I had been invited to the Second Annual eC-BP Best Practices Awards dinner. I have no illusion that I was invited there to receive an award. I'm proud of what I do, but I only sit on the sidelines and offer tea and sympathy to those of you who have to do the real work putting in these complex systems. I was to be there to enjoy the company of those award recipient, a great jazz band, and a seven course "paired-wine" dinner. I was drooling all the way from Arkansas, imagining the combination of flavors... until something squealed in the engine compartment and I had to pull over to the side of I-40 and wait for the tow truck. Fortunately I was not too far outside Little Rock where there are almost a dozen salvage yards; a necessity when trying to find a fuel pump for a my '62 "Kennedy Continental".

I did eventually find the parts I needed but by the time I got back on the expressway on Thursday, the conference was breaking up. I was able to snag a few of the departing participants in the lobby of the Opryland Resort, and got some impressions from their stay.

One of the first things I noticed on entering the behemoth facility was the semi-dazed look on nearly everyone's faces. At first I chalked it up to too much partying. But as I started to talk with people they told me they were trying to recover from what one guest termed "maze daze." The Opryland facility has about 2,400 rooms, all under a single roof. It includes acres of landscaped grounds, streams, and waterfalls. Nearly everyone is totally lost during the first 3 days of their visit if they venture more than 10 feet out of their room. More than one participant said they felt like a rat in a maze; hence the term maze daze.

I decided to avoid the symptoms and stayed in the lobby area where people were checking out, and were relatively easy pickings for my open ears.

I heard comments that the information sessions were helpful, partly due to the fact that the content delivered matched what was advertised. One participant noted that as a difference this year. It seems in previous years, some of the sessions were targeted at entry level audiences even though the descriptions led her to believe they would be more advanced.

One benefit of the facility being large was that networking seemed to be easier. This may have been because the break area and display areas were larger and more open. Even so, I heard several people complain that the convention facilities were just too far away from their rooms. Another factor that drew negative comments may have actually contributed to the ease of networking was that there were not enough seats for the lunch breaks. Minor point, but it's tough to carry your plate, a beverage, and talk at the same time.

The vendor booths were a big draw, as usual. The impressions I heard were positive in that the boothies were helpful and generally knowlegable. One attendee said he was still waiting for responses from some of the vendors he spoke with. Keeping someone who spent several minutes asking you about your products waiting for 2 weeks for an answer is counterproductive. Between the cost of the booth, expenses for the staff, and possible loss of good will, that could be an expensive waste of resources. Those were salespeople, right?

I did talk with a few of the lucky ones that attended the eC-BP dinner and immediately went out and kicked my beloved Lincoln. I won't even try to describe the meal I missed... it just makes me sob even more. But the idea of missing out on 7 different wines and a gorgeous chunk of Copper River Salmon is just too distressing. Maybe next year I'll take the train to Orlando. They're always on time, aren't they?

Till next time, Cheers!
Cecil