I spent the past few days in Las Vegas, Nevada. No, not for fun, exactly: It was the 10th annual Luxury Travel Expo, held at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, that got me there.
Now, normally I love these travel trade show types of events. This was no exception – it was well-run, and I found the Peru and Hawaii presentations especially engaging. The exhibitors were energetic and well-informed, representing a wide array of the luxury travel market.
I talked with representatives from Florence and Tuscany travel groups, Hawaii PR groups, sales managers for luxury villas in Europe and the Caribbean, and, of course, many people representing properties in the continental United States. They were universally professional and personable – right on the ball, as it were.
The happiest surprise of all? I got to meet Gavin MacLeod! Yes, of Mary Tyler Moore and Love Boat fame. Captain Stubing and The Love Boat are practically iconic of my childhood. Best of all, he is my town’s “honorary mayor” (it used to be Steven Guttenberg, but I guess he abdicated his throne). Small world.
I had dinner with Nancy Brown, a fellow travel writer and blogger who I’ve known virtually for several months
now. Dinner was fun, and I enjoyed getting to know her better. But then my experience in Las Vegas took a serious turn for the worst. Someone stole my Blackberry, AGAIN. That’s right, it was taken out of my purse during dinner (Someone bumped me at one point, and her cohort probably got into my purse while she apologized). I was furious, and also very sad. After calling Verizon and shutting off my phone service, I filed a report with security and tried to get some sleep (it was close to midnight). I felt somewhat better in the morning, but I simply can’t believe that I’ve had two Blackberry PDAs stolen from me in less than one year. Crazy. My next cell phone is going to be much less enticing.
The 10th annual Luxury Travel Expo in Las Vegas was great. Falling victim to one of the oldest tricks in the book — not so much.
WOW
I feel for ya, losing your Blackberry. Reminded me when someone stole my e-mail. Hacked into my e-mail account & stole my contacts, it was like someone took part of my life. Now, I always feel vulnerable. But hey, you did meet some interesting people. good luck & stick to a regular cell, less they can get from that.
Egon