CPG Summit: The Hotel
We’re staying at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Florida. The exterior of the hotel is built in classic, grand Florida style and reminiscent of the Breakers. The interior of the hotel consists of a very large atrium and two smaller atriums. The main atrium is large enough to house a ballpark, while the two smaller atriums are still large enough to host a lake and a jungle. The quality of the hotel is very nice. It’s not the same level as the Wynn, but very few hotels are. I was a bit surprised to learn there are 4-5 foot alligators in the atrium. I’m not fond of reptiles. The conference facility is adjacent to the hotel, and connected by a walkway. The conference facility is immense. The main speaking hall was divided into...
CPG Summit: Warm-up
We had the welcoming reception Monday night. In the middle of the hotel atrium is a replica of Ft. Augustine, the original fort and settlement in North America. To put this in context, the central atrium of the Gaylord appears large enough to house a major league baseball field. IRI needs this large of a venue as there were 1,500 attendees to this year’s summit. Advanced analytics are needed even more in a difficult times (let alone stagflation). I ran into several people I knew from previous conferences, and many IRI people introduced themselves with the, “Oh, you’re Rob Saker.” Not sure if that’s infamy, but I’ll assume positive intent and thank Menucha for encouraging people to say hi. Joined Cannon and Art at the...