… but it likely won’t stay there, any more than it did last year.
It’s that time again. The Second Annual Vegas WLS Meet & Greet – though this year it’s being organized as a fund-raiser and weekend of events for the Weight Loss Surgery Foundation of America (WLSFA).
I didn’t think I was going to make it this year, after getting laid off last fall. But… I got a much larger than expected tax return this year, got an offer to crash with someone for the Friday and Saturday nights… so I did some digging and decided I could pull it off. I’m actually going out Thursday through Monday. It saved me nearly $200 in air fare flying those dates, and the extra two nights of hotel are costing me less than $100, so it doesn’t work out too badly. BTW, the event is SOLD OUT! They are at capacity for the booked facilities, with 325 booked attendees.
I may make it out there in time Thursday to watch Ian (aka Baka) do the Sky Jump off the Stratosphere hotel. He’s also going to be skydiving and doing a canyon zip line, three things off his post-op bucket list, and he’s doing them all to also help raise funds for the WLSFA. If you’re inclined to donate a few bucks towards a worth cause, check out his Jumping For Freedom page. I’m proud to know Ian, not just cause he’s also a former fat dude, but because he really does give back so much to others – he is always there with words of advice and encouragement to others, both pre and post-op alike. He has already hit his initial goal of raising $1000, but let’s see if we can’t get him over $1250 before he gets to Vegas in a few weeks.
There is a slight chance I’ll be hosting or participating or doing some sort of round-table discussion or … something… as part of the event. I was asked to do so early on, but declined cause I didn’t think I’d be going. Now that I am, they’re still interested in having me do something… but I have no clue what I would talk about. Any suggestions?
Other than that, while there are some great speakers lined up, my primary purpose to get out there is the whole “meet and greet” aspect. I can’t wait to see my friends from BTV, those I met last year as well as those who will be making it for the first time this year – as well as a few others that I’ve gotten to know quite a bit but have not met yet… Beth of Melting Mama fame, Andrea from WLS Vitagarten, Diva Taunia, and more. It’s going to be tough to pack all of this in to a weekend, but we’ll see how it goes. I’m also hoping to make some connections with more folks from the OAC and other vendors as part of some of the advocacy stuff I have going on and maybe get some support for the Warrior Dash fundraising I’ll be doing after this event is over.
The Palace Station, where I’m staying and the main events are being held, does seem to offer wi-fi. If it’s available in the conference area, I may try to keep my netbook handy and try my hand at some live-blogging while there. I may not bring my Palm Pre, cause honestly, the battery won’t make it through a day, so I may switch my account to my old Palm Centro.. and see if I can’t figure a way to at least do plenty of Twitter updates throughout the weekend.
So yea… let me know if YOU are going to be in Vegas, I’d love to get the chance to say hi. Honestly, I was less than 1-year post-op last year and honestly, I was still pretty much a wall flower in many ways. There were a lot of people I should have met last year that I just didn’t. Not that I’m a whole lot better… but hey, getting there.
Anyways, I’m sure I’ll post some more info on the trip in the next few weeks leading up to it and letting you know if I am involved in any of the talks or whatever. And, in honor of the traveling I’ll be doing, I thought I would share a couple of interesting links I came across this week.
When Customers Wrong Airlines – Some pretty common sense stuff on how to be a good airline passenger, and I think it’s as much about being considerate of the other passengers as the airline workers.
Gee, How Did That Towel End Up In My Suitcase? – Tempted to keep a souvenir towel from the hotel? Careful, some are starting to use RFID chips to track that stuff!
Thanks Rob – I’m honored to call you my friend!
Ian (baka)