I love going to the ASTD ICE conference. During these multi-events, I am exposed to new ideas that I try to implement back at work. This year was no different, I again had an opportunity to talk with authors of favorite books, and trade ideas with other ASTD members and friends.
Because ASTD changes locations each year, I have an opportunity to catch up with friends in the area. This year, I was able to visit with Lisa and her husband Ernie. Lisa is a high school classmate who also lived two houses from me in Tunkhannock, PA. Over an enjoyable dinner, we had an opportunity to catch up about family, work, and a myriad of other topics.
On this trip, I also had an opportunity to break bread, or pizza, with Larry Straining and Joelyne Marshall. This was another enjoyable opportunity to catch up with Larry and get to know Joelyne. A long time ago, I read the book Never Eat Alone* by Keith Ferrazzi, and I have tried to live by this principle ever since. I have had some great conversations with very interesting people following this principle.
One of the new things I did during this trip was try to eat in restaurants that were a little off the grid. As my inspiration, I tried to eat a meal in a different Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives restaurants while in Dallas. I was successful in that I ate at three: Maple and Motors, Twisted Root Burger Company, and Cane Rosso.
I found these wonderful restaurants using a new app for my phone called TVFoodMaps. With TVFoodMaps, you can find a unique restaurant by a combination of location and TV show. I dialed mine in to the Triple D. When I go to a new city, I will be repeating this experience.
The other thing I did on this trip was take the Hello for Evernote app for a test drive. With this app, you can build a relationship management system. I used it for all the new contacts I made at the conference. When you enter an email address for an individual, it will see if they also have a LinkedIn profile. This is a great added benefit. The app will capture photos, I captured their business cards. It will also record the location of where you made contact with them. With each subsequent meeting, you simply add it to the app and it will keep a running log of your interactions. All these interactions automatically update Evernote. I have to experiment more with it, but I see the potential.
The next time you head out to a conference, not only go for the new information and inspiration but also try out new experiences. It is a great opportunity to stretch your learning.
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