* Parties, Parties *
No conference is complete without a party or two, and Datalex, which
offers travel products to consumers, corporations and agencies,
started off the Monday, September 11th, evening with a poolside
cocktail party. The evenings' entertainment came from the "world-
renowned" Renaissance String Quartet. Thayer Lodging Group's VP Fred
Malek and I headed down from the exhibits to be greeted by buffets
of roast beef and shrimp. We sampled a bit, and over by the "bah" I
chatted with tripadvisor.com's President and CEO Stephen Kaufer and
travelersnet.com's President & Owner Dennis Anderson about GDS and
GPS. Qixo's Marketing Manager Sarah Luck Pearson was chatting with
some folks, in one of those groovy parachute skirts with glow-in-
the-dark trim. Accomodations Plus' VP of Strategic Alliances Dee
O'Donnell and I sat by the pool and chatted about sundry topics
pertaining to travel, conferences and life in New York.
From there, we walked up the street to the LastMinuteTravel.com's
patio party. WOW! What a patio and view! While their offices are on
the ground floor, the event was on the 17th floor, offering views of
sprawling Atlanta and its dotted skyline. The lush greenery was
spectacular, and the sunset was even more so. We met up with Atlanta
Cyber Scene writer Frank Wrenn, who introduced us to a charming
lady, Maggie Moulton, who is making moves into the dot-com arena. I
met LMT.com's chairman and CEO David Miranda and eVP Communications
Gayle Maclntyre. She pointed out the landmarks in the view. Sitting
by the jazz band, Vancouver-based VRX Studio's Lisa Copeland told me
a bit about how the Vancouver scene is progressing. The well-heeled
crowd enjoyed sumptuous hors d'oeuvres, and while talking with
Aviation Week's Business Editor Steven Lott, I met Mobilocity.net's
Robert Freeman and JohnnyJet.com's John DiScala.
