One Night in Bangkok …

Incentive Talk with SITE Texas — Episode 2

Funny how those words crossed my mind as I write this. “One Night in Bangkok” is a song recorded in 1984 that reached #3 on the US pop charts in early summer of 1985. The song compares the city and it’s nightlife to a game of chess. A game of chess is also a good analogy for the incentive travel industry and the moves necessary to deliver a superior program.

Waking up at 3:30 am is starting to become a habit on this trip. I don’t mind it, but it might be nice to sleep a little later. The early start for the day allows me to get some work done and devote some mental energy to how I see my day unfolding. The next few days are shaping up to be a truly immersive experience in terms of the destination, the educational experience, the connection with acquaintances, both old and new, and just generally being overwhelmed by everything that surrounds us here in Bangkok.

Day 1 kicks off with a really great opening session in the afternoon, setting the tone for what’s to come and a free evening consisting of dinner on property spent catching up with a number of industry friends. My Day 2 once again starts early. I’ve been invited to attend a 7 am breakfast meeting dedicated to the continued effort to fine-tune “The Bangkok Manifesto”. It’s exciting to be part of a group of true industry leaders and helping shape our industry. From there the rest of the next 2 days unfolds. It’s a blur of education & general sessions, keynote speakers, 3 incredibly moving TED Talk style presentations by 3 industry icons, all wrapped up and presented with a cherry on top, to bring the best SITE Global Conference I’ve attended over the years, to a close. My early departure tomorrow takes me back to the real world, where I’ll spend most of the next 2 weeks trying to get back on my normal sleep pattern.