NAHB Building for Boomers 50+ Housing Symposium

I'm back from Phoenix after speaking at the NAHB 50+ Housing Symposium.

During my two days there I met and chatted with about fifty people, including Janis Ehlers of The Ehlers Group, Tracy Lux of Trace Marketing (we're talking the dueling Queens of the 50+ Housing Market), and Steve Wattenbarger and Ross Jones of Wattenbarger Architects PLLC (no cookie-cutter blueprints in their booth).

My good friend and partner John Migliaccio opened up the session with a rousing, fact-filled, very funny presentation. When it was my turn, I felt like a folk singer following The Who.

And I was sick as a dog. Had been for four or five days. Mentioning this to the attendees garnered some sympathy. And I had the luxury of being able to suck on a lollipop the whole time to keep my throat lubricated - a great prop.

Although I was wobbly, it went very well. Certainly much better than I thought it would. We were running late, and over half the people stayed an extra fifteen minutes (cutting into their hors d'oeuvre and drink time) to hear my complete presentation.

About a dozen people collared me afterwards and were very gracious with their comments. Some had read my book. I especially liked hearing that my frenetic, ten-minute 'history of advertising' section had an impact. I like doing it, and think it's important.

One of the joys of being in advertising is that you get to immerse yourself in products, services, and other industries. Speaking at these non-marketing specific conventions, symposiums, and conferences is always worthwhile because I end up learning more than everybody else.