Viva Dr Pepper

Lorenzo and I have returned from the Dr Pepper Bottler meeting in Las Vegas. Our company has a meeting annually where we entertain our Dr Pepper bottlers and share with them the marketing plans for the new year. I was invited to talk about "data" with a number of our bottlers. Spouses were invited, because most of the bottlers bring their spouses. So, Sunday Lorenzo and I boarded American Airlines and headed out to Vegas.

The flight out was full but uneventful. We were supposed to meet the first of many bottlers for a drink that evening, but he decided "data" wasn't exciting enough to leave the tables on a Sunday night. I wasn't complaining as it meant Lorenzo and I got to have a nice dinner instead. We had a wonderful meal and the desserts were to die for. Lorenzo had a chocolate banana concoction that was divine while I had a chocolate mousse that was heavenly.

Monday was a relatively quiet day with Lorenzo working in the morning. The Wynn has an excellent internet connection if you're curious. I had a few meetings with a few bottlers and they were quite productive. In the afternoon we walked the Strip and gambled at MGM Grand. The tables have a $5 minimum bet at MGM Grand vs. Mostly $15's at The Wynn. After our LONG walk, we hung out by the pool until dinner.

Dinner was interesting because we got to meet Mike Golic. Mike is the Dr Pepper spokesperson this year and he was at the event signing footballs. We got our picture taken and chatting with him for a minute. Being a fellow ND alum, we felt we had something great in common. After our encounter with Mike, we networked and socialized until late in the evening. Lorenzo was out with my former boss until the wee hours gambling and people watching. It seems they had a good time.

Tuesday morning held many meetings, intertwined with good and bad impersonators. We saw a BAD Prince, and decent Springsteen and an awesome Tina Turner. Tuesday afternoon was a golf day for the bottlers, so Lorenzo and I hit the shops looking for better shoes. My feet were killing me!

Tuesday evening was the big event. Dinner was out by the pool and it was good, but the big event was the private concert with Rod Stewart. There were about 200 people in the room and we were really close. Lorenzo will be sharing our pictures later. It was really cool. When the concert ended there was more socializing and another late night for the two of us.

Wednesday morning brought more meetings, a show with Bill Ingvall and long flight home. It was after 8 when we got home last night. We were tired but Lorenzo is now much more suspicious of all my business trips. I am sure he wonders how much work I really do, after all the fun we had in Vegas. My case is not helped by two additional meetings in Vegas this fall, but hey, that's my job!