Marriott Safety Issue - Indy

Everyone makes mistakes. I get that and I'm usually pretty understanding when a company appears to make a mistake in light of a trying situation. However, when public safety and the safety of the people I know could be at stake, I tend to be less understanding.

We are staying at the Downtown Marriott in Indianapolis while we are attending the Dealer Expo. It's a nice hotel - most of it has just been renovated. However, "nice" doesn't cut it when they aren't looking out for the well being of their guests.

Last night at 2:42am the fire alarm starts to go off. It is a fantastic system. Not only does the alarm sound in each individual room and the hallways, but there is also a voice that directs you to the nearest stairway because something is going on in the hotel (I don't remember the exact words - it was in the middle of the night!). But, my college "training" kicked in (fire alarms at least 2-4 times a month is good training)...pants, shirt, shoes, fleece, key, phone then out the door. I can do it in under 2 minutes even out of practice (thank you Charlesgate!).

When I got out into the rain on the side of the building with the other folks, we walked around to the front of the building just as the fire engines were going past the building. I think they were going around back, which was fine. However, we all walked into the lobby where there wasn't an alarm going off. Huh? No alarm.

Eric's on my floor so he's downstairs with me, but in a few minutes it becomes very apparent that those of us that are in the lobby are the only ones coming. Where's the rest of the Kryptonite team? Nowhere to be found. Why? The alarm isn't going off on their floors! We learned later that it was a false alarm on the 5th floor and that the alarm only sounded on the 4th, 5th and possibly 6th floors. What about the other floors (there are at least 15)??? Clearly, this is an automated system so that when an issue is flagged on one floor the alarm goes off on that floor and the floor above and below only. What is up with that??

And, to top it all off, there was only one person in the lobby working behind the desk. Fine. BUT, there wasn't anyone at the elevators telling people not to go up. I saw two cabs arrive and deliver people to the hotel last night while we were in the lobby and they went straight to the elevator and went up because there wasn't an alarm going off in the lobby, of course. HELLO, what if they were going to get off on the 5th floor? Nothing had been cleared by then.

This was so poorly run by the hotel that it made me fearful for an actual emergency in this hotel. When the rest of the gang heard about this last night, they were all a little shocked that they weren't evacuated, too. After all, had it been a fire on the 5th floor when, exactly, would the 7th and 8th floors be alarmed? When it was too late? And the floors above that? And what about the people returning to the hotel who were allowed to go up in the elevator to a floor with a potential issue?

Maybe the hotel knew from the get-go that this was a false alarm for some reason. MAYBE. However, this would have been a great test for all of their protocols for a time when this might actually be an emergency. I'd suggest they treat the next fire alarm like a real emergency, get everyone out and put in all of their emergency services (including keeping people away from the elevators!).

I'd rather be inconvenienced. like I was last night, and feel safe in a hotel than not feel safe there at all!

Let's Go Racing!

Today is a very big racing day for two reasons...

1. The Tour of California kicks off today! It's been a bumpy ride for pro cycling lately, but it's good to get the season started. Personally, I'm more than psyched. It's a return to racing for my friend Tyler Hamilton. Today's short 2 mile individual time trial could be fantastic for him, although it is a little early in the year for him. I also know the great talent of this guy, though. I can't wait to come back from the show tonight and see the results. Go kick some serious butt, my friend! I'll be cheering all the way from Indy.

2. It's the Daytona 500, of course. I don't think you can live in the US and not know that, if you watch the news at all. It's the 50th anniversary of this great race. We'll be showing it in our booth at Dealer Expo. If you are here, come watch it with Dave and Jody Perewitz and all of the rest of us! I'll be the one with the Jeff Gordon gear on. I think it's time for him to win another. I can't wait.

Go get 'em Tyler and Jeff!

Powersports Trade Show - Set Up

Hello from Indianapolis everyone!

We are here for the Dealer Expo powersports trade show. We've been making the trek out here for years and years and I've attended every year but one of the eight years I've been here.

I arrived yesterday to do a lot of little things that need to get done before the rest of the team and our guests arrive. Pick up badges for the team, deliver our guests' badges to the front desks of their hotels, check and confirm all reservations in person, get the packages that I sent to myself at the hotel and go over to the booth to see how it is all going.

I am always fascinated at the amount of work it takes to put up a booth. Now, in Vegas we have a "double decker" booth so I understand that work to make it structurally sound. But, all booths take time and expertise to put them up. Here's a little pictorial of my visit to the show floor yesterday.

I'm staying at the Marriott which connects to the convention center through a walkway over the road. This is fabulous since it is always cold at this show (it is February after all!). My room looks out over the walkway, actually. But, this is the view fromthe walkway yesterday. The flags on the light poles let you know that there is a show going on, if the line of trucks and trailers didn't give that away!

Getting through the show floor on set up days is a challenge. You can see where you want to go for the most part, but you can't get there. Crates and boxes and tools and everything else you can think of is all over the entire footprint of the show floor. Sometimes you have to climb over things to get where you want to go.

Here are some of the crates that our booth ships in and skids of product wrapped in the black there.

More crates...getting emptied to make the walls of the booth....

The walls are up! They were just putting the slat wall up when I left yesterday afternoon. I felt like I was just about to become an obstacle for them as they were about to tear into more crates to put together our reception desk. So, I vacated and came back to deliver badges and check my emails. Remember, the show still goes on back in the office and the rest of the world so you need to keep up with that, too, while you are gone.

When I go back today the slat wall will be up, the reception desk will be done, the shelves in the storage room will be built and the graphics will be up. I'll get more photos as the process goes along.

So...do you think the chain is the only new product we have? Nah....we've got more...here's another sneak peek of some products we'll be showing starting tomorrow (yikes!).

New disc lock -- small, compact, easy breezy to use. It will be out later this year.

No, we haven't started to create foot pegs....well, not exactly...this is a foot peg AND a disc lock. Really. Know how you hate to have a disc lock because you might forget it and try to ride off without taking it off (or maybe you've actually done that???). This little guy will make sure you never do that again. Kind of clever, huh?

Ok, off to do a few things and then head to the show floor to see how the construction is going. Ross and Don will be here soon to set the product walls....then Nicole arrives and her motorcycle, too...then Jody comes with the Perewitz custom motorcycle....then the rest of our team arrives for a booth meeting and before you know it, it will be tomorrow and the doors will open! Yikes, lots to do before then!

Have a great Friday everyone. Hope to see some of you this weekend.

What's Your Favorite Part?

Wow..it's been a few days, eh? You'd think that in December, when it's snowy and icy that we'd be slow. After all, most people only ride their bicycles and motorcycles in the good weather, right? But, that's just not the case.

We've got our big powersports trade show in February so planning is underway for that. Getting new products ready for their big debut, finalizing catalogs, getting travel arrangements set and, of course, the big drama of each show - what are we going to wear?! We'll obsess about that for weeks and then, no matter what, someone won't be happy. I think this year, it might be me....oh well...then again, I'm the one doing the ordering....we'll see.

So, the place is humming around here. There really is no 'down' season for us when I think of it. Maybe for a day in November? Yeah...that's it, one day in November. At least that's what it seems to be. January will be all the last minute details and then I'll hit 3 shows in February. I'm not kidding about that one...the Northeast Motorcycle Expo in Boston, then the Dealer Expo in Indy and then a distributor show in the UK.

I'm just thankful for the 4-day weekend we all get this weekend for the Christmas holiday. Of course, I'm not done wrapping, but I am done shopping so there is that. I know what I'm doing on Saturday....

So, enough of the bah-humbug work stuff. What's your favorite part of the holidays? Food? Family? Presents? I want to know...what's your favorite part?

Me? That's easy. It's always been about the holiday cards. I rush home every night, like a small child on Christmas morning, to see what present the mailperson has left me that day. And, yes, I consider every single card that I receive a present. A day in the middle of the season without any cards, is a very depressing day. I love hearing from my friends and family - seeing the cards they picked out, reading the little notes and seeing photos of their kids and animals. I love everything about it. Sometimes there are cards in there from people that you only hear from once a year and it is truly a present in an envelope. It's nice to know they are still out there and doing well.

Then there is that one magical card (or nowadays could be an email) from one person that you never expected. Someone you haven't heard from in years or a relative that usually doesn't send out cards. THAT is truly a special present in the mailbox/email box.

I know that cards are expensive and I know that, environmentally, they might not be the best thing (emails would be better, right?)....but they are traditional and something that add a little brightness into a cold winter season. For me, they are the absolute best part of the season - they have friends, family and good memories all wrapped into one small little envelope.

Boston.com today is showing some holiday cards from famous people and places. Check it out.

So...what is your favorite part of the season??