C’est la vie

I had the great pleasure of visiting one of the most celebrated cities, Paris, France, two weeks ago. It was definitely the trip of a lifetime. I got to visit many tourists’ attractions, including the word-famous Eiffel Tower. I have to say that it looks a lot bigger in person and the crowds are enormous. The views of the city up on the third tower are spectacular. My favorite attraction was the Notre Dame Cathedral; stain glass windows and hymns from the choir practicing was an experience and view I’m glad I didn’t miss.

There was definitely a language barrier while I was there though. I was under the presumption, my fault, that more people spoke English. The locals explained to us that the younger generations are being brought up with English, and that many adults take pride in their native language. The hardest thing about the language barrier was eating at restaurants. Imagine starving and not understanding anything on the menus. Luckily, they were happy to translate at many places.

Besides all of the fabulous shopping and sightseeing, one thing that caught my attention was the way the French express themselves in their advertising. Many of the ads had some type of sexual angle. There were big banner ads throughout the city with naked women. This startled me because you don’t see this too often in the states, or if you do, it’s considered controversial. I was not offended, but rather impressed with their confidence and candidness in promoting themselves.

In the end, it was bitter sweet. I was sad to leave so soon, but exhausted and happy to be home. There are many things I take for granted here in the states, especially the prices. One thing is for sure, I’ll never forget Paris!

Shaira Cruz

Letter from Pam Lontos

NSA 2007: Wednesday, July 11th

After a great evening, Wednesday was packed to the max with activities.

The morning keynote was from Dan Burrus on technology and implementing your plan. It was a real pleasure to finally get to hear Dan speak, as he is a client of PR/PR. His ideas are absolutely amazing, and his content and delivery made his speech that much more interesting and exciting. Plus, he brought out the coolest robot ever. He made it do pushups, cartwheels and even some yoga stances. Truly amazing.

After another busy run at the booth, we got to meet with afternoon keynoter Ross Shafer for about 20 minutes and pick his brain an a variety of different topics. Ross was presenting on how to put together a great stage performance, and his great insight and incredible sense of humor made him a real pleasure to speak with. Ross is such a great speaker and an even nicer guy, and we are so happy to have both him and Dan Burrus as clients here at PR/PR.

Here is myself, Ross, Pam and Rick before Ross’ presentation.

After another stop at the booth and a quick change of attire, we all sat down for a lovely dinner at the NSA Foundation dinner and auction. PR/PR auctioned off a publicity package and the proceeds of the auction go to benefit the foundation, which is truly a great cause and source of hope for those in need.

I should also mention that we were able to meet and talk with some of the most influential speakers in the world. We had the great pleasure of spending time with Mark Victor Hansen, Jack Canfield and Dr. Sue Morter. They are all great folks, and we enjoyed our time with them.

Wednesday was our last full day at the convention, before we headed back to the office. NSA 2007 was a wonderful time, and we look forward to seeing everyone at NSA 2008 in New York City!

NSA 2007: Tuesday, July 10th

We started the morning with a keynote from Dr. Sue Morter on utilizing the mind and body for quantum impact. Her energy is amazing and made for an inspiring and educational performance.

Another great turnout at the booth during the day.

The afternoon lunch session and keynote featured Randy Gage, about the mindsets of prosperity. A powerful speaker with controverisial ideas, Randy caused quite a stir with his presentation on understanding how each of us (as well as outside forces) is being held back from prosperity.

That night, Russell and I had the pleasure of attending the Cigar PEG party aboard the USS Midway. For those that don’t know, Cigar PEG is an outside group that raises funds for NSA and the NSA Foundation (for more information and to see pictures from this year’s party, visit www.cigarpeg.com.) We were treated to drinks, dinner, wonderful company and, of course, some stogies (Russell selected a lovely Macanudo Baron de Rothchilde Maduro and I enjoyed my Romeo y Julieta Churchill.) Enjoying a cigar is always an experience, but nothing compares to enjoying a cigar on the flight deck of a US Aircraft Carrier. Even more exciting was that the entire ship was opened for us to look through. It was a fantastic evening, and I can guarantee I will be attending the 2008 party as well.

Note: Don’t take the bike cabs in San Diego…five blocks, two people = $30. Wow.

Sort of live from NSA 2007: Monday, July 9th

On Friday I blogged about the technical issues that we had trying to update our blog in San Diego at the National Speakers Association Convention. I promised that I would post all of our daily blogs on here once things got settled down at the office. So here are the insights, ideas and random happenings that caught our eye in San Diego. Enjoy.

Monday, July 9th

We had a great turnout at our booth, with all different speakers offering us insight into what they do and how they create change and motivation in the world. NSA is truly a diverse group of individuals who speak on an even more diverse set of topics.

The night’s keynote was from Simon T. Bailey on realizing the potential that each of us carries and how that potential sets us apart from everyone else. Interesting topic presented by a truly eloquent speaker.

A wonderful buffet on the 4th floor pool deck of the Manchester Grand Hyatt closed out our evening.