I have to admit that as a product of the 80’s I really liked all those 80’s movies. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Risky Business, Star Wars sequels, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters and The Terminator were among the favorites. Not that I am opposed to John Hughes movies – that just tends to be more my wife’s style. One of the best parts about all of these movies were the great one liners:
“I am your father,” “I’ll be back” and “…when this baby hits eighty-eight miles an hour…” have all become classics. As I have worked my way through the last couple of days, I have had to balance a lot of time in the office with HITEC. So naturally – another 80’s quote came to mind – “balance is key Daniel-san.”
One of the challenges I think we all face coming to HITEC is how to manage our “day jobs” while we are here. For vendors, I wonder sometimes if it is a bit easier – after all we’re all here (name that movie paraphrase!). While not everyone of their customers is onsite, a large number of them are. Do their mailboxes slow down, or like many an attendee, do they continue to pile up?
I asked some of the people I know – how do they deal with it? The answers varied. For some – especially the smaller shops – the day job remains the primary focus. It is still what they are expected to handle – regardless of where they might be.
For others, they are here for HITEC, so HITEC is what they focus on. If I had to guess, this group of people have great support systems that allow them to focus when they are out of the office.
I think the truth for most us is that it is a real balancing act. We have to begin to prioritize what we must see and do while we are here and determine what become secondary goals and objectives. The best piece of advice I got when asking around on this was from Robin Koetje, director of IT for The Hotel Group and a bright hospitality IT guy. He told me that there are times at HITEC when he is just here and everything else needs to wait. We all have a day job to do, but many of us are also expected to be preparing for the future. HITEC is the best opportunity to do that.
So, as I finish walking the aisles this year wondering if I missed something I should have seen, I will remember this next year – when I am at HITEC – sometimes the other stuff just needs to wait.
James is the president of James Lingle Consulting. In his consulting business James works with both vendors and hoteliers across a wide range of needs. Actively involved in the industry, James is currently a director at large for the HFTP Rocky Mountain chapter and has served on the HITEC Advisory Council.
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