Below is a picture of me with Mike Marshal and his father Chuck, followed by me with Rick Daly, their Senior VP of Sales who set-up the conference. 

Not only was I asked to be the opening keynote speaker for their general session, but I also got to conduct my sales training program for their DOS and key sales managers in an afternoon break out session.  It was great to see how their sales team, which included both long-term industry veterans and several that were brand-new to the industry, could relate to my contact from “Cooking UP New Sales,” wherein I use cooking and fine dining analogies as an alternative to “old-hat” sales fundamentals training. 

How wonderful it was to finally meet Mike Marshall, their new President, in person after so many years.  We both enjoyed a laugh about how many times I’d cold-called him over the past decade and a half when he was in other positions to try to sell him training or mystery shopping services.  Turns out that it was actually his father, Chuck Marshall, who had noticed one of my recent articles and had suggested they consider me for this event. 

 

As is usually the case by necessity, immediately after my presentation I was off to my next stop, and thanks to the car service that Rick set-up I was whisked back to BWI and onto another Southwest flight to Orlando.  What an amazing coincidence it was that at the end of that taxi line awaited the very same taxi and driver I’d had exactly 13 days prior!  Not that this was a good thing, as he was certainly consistent in his pattern of driving 80+ mph on the Beeline Expressway.  Pulling into the Caribe Royal I took special note of his van so that if it ever happens the roulette game called a taxi line puts me in his cab I’ll feign illness.

Next morning I finally got my chance to sleep in late, as my presentation wasn’t until 1:30pm, and only an hour at that.  What an honor it was to have been asked back once again to be asked once again to be the closing keynote speaker for the Florida Vacation Rental Manager’s Association’s annual conference, which offhand I think I’ve been a speaker at for 11 or 12 years now. It was great to see some of my nearest and dearest friends in the vacation property rental business, such as FVRMA President Hilary Young from Premier Properties Resort Vacations, and so many of what I consider to be the top minds in our business today such as Chuck Steeg from Meyer Vacations in Gulf Shores, AL and Steve Trover from All Star Vacations in Orlando/Daytona Beach Shores.  Here’s a picture of me with Hilary Young (far right)and Josie Mennini (far left), from Premier Properties, along with Robin Plein from Royal Shell Vacations who is seated to the left of me.

                  

In a flash my presentation was over, and I was back in a taxi, this time headed for a very short trip to conduct cluster training for a hotel management company called Avista Hotels.  Although this was my very first time working with this company, I sincerely hope to be a part of their future plans.  What a fun day it was, and I was so impressed that not only did all of the GM’s show up to the training, which was targeted mostly for front desk and reservations sales associates, but they participated enthusiastically. I was also impressed that several had one major awards from their respective brands such as Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn, and that the average tenure was well over a decade, despite this being one of the most competitive labor markets the hospitality industry faces. 

At the end of my second full day of training, it felt like “Deja vue all over again” not long after when I was back at the same Southwest airlines boarding gate waiting for the very same flight which I’d taken just 13 days before, and thankfully the flight landed early enough that I was blessed to have the same beautiful wife Cathy waiting to pick me up at the airport.  This time I even had half an office day to catch up on a half a month’s worth of correspondence.  But the school bell waits for no man and therefore at precisely 1:48pm ET (last possible departure without being late) I had to unplug myself from my multitasking business world to go and pick up Julia and Adam from their school at 2pm.   Since their school was to end the following Thursday, and since I’d be on the road all next week, it was a great opportunity to extend another heartfelt thank you and hugs with their respective teachers.  It was also a good chance to remind friends about the Kennedy Family Pool Party we were planning for the next day.  After pick-up we headed straight to the Publix Supermarket to buy supplies for our party!  After cleaning all evening and cooking all day Saturday, the kids were so excited as pretty soon we were welcoming most of their closest friends from the school.  Cathy and I were happy too as we enjoyed the parents as much as the kids enjoyed each other.  Not to mention that Danielle and Dawne were on top of making the best homemade Mojitos I’ve ever had!

Here's a picture of the mom's from the families who attended our pool party that day.  My wife Cathy is in the red jacket. (Someone else still owes me the matching photo of us dads.)

     
                 

After cleaning up the stray beer bottles and juice boxes on Sunday morning, we were soon off to see the “Pirates 3” movie.  As a parent, not a qualified movie critic, all I’ll say it was a very loonnnggg movie and Johnny Depp wasn’t nearly as funny, but then again maybe I was just exhausted.  On Monday morning we did what the kids later stated was their most fun activity of all.  Despite all of our efforts to make their weekend special, when I asked “Kids, what did you like best about this weekend?” on their way back to Mom’s they replied “We liked when you went swimming with us and played ‘Sharks n Minnows' just now.”