Category: Beyond The Lanyard

As many of you know, I spend a good amount of time on the road for Saffire. In previous episodes of Beyond the Lanyard, I’ve talked about the fun things I do while I’m at a conference outside of the tradeshow floor. However, this time, I wanted to give you a little look inside a personal trip I took—to New York City! (See? I DO go places other than trade shows!)

There is SO much to love about the Big Apple. I’ve been before, but this time I had a special mission—to see Derek Jeter bat one more time for the New York Yankees. I’ve been a Jeter fan practically my whole life, so I couldn’t help but make the trip. It was totally worth it! Jeter went 2 for 4 and the crowd went wild every time he came up to bat.

I saw a few other sights while in NYC, including the view from the top of the Empire State Building and some really incredible pieces at the Museum of Modern Art. It’s so amazing to me that you can see such masterpieces right here in the USA! Of course, one of my favorites was Vincent Van Gough’s famous “Starry Night” pictured here, but I saw all kinds of pieces by Picasso, Monet, Matisse and Warhol just to name a few.

I was only in New York for a little over 48 hours (hey, the Saffire trips were calling my name!) but I’m so grateful for the time I spent there and I can’t wait to go back again soon!

We’ve had a few crazy adventures since last time I came to you from Beyond the Lanyard! We’ve had a great summer full of travels already, as Jessie and I have extended a few of our Saffire trips for conferences in to the weekends! We visited Naples, FL after the Florida Fairs Federation convention and  stayed a few extra days in New Orleans, LA after EAMC!

In Naples, we had an awesome time exploring the beach. I have recommended Naples to so many friends who are looking for a vacation destination. (Why go offshore when you can get all this beauty here in the USA?) Seriously, if you’re looking for a beach trip, look no further than Naples. White sandy beaches and crystal clear water make it worth going out of your way and staying a few days. We also saw a Chihuly exhibit in Tampa, which was one of our favorite parts!

We had a fantastic time in New Orleans too. We met several new friends at the conference that hung out with us into the weekend. We also had some of my college friends join us from home for the festivities! New Orleans is definitely one crazy place full of interesting food and smells. (As those of you who have been to New Orleans know, some smells were better than others!) We were up until the wee hours of the morning checking out Pat O’Briens’ Piano Bar (my personal favorite) and then up early to see St. Louis’ Cathedral and the other beautiful architecture of the city.

Both trips were great, and I hope all of your summer travels are a blast as well!

Hello friends! I’m back for the second installment of Beyond The Lanyard! This past week I traveled to Georgia, South Carolina & Tennessee. I visited several of our friends in each state and then at the conclusion of my trip I attended the Midwest Fair Managers Association Annual Meeting. I drove over 1200 miles! Now I know for some of you out there that travel all the time between fairs, that may not sound like very much, but for me, it was a long trip!

I saw several notable things along the way, including the Augusta National Golf Course! I definitely released my inner sports nerd when I drove by! The photo here is I promise, as close of a view as I could get you. I went on their website, because I was hoping to take a tour or maybe see it from the inside. On their FAQ page, it states that they don’t to tours, they don’t allow guests and you can’t apply for membership. It’s by invitation only. Very prestigious!

I also took the time to swing by Chattanooga, TN to pay a visit to my friend Chip & his lovely staff. They gave me a great tour of downtown Chattanooga, including a swing by the world famous Chattanooga Choo-Choo! I definitely wish I could have stayed in Tennessee longer. I was only there for a few hours before I was back to Georgia. (Hint: Stay tuned for more Tennessee travels planned in Episode 3!)

I also visited Savannah, GA during my travels. It was so awesome there!I went to the beach for just a minute-It’s right outside of town. What I enjoyed most about Savannah though was the city’s rich history. Just while walking to dinner I saw cannons given to the city by George Washington and an incredible old Cotton Exchange.

My final destination was Columbia, SC, where the South Carolina State Fair hosted us for a wonderful conference. We had an amazing dinner with a beautiful view to kickoff a great weekend of meetings.

Until next time, be safe out there travelers! Maybe I’ll see you on the road or in the air!

As many of you know, I’ve been on the road visiting fairs and conferences all over the country this past month! I thought you may like to see some of my adventures. We have clients that jokingly say that I’m wearing a lanyard in every single one of my Facebook pictures so I’m going to go “beyond the lanyard” in this post and show you what goes on behind the scenes.(Okay, so maybe I get used to the lanyard and wear it to the fun stuff too!)

I started the year by heading out to Anaheim, CA to the Western Fairs Association Convention. I had a great time speaking on the 25 Best Ideas for Online Marketing, and seeing friends. The suite parties were incredible, especially the one by Helm Entertainment, with all of these spectacular desserts! They were too pretty to eat!

I also ran in to my friend Louie Foxx. He’s a great magician, and hilariously funny. If you run in to Louie out on the road, ask him to do a  magic trick. You won’t be sorry that you did!

 

 

After a visit to San Antonio for the TAFE Conference, I left for a quick trip to the Missouri Association of Fairs and Festivals meetings.

For a Texas girl, it was FREEZING there! 13 degrees! I didn’t really pack clothes warm enough to wear in that weather-in fact I’m not even sure I OWN clothes warm enough for that weather-so I stayed inside the hotel almost the whole time I was in Missouri. It was okay though because I got to hang out with our friend Tony. He’s really nice and someday maybe will give us a Charlie Daniels autographed fiddle! (That’s another story for a different blog.)

Finally, I finished off my travels with a trip to South Carolina to meet with several of our friends there. One of my visits was to the South Carolina State Fair. The fairgrounds are right next door to the University of South Carolina. In fact, the fair shares its parking lot with the university on football game days!

I’m loving the time we’ve spent with the South Carolina State Fair, and I can’t wait for more good times to come! I also think they are maybe the only fairgrounds with their very own rocket.

As you can see I had a great time on all of my trips, and I’m not ALWAYS wearing a name badge! I’ll try to share more with you throughout the year. I know there are many more adventures to come!