From the Inside Out

VoiceCon kicked off today in sunny Orlando, Florida.  The workshops began in the morning, and the exhibit hall opened at 3 pm.  Even though I was scheduled to work the late shift, I dropped by the booth about 30 minutes before it was supposed to open.  I wanted to check out the demo and conduct a dry run — pretty standard stuff.  My plan was to do a quick “run thru” and then walk around the floor to visit the other vendors’ booths.  I’d come back later when it was my time to be on the floor.

I was unprepared for what I found when I showed up.  The demo was haphazardly set-up, some of the equipment we needed wasn’t there, and several parts of the demo weren’t working.  And, to make matters worse, it was only 30 minutes before start time…ugh!  It was going to be one of those days.

Now, anyone who has ever worked a trade show before knows that it’s rare for your demos to work perfectly during a show.  It’s just the curse of working booth duty and having a “live” demo.  You have to learn how to work around it and skillfully distract people from the features that aren’t working at that moment in time.

But this was worse than normal.  Frantically, we began to work with the demo team to correct the problems.  About an 90 minutes later (and with customers already on the booth), we finally had an adequate demo.  It wasn’t perfect.  There were features that still didn’t work, but it was much better than what we had originally.  Trade shows are so much fun…NOT!

Anyway, I finally walked around the exhibit floor.  The great thing about VoiceCon is that everyone in the industry is here, so in addition to checking out the latest technology, it’s sort of like going to a reunion.  You see all of the friendly faces from your past and get caught up on each others’ lives.  It’s one of the things I like most about coming to this conference year after year.

I started my shift at 5:30 pm.  Booth traffic was steady, but never overwhelming.   I’m actually hoping it will be a little busier tomorrow. 

The show floor officially closed at 7 pm, but my company was hosting a private reception on the booth for analysts and consultants.  Everyone stayed late to provide demonstrations for the VIPs.  By the time we got them out of the booth, it was about 9 pm and time for dinner.

Below are a couple of pics from day one.  I’ll try to get better shots tomorrow if it’s not too busy.

If you are considering travel during Spring Break, don’t do it.  It’s painful. 

But since I didn’t have a choice in the matter, I boldly embarked for the airport this morning.  It’s amazing how Spring Break can transform a crowded airport that normally functions well into a place of total chaos.  I’ve never seen so many clueless people in all of my travels.  They slowed down the check-in lines, TSA line, and security. 

As feared, the flight to Orlando was packed full of parents with their children in tow.  They were all over the place, like an invasion.  Babies, toddlers, small children, older children — you name it, they were all on my plane.   And once on the plane, all of them played musical chairs multiple times to make sure they were sitting together.   It was a sight to behold  — truly unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed before. 

The business travelers were few and far between.  We tried to maintain some semblance of normalcy by ignoring the chaos, but it was tough.  I’ve never been so glad to get off a plane in my life.

Once in Orlando, I got away from the Spring Breakers as soon as I could.  I’m here to represent my company at VoiceCon (the largest communications technology conference in my industry).  It’s is being hosted again at the Gaylord Palms.  The Gaylord is a pretty cool place — like a mini city encapsulated in one resort.  Check out the pics below:

Don’t feed the gators.

The Gaylord Palms room. 

This isn’t the best room I’ve had at the Gaylord.  I prefer rooms with an interior view of the atrium (see pics above), but it’s still decent.  The furnishings are nice, the bathroom is huge, and it has a full shower with a bench (no tub), which is a rare find in a hotel. 

The room features a computer with hotel services (messaging, conference info, etc) and free Internet access for those who don’t have their own computers — a nice convenience.  For business travelers, it’s also equipped with wireless (IMO every hotel should have wireless. I hate it when they don’t offer it).  

The service at the Gaylord is outstanding.  Check-in was fast and room service came in less than 30 minutes.  If you are headed to Orlando, it’s definitely a resort to consider visiting while you are here.

After the pre-show meeting, we headed to Sunset Sam’s (Gaylord’s Seafood restaurant) for dinner.  I’m not a big fan of seafood, but everything is fresh here, so I decided to try the Mahi Mahi (blackened with Cajun seasonings).  It was fabulous.  I highly recommend it.

The show starts tomorrow, and since I’m working the late shift, I should be able to participate in the morning workshops.  It will be a long day (booth duty ends around 8 pm), but it should be fun. 

Have a great Monday!

Since I’m going to Orlando tomorrow for VoiceCon, my weekend officially ended today.  I’m flying out early for a mandatory pre-show meeting which is scheduled in the evening.  Normally, VoiceCon is the first week of March, but not this year.  That’s why I’m dreading the flight.  I’m going to Orlando, the kid capital of the world, during Spring Break week.  Picture this…a flight packed full of tourists and screaming children…Oy vey.  It’s not my idea of fun.  Ah, the things I must endure for my company.

I’m also missing the start of a new sermon series at our church.  Our drama team will be performing a short sketch tomorrow to accompany the sermon.  After completing the outline, assembling the team, and directing practice tonight, it’s a letdown that I won’t be able to see the finished result.  Oh well, duty calls me elsewhere.

On another note, the warm weather beckoned me out on my bike today.  It was my first ride of the year (I go into hibernation during cold weather).  Hopefully, the warm temperatures will continue because I’d like to get back in shape in time to ride the 20 mile course during the Tour of Dallas in April.  Last year, I backed out when it started snowing (I’m a cold weather wimp, remember?).  I mean, seriously, it’s not supposed to snow in Dallas in April. 

Well, wish me luck in getting good neighbors on the plane tomorrow.  I’ll be bringing my earplugs just in case!