Tales from the Limo

I'm in Orlando at the big conference... And it's been pretty much nonstop craziness. The flight was smooth, and I was struck silent by an incredible view of the sunset over a mountainscape of clouds: If I had a camera, it would have been award winning... instead I'll have those images with me forever. It was truly an amazing vista.

5 of us got in on the same flight, rented a car, and got to the hotel by 9, where we were met by 3 others, who gave us Leis to welcome us in. We then trouped over to Oceanaire for a late snack, (if you can call a huge rare AHI filet and a half dozen oysters a "snack") and hit the hay at 1am.

Saturday I got up, alive, and worked out: I was trying to do BodyPump but didn't have the exact right music, so I had to improvise... but I think I got most of it done. Then a good hearty breakfast to form a solid base for what would come...

One of our excellent marketing ideas is to establish goodwill right away when people come to town: So we offer up limo rides to key clients and prospects, with Dom Perignon champagne to share on the 30 minute ride to the hotel. And naturally, you learn a bit about the clients... but it's not a hard sell by any means - the target is for them to have a favorable impression of the company.

When I saw the limos, I actually broke down in laughter: A stretch Hummer. A stretch Escalade. These giant black monsters could seat 10 comfortably, they had crazy neon effects and plush leather seats....

I did three runs (each run took over 90 minutes) - the first was two nice women from Naperville, who just loved the ride and didn't need any champagne thank you. The second run was a grueller - 5 different drop-offs! Weather had created a bottleneck and a bunch of people got in at once. That was a two bottle run, and over 2 hours. By the time I got back I was thinking about bailing and letting my third run (just one guy, getting in after 8) take a sedan by himself... but I decided to stick it out.

It was of course the best ride of the day: He was chatty, a young guy with great experience and eager to talk about the work of their company. By the end, he had actually given me a shopping list of what they're looking for!

But the resonant image for me remains the trips BACK to the airport: sitting alone in the back of a stretch hummer with empty bottles of Dom Perignon at my feet, feeling like it's the final scene of a very strange movie.

After the last of the rides, the whole gang hit Universal Citywalk, and a late steak at Emeril's (which was good, but not earth shaking - high cuisine put on an assembly line for mass consumption)

It's another day of limo rides, and we finish up at a reception at Oceanaire again. We leave in 5 minutes, so here's where I sign off, and I'll have more interesting stories from the trade show!