I Am No Longer An OR Summer Market Virgin

I was very fortunate to be able to go and play at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market this year. Held every summer and winter in Salt Lake City the market is a gathering of outdoor brands, representatives, suppliers, and retailers. A unique opportunity to see the up and coming products, hold meetings face-to-face, and the most magical part, to be around thousands of like-minded people focused on outdoor recreation some merely by career but for many it's a dream job and a lifestyle. There are a ton of reports about OR and the newest latest and greatest gear to be launched soon. However as an OR Virgin I will break this down into three areas of observation.

The Show

As an event planner I have to say this show is amazing!!! Coordinating a city wide trade-show is no small feat. There are so many details, contractual elements, and space requirements it will make your head spin. The OR group did an amazing job, not only designing a great trade show and various parties but seminar content was valuable and the Open Air Demo at Jordanelle State Park was fabulous! Usually you see one or two weak areas in an event of this size, but there were no weak spots to be found.

The People
Going to OR Summer Market was like going to summer camp. I knew I would see a few familiar faces that I have met in person before like Darren Bush of Rutabaga (my adopted brother) and Brad Werntz of Pemba Serves. I also met a lot of friends from Twitter for the first time in person, thanks to Sara Lingafelter's efforts to organize a great Tweetup.

One of the amazing things about the Outdoorsy folks on Twitter is that many of them have mastered the art of authenticity and transparency when it comes to Social Media. By being themselves online you get a true sense for who they are. So our night at the Tweetup was more like catching up with old friends rather than the awkwardness that comes with most first time meetings. Thank you to all that made the Tweetup an amazing night and for making my first OR an incredible experience.

In addition to the Tweetup, I was also blessed to me @JodiM! Also a friend found in the Twitterverse but our connection began through Yoga. I was able to spend two great nights with Jodi going out to dinner, to a yoga class, and I got to help paint her living room. This is what it's like when you meet Twitter folk. Truly amazing.


The WT????
There are three things that blew my mind.

1. The scantily-clad Trade show models: Yes, I have seen this before but for some reason I didn't expect to catch a full view of semi-nakedness at OR. I remember staring as I walked past the Reef booth because there model was bent over with little more than a thong on and that was a whole lot of booty in my face. Then of course I felt pervy for staring. At another booth, I can't name because I can't remember who it was, models were walking around in lingerie. Does it make for more sales? I don't know? Is it a bad thing? I can't say. I just didn't expect to see it.



2. I was asked to leave a booth. It was a very spacious booth with plenty of room but they were only interested in having meetings and without knowing who I was or why I was there didn't make any effort to set a meeting with me. I appreciate their dedication to their purpose, to sell, but it definitely wasn't the most tactful approach. There were a lot brands out there who handled their desire for a "meetings only" environment in a more polite and professional manner.



3. THE DOGS!!!! There were so many dogs and puppies at the trade show I couldn't believe it! All of them were sweet and lovable and ready to be pet. I think every trade show should have dogs.

So that's my experience in a nutshell. Special thanks to Darren for getting me acclimated and being an awesome big brother.

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do or How I Learned To Change My Goals and Expectations for Climbing.

This week brought the end of a friendship and partnership, my climbing partner to be specific. Now I won't let this post turn into a venting session however I have to give a few of the details. My climbing partner was a dear friend but she was also my polar opposite. She is very much a go with the flow type of person. While this can be a good quality it also translated into constantly being late for our climbing sessions and lately a lack of focus while belaying me. Luckily we climbed indoors and the risk factors were minimal however gearing up to get outdoors for the season, well I didn't have the trust to bring her with me. These climbing issues coupled with some of her behavior in the non-climbing world really showed me a new side of her. A side I didn't want in a partner or a friend.

So this parting of ways forced me to ask what went wrong? After talking to friends and reading a few articles online I realized that our goals and expectations weren't the same. I expected my partner to show up on time, focus while we were climbing, and to establish a consistent schedule so we could both improve and push ourselves further. My goals are to get outside more (at least once a week) this season and to gain more competence in sport climbing this year. While these expectations and goals may seem pretty simple they're not for everyone, my climbing partner said she agreed with the goals but her actions showed otherwise.

So just like dating and breaking up, now that the relationship has ended I am not ready to hop back into something serious. I have decided to adjust my goals and expectations for the season. Rather than focus on goals that are based on having a single partner, my new goal for 2009 is to broaden my climbing community. I have been in a climbing rut and limiting myself with my climbing partner monogamy. I am ready for climbing partner polyamory. My new expectations...simple, just sit back and enjoy the ride.

I surveyed my Tweeps (friends on Twitter) and many said they go to the climbing gyms to find partners. That's what I will start doing. Even though I am not an extroverted type who's comfortable asking strangers if they want a belay, I am going to work past that insecurity.

I also have a number of other friends who climb that I haven't yet climbed with and I am excited to have more time to branch out and climb with new people. In addition, I will use the virtual world including ClimbFind.com, Yourclimbing.com, Meetup.com, and Twitter to meet new climbers for conversation and climbing. I hope to learn from others this year and hope I can bring something to their lives too.

Overall it's been a bittersweet week. Anytime a relationship ends there can be sadness but I am very excited to shed the old goals and expectations and dive into a new world of opportunity.