As a state employee, out of state travel is one of those things that happen rarely. I was able to attend the East Road and Bridge Conference last week in beautiful Hollywood Florida. The day I left, our governor put a moratorium on travel and cancelled everyone's out of state travel for the rest of the fiscal year. Since my tickets were non-refundable, I just made it.
Flying is one of those things I try to avoid, unless I am the pilot, but that's a whole other story. I have taken, in recent years, to traveling by train. Trains are very relaxing. I think with flying, it's a patience thing because when I do fly, my blood pressure goes through the roof. For some reason, there are a growing number of people who think they can get on the plane late, bring enough carryon luggage to last them months, and speak as rudely as possible to any flight attendant on the plane. I don't get it.
On my flight to Florida, a man, certainly not a gentleman, got on the plane very late with crutches. I can give him the lateness because of the crutches, but when he got on, he wanted to sit in the exit row. The attendant explained, very politely, that with his crutches, he didn't fit the regulations set by the FAA to sit in that row. You would have thought she told him the worst news he had ever heard. He started throwing a fit and telling the attendant he would never fly that airline again. By that time, it was fine with all aboard, that he would never fly this airline again and it should have started that day. Finally his wife calmed him down and the rest of the flight was uneventful. I don't get why people feel they are so important and everyone else needs to wait on them. Anyway.
The conference was very informative. There was a lot of information on templates to go along with Roadway Designer. One comment was that the Inroads folks seemed a little condescending toward the Geopak users. It made it difficult to follow a presentation when comments like, "we have been doing this for years and it's about time you guys caught up with us," were made. I thought all of Bentley Civil should be just that, civil. I guess it's just a sign of the times. The facility was first rate. Arguably the best place I've stayed in the last 11 years of this conference. The food was tasty and the service top rate. Hopefully, our travel ban will be lifted in time for next year and maybe I'll take a train.
The Travel and the East Conference is an annual event that brings together travel industry professionals from around the world to discuss the latest trends and innovations in the travel industry. The conference covers a wide range of topics, including technology, marketing, and customer service, with the aim of helping attendees improve their businesses and stay ahead of the competition. One of the key themes of the conference is the importance of Aimpoint duty, which refers to the practice of providing customers with personalized and efficient service that meets their needs and exceeds their expectations. Aimpoint dutyAimpoint duty