Originally Posted By: Omaha
If you didn’t make the conference, you better have had a really good excuse. I had the greatest time and learned even more than I thought I would and my expectations were already high.

I was immensely humbled to meet many great people for the first time. The Boss himself, Mike Otto, Bill Cody, Eric West, Sunil, Nate Herman, Dave Davidson, Sue Cruz, Chris Steelman, Greg Grimes, Blaine and Blair (they’re not the same guys!), and many, many more, including great vendors. You don’t quite realize how great a resource the forum is until you jump in and experience it. Same thing with the conference. If you own a pond, just as the forum is a necessity, so is the conference. The passion and general good-heartedness in this industry is something unlike any other. I’m just a young guy with a little pond in Nebraska, yet guys like Otto and Cody took the time to speak with me. I could continue to ramble on, but I’ll stop and add that the only thing I could think to change about the conference is there wasn’t enough time to take it all in.


+1

I was especially appreciative to benefit from conversations with Bill and Eric, and was able to corner Dave Willis for a spell, too. I'm glad to have met and spent time with Blaine and Blair, and spend some "off topic" time with Sunil and Sue. My only regret is the conference seems to pass so quickly - it's a difficult balance to find time to socialize with our PB brethren AND get myself in a position to benefit from all the speakers - I make this struggle conspicuous with my late arrivals each morning [afternoon]. Oh well, vacation is vacation!

This was only my second conference, but many more are already on my calendar. Somehow the conference improved over last year, and I didn't think it possible. Many thanks to Bob, Mike, the moderators and attendees - I miss all y'all already! Regional PB gatherings MUST happen this Summer! 18 months is too long to wait to see you all again.

Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau

[Linked Image from i1261.photobucket.com]