The Conference

I attended a conference over the last several days and thought I’d share some thoughts on the event and the outcomes.

Every conference has a mission, a set of goals. This one was no different; learn something new, meet someone new, have fun.

I arrived in town by train and immediately headed over to the hotel. I was too early to check in but the friendly attendant behind the counter had rooms available and because of some mix-up, two for me. I asked for a good view and got the 35th floor. I noticed, in the elevator, that the button for the 35th floor was at the very top and labelled Penthouse. The hallway and room was very posh. My immediate neighbour had the ‘Prime Minister’s Suite’.

Conference was off to a good start…

I actually arrived the day before to attend another event and meet some colleagues. We kicked it off with lunch at the Loose Moose, attended the other event, walked over to the St. Lawrence Market to pickup salt. Not just any salt, smoked salt. A friend needed it for his coffee. While there I picked up a Himalayan, pink salt, shot glass… good for 60 shots of tequila. We headed back to the hotel, got cold and stopped at a bar, forgot the name, for something cold. It was made famous in the movie Good Will Hunting. Back at the hotel, warmed up, charged up our phones and headed into town for supper at the Keg Mansion. The restaurant was built in the Massey Ferguson family mansion. Finally back to the hotel to meet some old friends.

And the conference hadn’t even started yet…

The next morning found a large crowd of folks gathered at the registration desk, then the breakfast bar and finally the conference room. Lots of speeches, lots of numbers and opportunities to meet people, from across the country, covering many different areas of the business. Made a lot of contacts and put faces to some names.

Goal #2 achieved…

After the regularly scheduled meetings there was a short pause to rest up for the evening’s entertainment. Dinner was the normal thing you would expect at something like this, the entertainment always a closely kept secret. As dinner was winding down the large doors separating the two conference rooms opened to reveal lights, a stage, fog, bars, more food, a games area, photo booths and a few camera crews.

We herded into the new room just as the band Trooper got up on stage to ‘Raise a Little Hell’. A classic Canadian rock band that has been around for 35+ years. These guys obviously enjoy what they do and are still very good at it. So we were treated to a private concert… nice.

Goal #3 achieved…

The following day was full of information sessions, keynote speakers and vendor booths. A day of learning.

Goal #1 achieved…

I’ve been to many conferences and they all have their own dynamic and memorable moments. No matter what we do, who we meet or what we learn, there are always stories to tell months and even years down the road. While we certainly do have a lot of fun and get a little crazy, there is a lot of value that we bring back and share with our Teams.