No, this isn’t a rock concert…although, yes, it certainly looks (and sounds and feels) like one. This is, dear reader, the National Speakers Association national conference, and lemme tell ya, this ain’t no mundane group. When the official Opening General Session opened tonight, it did so with the Rolling Stones blasting over the (admittedly impressive) sound system while normally tie-clad speakers with stellar reputations stood atop chairs and gyrated like they were eighteen.
Translated, this is the largest adrenaline rush on earth.
High points of the day:
“Nametag Scott” Ginsburg-—He’s either crazy or brilliant. I’m going with option B. Anyone who lands on CNN in his early twenties has something figured out.
Manny Medrano–The former ABC Supreme Court corespondent and former federal narcotics prosecutor in L.A. has moved–and continues to move–mountains with his challenge to lead your life with courage, heart, and soul.
Bill Stainton–Who knew the Beatles were teaching us about public speaking? His ability to turn the pop icons into a career lesson is astounding, entertaining, and crazy-brilliant.
God only knows what’s in store for tomorrow. At this rate, I’ll be levitating by Monday morning.
Might be a little quiet here on the blog for a couple of days; I’m headed to New York for the National Speakers Association conference. It’s my first time with this group-—could be interesting to see what happens when you gather this many extroverts in one place. Or really scary.
Seriously, I’m pretty hyped about it, given how highly regarded the NSA is and how much I enjoy my speaking career. Something tells me it will takes days to come down from the adrenaline rush ahead.
Promise to let you know if I begin to levitate.
Three guesses who was honored with the James Beard Foundation’s Rising Star Award this week?
You go, Gavin. Rock ‘em all.
Additional congrats to Daniel Boulud, who obviously knows talent when he sees it (and has been very graciously spreading the word about Gavin for the past year, even before hiring him on), and to the folks at Gramercy Park Tavern for getting the equally coveted Outstanding Restaurant Award. That was my favorite spot prior to Chef Kaysen’s arrival in town; feels good to know both my haunts are so highly regarded.
As long as I can still get a table, that is (wink, wink).
Dear Westin,
Consider this glass of five-day-old melted ice with a lemon twist a token of the fine job housekeeping has done in creating a lovely ambiance to wish me well each morning and welcome me home each night. While most upscale hotels would whisk this away—out of sight, out of mind—apparently you do not, feeling there’s some value to keeping this reminder of my first hour on the property fresh (relatively speaking) in my mind and in those of the neighboring guests.
It’s an odd sentiment, admittedly, but one I’ll remember forever.
Trust me on that.
Regards,
Cinda Baxter
Gold Preferred Starwood Member
If you know me, you also know who my all time favorite chef is: Gavin Kaysen, the nicest man in whites.
Years ago, I met Gavin and his wife Linda as they were planning their wedding in Minneapolis. Throughout the process, Gavin’s mother-—Nancy-—and I became dear friends, which has since extended to her husband, David, and obviously, the happy couple.
Well, Gavin’s a bit of a wunderkind. Actually, he’s one of the most celebrated chefs under thirty years old in the country (possibly on the planet). His current stint is as executive chef at Cafe Boulud in New York, and lemme tell ya, he’s kickin’ it there, big time. Since Wednesday night was the one time Linda and I could get our calendars to match, we decided to meet there for dinner.
And what a dinner it was.
Gavin treated us to a chef’s tasting menu, several courses long, with paired wines for each. The food was divine (as in “If I die now, I’ll die happy”), the service stellar, and the company lovely. At the end of service, the three of us sat around, catching up on the latest buzz from New York and from home, reflecting on how extraordinary their lives are right now.
If there are two people more deserving of all this adulation—and more humble about getting it—I’d like to know who they are. Nancy and David raised a cool son who found a cool wife and they’re living a cool life.
Now that’s a God thing if ever there was one.
I’ve joked for years that I’m always the last retailer off the show floor—could count on me still writing an order somewhere (usually in the Constance Kay booth) when the a/c turned off, the lights came down, and the carpets began to roll up…literally.
So, of course, it made complete sense I was sitting in the conference area of the Epson booth, enjoying a debrief with Patrick and the lead engineers from Japan an hour after show closed. While walls were deconstructing around us, we shared the things we’d seen, the possibilities ahead (can’t tell you what those are, sorry), and the projects that could be launched most quickly.
Suffice it to say, when things begin rolling out this next couple of years, you’re gonna be happy.
Happy happy.
I come away from this show feeling really good about where we’re all headed—in part because the last blast of enthusiastic desperation at my final NSS Advisory Board meeting several years ago is now bearing fruit in a big way. Laurie Robinson, Kelly Bristol, and later Patti Stracher, all listened to my pleas about needing technology at this show, understood the reasoning, and fought to bring it in. What Epson talks about today will completely change our industry tomorrow…and I mean that, with total sincerity.
It’s time. We’re there. And I couldn’t be happier to be part of the process.
Ick.
Ick, ick, ick.
The empty scotch glass with the lemon twist has now been here fermenting in front of my door for three days.
Housekeeping has been here at least that many times.
What gives, Westin?
A couple of weeks ago, Epson asked if I would assemble a small group of top-notch printing stationers to meet with a couple of their engineers flying in from Japan. Sure…no problem…came up with six who fit the bill perfectly while representing a broad spectrum of printing styles and needs.
What I thought would be a little chat turned into an incredible experience.
There weren’t just a couple of engineers here—Epson brought in a team, including some of the top minds in their divisions. For nearly two hours, we answered questions…paused for translations…watched notes feverishly being jotted into notebooks…and all walked away feeling like something truly momentous had just occurred.
For the first time in NSS history—or the history of the entire stationery industry, for that matter—an international company took the time to sit down and listen…really listen…to what independent retailers need with the intent of creating it. This wasn’t a fluff session, folks. This was the start of something big.
Something really, really big.
Thanks to the retailers who participated: Susan Foxworth (Write Selection, Dallas), Tanja von Kluajta Winn (RSVP, Plymouth MI), Joan Schnee (On Paper -and- the Green Paper Company, Columbus OH), Angela McLean and Tonya Panchula (Ink and Paper, Oxford MI), and Edie Frere (Landis Stationery, Los Angeles).
And major thanks to Patrick Chen (Product Manager/Professional Imaging, Epson USA) and Linda Malek (LJM Associates) for believing…and making miracles happen.
No, this isn’t a rock concert…although, yes, it certainly looks (and sounds and feels) like one. This is, dear reader, the National Speakers Association national conference, and lemme tell ya, this ain’t no mundane group. When the official Opening General Session opened tonight, it did so with the Rolling Stones blasting over the (admittedly impressive) sound system while normally tie-clad speakers with stellar reputations stood atop chairs and gyrated like they were eighteen.
