Of SISO, Asia, the mojito and skiing in the desert

I very much enjoyed my first SISO CEO meeting in Miami this week. It as a great group of people including approaching 10 'alumni' of the Miller Freeman senior management team of the mid/late 1990s. As the meeting coincided with part of the spring break week, South Beach was lively and I felt at times I was the only person in my hotel who thought that the hours between 1:00 and 5:00 AM could usefully be used for sleeping. The conference venue, the Ritz Carlton, I should add, was somewhat more sedate although some street-facing rooms were sharing more of the DJ competition going on in Miami than they might have liked!

Asia came up a few times including in the opening session in which SISO Chairman Don Pazour ably moderated a great conversation with four CEOs; UBM's David Levin, Reed Exhibitions USA's Chet Burchett, Charles McCurdy of Canon and John French, the new CEO of Penton. Asian projects were used by Levin and others to illustrate exciting business innovations. There was also a good deal of interest in Asia from those attending a final afternoon break out session on international business led by Cheriff Moujabber with contributions from UFI President and CEO of Koelnmesse Jochen Witt and Montgomery's Sandy Angus. The latter gamely attended the event on crutches having broken a leg skiing although not, he noted sadly, at the bizarre ski slope which has been in the desert in Dubai!

Of mangoes and mojitos, the less said the better.