orlando

(click on the post title for more pictures)

it's that time of year again - it's orlando time.

what 'orlando time' means is that i have spent six to nine months of the previous year working on new booth elements to have to launch (aka - test) at our biggest show of the year.  while i don't think it's entirely fair to have your biggest show be the first show of the year, there are some things that are out of my control.

straight from the airport, in attempt to quickly fall into orlando time (literally), diana and i kicked off the trip with a movie at pleasure island (the adult section of downtown disney).  what was so exciting (and worth blogging) about this adventure was (what i like to call) the choose your own adventure coke machine.

the machine, with it's touch screen interface, bids you choose your favorite coke product, which, in my case, was diet coke.  then it proceeds to give you flavor options.  for the diet it was lime, vanilla, orange, or raspberry.  for me it was a no brainer.  i'd had orange diet coke in paris (sold in bottles, in stores there) and loved it.  i quickly made my selection and the machine made my drink. 

that delicious diet coke would become the first of many, many, many...many, many, many more.  in fact i think i owe my survival to that sweet nectar of the gods, because this year, orlando time was a doozy!

what made this trip particularly stressful was that it was a new booth year, and the new booth is so far above and beyond the old booth that there was a lot on the line - not the least of which, my reputation and credibility.

now that i'm home after a very long week and my voice is almost back to normal (at least you can understand me when i speak in the lower register), i can, with my 20/20 hindsight, say, that it was a good week.  it was a good and utterly exhausting week.

the new booth is both a beauty and a beast.  it is eye catching, completely stands out on the show floor, and with it's touchscreen interactive kiosks, augmented reality, and digital dog collar hanging from the ceiling, it is like nothing i've ever done before. and in my particular industry, it's also quite groundbreaking. that, in it's own way, is beautiful.

those components also mean, however, that instead of three shipping crates, i've got twenty. instead of two setup days, i've got three, and  instead of worrying about one internet line, i'm worrying about six interactive interfaces and eight lead retrieval (the collection of attendee information for post-show follow up) units. and i'm exhausted.  have i mentioned that?

without going into too much detail, this trip was emotionally exhausting.  the highs were high and the lows, sometimes seemed insurmountable.  what made it survivable (besides the iv of diet coke entering my system) was the chance to see so many of my friends, co-workers, and colleagues, many of whom fall into all three categories.  and those midnight hot tub gatherings didn't hurt either;)

vicki, me, and melissa; together again

also worth noting, vicki is back! some of you may remember that several months ago, one of my favorite co-workers, friends, and travel companions, left the company.  her departure didn't impact our friendship, and though she's a san diego girl, i've seen her quite a bit.  that being said, i've missed having her on the road with me, and long story short, she's back, and we are NOT LETTING HER GO again.

1/5 of our conference crew

i'm certainly still in recovery mode, but i get to be home for five whole days before heading off to, um, michigan.  wish i could sleep in my bed for a little longer, and i wish it wasn't supposed to snow the whole time i'm there, but, on the upside, it's finally a place i've never been.