GSM:TABRITMIA
[Note: I will be citing the state, the theme of the conferences, and the month/year, but not the name of the conferences or the names of the host(s) or organization(s).]
The day after returning to my hometown from the training and illness recovery, I decided to go to the event at Texas in March, to the chagrin of my family. The motivation came from my awareness of the current economic situation and my desire to network with people who were also aware. I’m more of a night owl, but the long duration of the previous trip (with a lot of cigarette smoke exposure making me too irritated to stay asleep in the morning during my recovery) caused me to go diurnal (despite the sibling I care for desiring to reverse that at dinner that night), and I wanted to keep it that way. Also, I felt that this trip to Texas was my last chance to make anything happen; and ironically, I was asked to give my take on the conference by a moderator of a private Discord group when asking for tips and information of the current policies I was driving through in the southern states to Texas. Furthermore, I decided to go “all-in” and get their VIP ticket in order to spend time networking at the restaurant where their VIP venue was going to be for what I thought was for four hours.
Good venue planning, especially for places that are away from the main conference venue, should be easy to get to without concern of getting lost. The larger the city, the more difficult navigating the highways and roads could be. Also, unless it’s outdoor survival training, pick a nice spot. The previous medical training that took place at Tennessee in January was pretty much contained to the conference room, but places for lunch were within a short distance from the hotel where the venue took place. In another medical training venue at Georgia in October 2021, there were restaurants within walking distance (about 100 feet or less) even though it was only a partial day of training. At the naturopathic conferences I went to, they were at resorts where restaurants were inside the venue as well as places to entertain yourself within walking distance or a short bus ride. On the other hand, I went to an herbalism conference at North Carolina in May-June 2014, the lodge where I stayed was terrible – with beds meant for children at summer camp, and the power lines broke on the last day! However, weather was not a serious issue at these venues.
For me, I’m fine that the VIP venue at Texas was at a restaurant by a lake. Ironically, even though it was only a few miles away from the hotel, I was extremely fortunate that as I was getting ready to start my car, I spotted the host and some of his team getting into a car nearby in the hotel parking lot, so I followed them! I wind up fatigued from the drive to the restaurant – especially since I was driving during my period – and the chase of the host’s ride down to the venue as well as the ten-minute search for a parking spot that wasn’t limited to two hours, about three blocks away from the venue since I thought we’d be there for four hours. This should seem silly for me to rely on a car chase similar to a reality TV game show or a sitcom, but the return trip from the restaurant will prove an important point.
Although I was pulled into a few conversations, I became exhausted and got very hungry, and despite the heated patio, it was too cold for me to be sitting outside – and yes, I did have a jacket with me. The food was great, and I liked the view, but it would have been better if this VIP location was held in late March (The event was in early March.), or even April or May, assuming the changes in the earth’s magnetic field haven’t made the dip in the jet stream more lax than it has been. Always consider the time of year, especially if you want to have outdoor venues.
Yes, I received an email saying where the venue was, and I printed out the map. Yes, they said there would be surprises after we got there, but surprising your guests that there’s an unannounced second venue isn’t a smart idea! It would have been nice if the second venue was included in the email for VIP members, so I could have parked closer to the restaurant – in one of the two-hour parking spaces, and had the directions ready to go. When I left the restaurant, I got lost two to three times getting back to the hotel (from an out-of-date navigation system), and when I left to get to the second venue, I got lost for twenty minutes because I kept getting onto the Interstate several times. Furthermore, when I finally got to the location within the mall, I noticed people boarding the hotel bus: The venue had closed down, so it was a big waste of my time, and I got lost again trying to return to my hotel!
Luckily, the main conference was at the hotel where I was staying, so I didn’t have to drive anywhere, but by the time the conference was over, it seemed like the host was planning to try again at an entertainment venue, likely for the VIP-holders, but I was too exhausted to venture anywhere at that time, so the conference was over for me.
It is best to keep the venues for the conference (or training) and entertainment close, like a resort, away from areas near highways where people could get lost.
Read the rest (nine parts total):
Part I: Backstory.
Part II: Planning and Announcements.
Part IV: The Schedule.
Part V: Presentations.
Part VI: Got Food?
Part VII: Entertainment.
Part VIII: Aftermath.
Part IX: Summary.