It had taken me a while to comment on Satellite radio (XM & Sirius) as I have been watching and listening, no pun intended.

Personal, I feel satellite radio is a great things but them I and the type of person who likes great quality music (anything for that matter) at all times and at my fingertips. The programming great and all that they have done with NASCAR and ESPN.

Who knows what will happen to XM & Sirius? I think that they are on an uphill battle and that they should consider a newer technology not satellite. Satellite is too expensive and limiting. Following are some radio listening figures which I think you might find interesting:

In 2006 combined loss for both XM & Sirius – $1.7 billion
14 Million subscribe to XM & Sirius combined

240 million listen to regular radio
57 million Americans now listen to some form of web radio each week

Should XM & Sirius look into streaming their stations to automobiles and take the programming off of satellite? This might help them save costs and lower the monthly fee drawing in more listeners.

It looks as if someone needs to perfect a streaming technology for moving automobiles or has this been created and not brought to market yet? We should keep our eye open to see what is released at NAB.

Service, it has so many meaning and different degree of definition. In my prior blog I mentioned by trip to Florida. I stayed and two wonderful properties; the Ritz Carlton in Miami and the Atlantic hotel in Ft. Lauderdale.

Service was not present at either property to my shock and awe. These are properties that provide themselves on service. The Ritz Carlton had been awarded on their service and they are studied on their impeccable service.

Part of what was present was inconsistency. At the Ritz I had lunch at the same poolside restaurant and every time there was some issue, forgotten at the table, got the order incorrect etc the same was true at the Atlantic. Every morning (5 mornings) I would order breakfast room service and honestly every morning something was inaccurate about the older; no butter with the toast, no salt & pepper on the tray, no cream and sugar even though requested. Stained furniture and bad maid service, also. By the way, the regular room rate at the Ritz Carlton was $450 per night and at the Atlantic (which I was staying in a presidential suite) was over $1200 per night.

This lack of service started to show up everywhere I went in Florida. Getting ripped off by cabbies, terrible food and rude service at the supposed best restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale, Mansini. By the way I have never encountered a dinning experience this bad in my life. And oh ya, the meal came to over 100 bucks for two each with a glass of wine.

Anyways, enough ranting! Service. I used all these experience to look at my own business, how do we service both our sponsors/exhibitors and our community/attendees? I will keep looking, as service is an ever-moving target, which one never perfects but I feel that awareness is the first step.

Is technology and its “convenience - give it to me now” attitude coupled with the gen-y group not putting value on service? Is the concept of excellent service dead? Or does the state of Florida not value service???
Lots of ponder....

I just got back from a business and a little bit of fun trip form Florida, Miami and Ft. Lauderdale to be more specific. I have never visited Florida and was very curious about the local and vibe. The business portion was to attend SISO, Society of Show Organizers. These are the folks that control tradeshows and the money that goes behind them which impact cities, locations and industries. A real powerhouse of attendees.

I stayed at two of the nicest hotels in the area, the Miami Ritz Carlton and the Atlantic in Ft. Lauderdale. Both properties were beautiful with amazing views of the Atlantic and a constant sweet smell of the tropical air.

My stay in Miami was for SISO and very interesting at that. We were hosted by many of the travel and business bureaus from the Florida, Miami, Las Vegas, Mandalay Bay Hotel and convention bureau – the list goes on and on. Also the quality of the parties varied.

It seems that Las Vegas or any party related to Las Vegas out did themselves. A wonderful party at the sexy Victor hotel in South Beach with amazing food and drinks to a fabulous Cuban dinner party at the Ritz.

But the first night of the event was hosted by Florida and Miami. Keeping mind I have never set foot in the state and this is my first evening there.

We were shuffled on to a bus that took us to the convention center where a large exhibitor hall was decorated in terrible pastel lighting with palm trees. It seemed a bit odd to me but I do understand their interest in showing us the Miami convention center, which by the way is wonderful but not idea for a dinner party. The food was wonderful and the entertainment was amusing. We had a guitar and harp player going to town in a modern day version of Gypsy kings. The odd evening was topped off by a bongo player dancing around the room (did I mention with taped music). His lips syncing or bongo syncing was off so the real show became about of funny it looked. Oh, did I mention that he was being followed by two sex kittens in carnival headdresses and costume. It was an odd evening and all I kept thinking was I known there is a better way for the Florida and Miami bureaus to be showing off the city especially to this crowd.

With all this being said, I left Florida with a terrible thought is Florida a country of it own. I won't bore you with the odd, strange and just plain weird incidences in Ft. Lauderdale, that’s for another blog.