Pre-Labor Day Fun
Sep 2nd
Tonight we are having a family get-together at my aunt’s house to celebrate the upcoming holiday. I have a big family, and I truly love these types of gatherings as they give me time to relax and catch up with everyone. With my cousins going back to school and summer coming to an end, it’s the perfect time to come together and celebrate.
I did some cooking last night for the party. It was my job to make a few desserts. I decided to make something that would be fun for my little cousins to eat yet still delicious for the adults. I made homemade raspberry and strawberry Jello with fresh raspberries mixed in. I put the Jello in individual serving dishes. It took all my self control not to eat one this morning!
The second dessert was an easy classic. I mixed chocolate pudding with Cool Whip and put the mix in a graham cracker crust. When the pie sets, I’ll add another layer of Cool Whip on top and sprinkle some chocolate chips to top it off. I can’t wait to try it.
The family party will be the beginning of my Labor Day celebrations. I am going to Manasquan Beach for the weekend, which will probably be the last weekend I’m able to spend at the beach. Summer went by too quickly. I hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend!
– Amanda Smith, advertising and editorial coordinator
Wizard World
Sep 1st
Last week, I attended Wizard World Comic Con in Rosemont, Ill. Wizard World is a tremendously popular and well-run convention featuring celebrities, vendors, speakers and exhibitions. It all started in 1991, when Gareb Shamus founded Wizard Entertainment, and it has been growing ever since.
This year, the big guests were Adam West, Julie Newmar and Burt Ward from TV’s Batman, along with William Shatner of Star Trek fame. Long lines of fans waited to meet their favorite stars. Even some of the stars wanted to meet the other stars.
Pro-wrestler Shane Douglas was hoping to meet West, a childhood favorite. Douglas talked about his passion for comics and how excited he was to attend the convention.
Being the intrepid reporter that I am, I came away with a celebrity scoop. Actress Beth Horn, who appeared as ‘Venom’ in the 2008 season of American Gladiators, told me about plans for an American Gladiators movie next summer, and she will be auditioning. Horn is also excited about the upcoming release of her film Fancy Pants. Horn’s favorite vacation spot is Florence, Italy, because she loves the people and culture.
Not everyone is interested in the celebrity aspect, however. Attendees Dave Pauwels (of Sisters Grimm Comics) and Joey Rodriguez were more interested in the Artist Alley. Rodriguez thought the event was pretty cool, but was disappointed that Marvel and DC and some major publishers such as Darkhorse were not there. Hopefully, as Wizard World continues to grow, this will change.
Conventions like these are huge business. Unfortunately, attendance figures are not released. As an indicator, all hotels in the area were booked solid, according to the concierges. That doesn’t even take into consideration all of the local attendees.
Additionally, since most people spend a major portion of each day at the convention, they tend to dine nearby (thus bringing more money into the area). The total revenue it brought into the Rosemont area was tremendous.
In 2010, there were Wizard World conventions in nine major U.S. cities, and there are plans for adding five more cities in 2011. Wizard World keeps growing and improving every year. My friends and I are already looking forward to the first announcements about next year’s convention.
– John Wroblewski, distribution specialist
Front of Mind
Aug 31st
I’m always amazed at what becomes visible to the conscience when something is suddenly brought to your attention. I could pass the same thing every day and never notice it until someone pointed it out to me. Then, suddenly, I see that item wherever I go. It could be a new brand people are wearing, a new car model or new 2D barcode technology.
I am very excited that Global Traveler is introducing 2D barcode technology. I know advertisers will be taking advantage of this great marketing tool. Before the technology was presented to us in a recent meeting, I was not even aware of its existence. Now that I have been made aware of it, I keep seeing barcodes all over New York City. Just this past weekend, I was shopping and walked by Norma Kamali. Each item in the window had a barcoded sign with it. I asked the storekeeper if the barcodes were popular, and he said yes. When the code is scanned from the window display, it links to the item online and allows consumers to purchase the item directly. He went on to inform me that mostly businesswomen are using this technology as they simply don’t have time to go inside and make the purchase.
Stay tuned for more on this technology and keep an eye out for it on ads, billboards, everywhere. Your favorite articles, brands and products could be just a barcode away. Simply point your Smartphone at the code, take a picture, and you are instantly transported to the desired link!
– Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher
A Proud Moment
Aug 30th
I have never been prouder in my professional career than I was last Tuesday and Wednesday. We brought in Global Traveler‘s sales staff for an annual seminar. PowerPoint presentations were made by Alex Young and Kim Krol, covering everything from our competition and our obvious strengths to internal procedures and the fantastic success of eFlyer, GT‘s e-newsletter.
Alex presented, in a very artistic way, all the destinations she has traveled to in her eight-year tenure with Global Traveler — Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Seoul, Tokyo, Seattle, Montréal, London and Singapore were just the tip of the iceberg shown. I followed suit, covering my destinations, including Fiji, Norway, Korea, Thailand, China, Australia and Mexico — just to name a few. Dick Evans even talked about his near capture while on a horseback safari near the Afghan border.
We then presented and summarized our airline clients, pasting their logos on their home markets as we discussed routes and services. In between the presentations, we viewed videos and commercials from Thai, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Delta, United, Air Canada, Asiana, Korean Air and many more. Highlights from Emirates’ first class and Lufthansa’s A380 were shown.
We covered Global Traveler‘s new 2D barcoding capabilities and discussed the possibilities for linking these barcodes from Smartphones to any websites desired. We thought linking a GT 2D Barcode to Dale Moss’s video interview on our website was an interesting use for the new technology.
We ended the seminar in true Philadelphia fashion — with a trip to Citizens Bank Park to watch the Phillies take on the Astros. It was a great event and sure to be an annual gathering from now on. Maybe we should consider Palm Spring or Hawaii next?
– Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO
