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Living in Luxury
Oct. 7th, 2008 08:42 amI made my first business trip in 1977. It was a trip to a client office in Switzerland. I had never stayed at anything other than a Bed and Breakfast in England. I loved everything about staying in a 4 star hotel; the service, the rooms, the food - and of course, the expense account that went with my job! (Well, the visit to the unisex sauna was a bit uncomfortable - I wasn't used to social nudity. As many of you know, I got over that!)
I'm now at what I thought would be the end of my IT career, at what I expect to be my final business conference. I'm staying at the splendid Broadmoor hotel in Colorado Springs, which boasts a who's who gallery of pictures of past guests - including every President (but one) from the last 50 years, and a host of A-list politicians and Hollywood personalities. The rooms are very well appointed, the service outstanding - and I cannot find any enjoyment in the experience. Jaded I guess.
The conference itself is one I've attended annually since 2003. It is always packed full of useful information, and a chance to talk to everyone from the CEO on down. Definitely not a stuffy conference, it seems out of place at the Broadmoor. It used to be run at ski lodges until last year, when the attendance outgrew the capacity of it's last home (the Copper Mountain Ski Resort).
As well as a lot of work related content, the company is famous for throwing great parties. Sunday night was an Oktoberfest-style event, complete with (fake) German band, bratwurst, and a LOT of beer. Last night was the Western night - complete with chances to learn to line dance and rope steers, and of course the mechanical bull ride. And even more beer.
I'm not sure there are many companies left in this mould; most have limited the open bar, and cut down on the entertainment. I suspect this company will do the same in the next few years, as their customer base continues to grow.
This is a good last conference; but I shan't miss them.
I'm now at what I thought would be the end of my IT career, at what I expect to be my final business conference. I'm staying at the splendid Broadmoor hotel in Colorado Springs, which boasts a who's who gallery of pictures of past guests - including every President (but one) from the last 50 years, and a host of A-list politicians and Hollywood personalities. The rooms are very well appointed, the service outstanding - and I cannot find any enjoyment in the experience. Jaded I guess.
The conference itself is one I've attended annually since 2003. It is always packed full of useful information, and a chance to talk to everyone from the CEO on down. Definitely not a stuffy conference, it seems out of place at the Broadmoor. It used to be run at ski lodges until last year, when the attendance outgrew the capacity of it's last home (the Copper Mountain Ski Resort).
As well as a lot of work related content, the company is famous for throwing great parties. Sunday night was an Oktoberfest-style event, complete with (fake) German band, bratwurst, and a LOT of beer. Last night was the Western night - complete with chances to learn to line dance and rope steers, and of course the mechanical bull ride. And even more beer.
I'm not sure there are many companies left in this mould; most have limited the open bar, and cut down on the entertainment. I suspect this company will do the same in the next few years, as their customer base continues to grow.
This is a good last conference; but I shan't miss them.
