approach. Hopefully it continues to trickle down.

Orlando has to be the minivan capital of the world...I hope that's not me some day.

Finally left Orlando for Cocoa Beach. I don't get why people want to go to a Florida city where the nearest beach is nearly 2 hours away.

Some big names at the SGR/SUR ARC 2010. This show is definitely one worth attending. Lots of great ideas being exchanged.

It's becoming apparent that as a vendor, you need people on the podium at the ARC.

Two weeks in Orlando are finally done. Just had lunch at a Chick-fil-A...kinda wish there was one in Seattle.

Trying to figure out why people waiting for the shuttle buses think it's a great idea to huddle around the crosswalk. The buses can't stop there, and your huddling makes it so they can't drive by.

I think that is a good flavor. Overall, I must say that Orlando has very successfully marketed itself as a convention destination even if it lacks one of the most appealing features of Florida (a beach). As a young businessperson without children, it definitely did not appeal to me, but ask me again in 5 years, who knows.

It was also a great awakening at the SGR/SUR Abdominal Radiology Course. This was word-of-mouth marketing at its finest. The attendees would drop by to check out some of the images we were showing, but when it really got down to it, they were there to see what their colleagues were doing. Having speakers that were talking about their research, and the equipment that allowed them to do it, was a huge indirect endorsement. All the great marketing in the world pales in comparison to the value that a highly respected luminary can deliver. I think I will have to have a follow up discussion here.

All in all, the two weeks on the road was not the worst thing ever. Customer exposure and in person meetings with colleagues are always beneficial. But, I'm glad to be home.