Backpacker in a Blazer

I always hear new grads talk about how they want a job that lets them travel. Now that I have one, I often find myself discouraging them, explaining how the hotel room and suitcase life can kill creativity.

I TAKE IT ALL BACK. I am extremely blessed to have a job that let’s me stretch my explorer bone, roaming the country like a backpacker in a blazer.  Here are a few adventures I’ve had the opportunity to experience so far this year, from Atlantic to Pacific, just to prove why jobs that take you places (literally) are the absolute best.

Jet-packing in San Diego (with Jet Pack America)

Lunching (with a view!) with my beautiful cousin Erin in La Jolla at Cliffhanger Cafe.

Fun fact: The last time I saw Erin she was pregnant with Christina (the 12-year-old in the middle)!

The next day I returned for my chance to run off the cliff (with Torrey Pines Gilderport)

No surprise here

Only a couple weeks later, I finally did the No. 2 thrill I’ve been waiting so long for…

Jumping out of a plane!

with Skydive Georgia

I even paid a little extra to jump at the highest altitude available: 14,500 feet.

High five for keeping me alive!

Of course, it’s always exciting to see your work come together as well.

Advertisement for our FPO division placed in Transport Topics.

Successful ITLC/NAFC annual banquet sponsored by the FPO division, with a little help from Green Flash Brewery!

Great delivery by our president Art Zipkin who spoke on innovation in the supply chain at SMC3 Connections 2013.

After my trip to New York later this month, I’ll have some down time before the trips pick back up again in October. First stop of the fall: Manila & Leyte, Philippines. I wonder what kind of adventures I’ll embark on there?!?

Life Outside of the Lanyards

Without enough time to unpack my suitcase from Palm Desert, I was off to Orlando for two conferences back-to-back. The change of scenery brought with it a change of crowd, which was in itself refreshing. The Orlando conferences were centered around accounts payable operations, which are departments that benefit from DDC USA’s e-invoicing services.

The first conference was The Accounts Payable Network’s (TAPN) AP & P2P Leadership Conference held at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. Here, we exhibited and gained several leads. The three items addressed on the pop-up banner are Global Consistency (that we can offer because of the DDC Group worldwide network), Unmatched Experience (referring to the 20+ years experience our PMs have in data capture and BPO), Revolutionary Innovation (referring to our continuous integrated of new technologies, such as Intelligent Capture by Brainware).

The second conference was the Institute of Financial Operations’ (IFO) Fusion 2013 Conference. In contrast with the 200-something attendees at TAPN, Fusion had 1,400. It was huge. We co-exhibited with a partner, and our booth was a needle in a haystack. The exhibit floor was huge. The attendees walked through it on the first night, but afterward it just wasn’t worth it. The floor was too big, and there were too many sales guys asking you to drop your business card in the fishbowl. From a business standpoint, this event was a bust.

Of course, we all know that I like to save some extra time for life outside of the lanyards. In between the two events, the boyfriend was able to meet me in Orlando. When he arrived on Thursday, we went to dinner with the DDC team. Afterward, the whole group met the TAPN crowd for a lakesife fireworks watch party. After packing up our exhibit on Friday, we braved the crowds at Downtown Disney for a “magical” night (cheesy, I know). After a night of nerding out over Beatlegeuse, Batman Returns and Titanic movie memorabilia at Planet Hollywood, we hit the hay to get plenty of rest for Universal Studios.

Bright and early the next morning we were off, sights set on exploring the fantastical wonders of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Turns out, we were able to explore “Harry Potter World” twice, as well as just about everything else in the park thanks to the Universal Studio Express Pass. It’s one of the best investments a roller coaster lover could ever make.

We ended the weekend with the “Beach Party” (indoor on account of expected rain, which of course never occured) opening reception for Fusion 2013. After the reception we strolled around the Coronado Springs property, snake slides, aztec waterfalls and all.

A few snapshots I took of our weekend parade around Orlando:

 (Disney’s magical fireworks, available for viewing 365 days per year)

(Squeezing in some pool time)

(Making Planet Hollywood our own personal playground)

(Jurassic Park:”Hold onto your butts!”)

(Harry Potter world!)

(Poseidon’s fury)

(Dr. Seuss land)

(Hanging around CityWalk post-park)

(Indoor “beach party”)

(Post-conference stroll)

NOT PICTURED: My karaoke spectacular, performed Wednesday May 22 at the Fusion 2013 closing reception. Sorry I’m not sorry.

Don’t Go Skimpy On Me

As I previously mentioned, I manage the marketing for two divisions in my company: USA and FPO. Both streamline back office operations and financial/accounting applications with business process solutions (centered around data capture), but FPO is freight-focused. The bulk of its services involve billing automation for LTL carriers. This week, I attended a meeting in Palm Desert, CA on behalf of FPO.

The event was the American Trucking Association‘s (ATA) 2013 Leadership Meeting. This is an opportunity for us to gain quality face time with our clients and their partners, who often have potential to be our partners as well (maybe even clients).

As an Allied Member of ATA, we have a strategic plan for exposure through a variety of the association’s events. As part of that plan, we sponsored a special luncheon featuring Stuart Rothenberg (Rothenberg Political Report) as a guest speaker. In addition to the typical sponsor recognition, a 1-page promotional flyer I created was placed on each of the chairs of the luncheon.

One of the best things about attending an event where my work is disseminated is gaining feedback from  the recipients. As a semi-newbie to this company, I see opportunities like these as a chance to research the audience. The feedback I gained on this trip is consistent with Uncle Eddie’s request in Vegas Vacation: “Don’t go skimpy on me.” You see, part of the fun of copywriting is figuring out how to add enough meaning to your message while minimizing character count. My strive to be succinct overpowered ‘Messaging 101,’ and  I simply left people confused. Lesson learned.

All in all, I think the event went well for us, not to mention Stu was a great selection as our guest speaker. He nailed it on the head when he described the audience as a “Fox crowd,” but he wasn’t afraid to touch on the inner-turmoil brewing within the Republican party. As a young conservative, I greatly appreciated him shedding light on that issue to several individuals who (how do I put it?) put the O in the GOP.

(Left to right: DDC FPO President Art Zipkin, President of ATA Former Governor Bill Graves, Stuart Rothernberg, DDC FPO VP of Sales Chad Crotty, Me)

The ATA is a solid group, and I admire their dedication. They care as much about the future health of the trucking industry as Jason Russell cares about saving the child soldiers of the LRA. It is nothing less than inspirational.

In addition, they are pretty darn good at picking out locations for their events. This meeting was held at the JW Marriott Desert Springs. It truly was an oasis, nestled between mountains, desert and gorgeous golfing green with palm trees piecing it all together.

One of my favorite moments was during the first night of the conference. After the opening reception, Art, Chad and I went to grab dinner at a waterfront restaurant (complete with firepits) called Rockwood Grill. While Art and Chad talked business, I took a mental break., watching the sunset and sipping on Rockwood’s in-house craft brew. Just then, the black swans swam past me, within an arm’s reach.

(Seriously – What resort restaurant do you know that has its own craft beer?)

No matter how gorgeous the resort was, however, I could not deny my inner explorer. For one afternoon I managed to sneak off on an Adventure Hummer tour of the San Andreas Fault and the Joshua Tree National Park.

 

There are plenty more where those came from, but I’ll spare you the scrolling. In summary: The desert is just as magical place as the top of Pike’s Peak or the shores of Cocoa Beach. Often it is overlooked as a barren wasteland, but sand and rocks can hold more excitement than one might think.