Reaping the Whirlwind: My Spring Speaking Travel

The good news is that after nearly two years with no live events (and a corresponding smoking crater in my bank account), I’ve had the busiest spring in my 10+ year career as an infotainer. That’s also the bad news, as lurching from a few quiet years at home to full-throttle travel also means a lot of wear-and-tear on family and home. But to be honest, I haven’t let that stop me — it just feels great to be back in the world again, sharing ideas and reconnecting with old friends. I’m writing this update from New York City, which feels as vital and alive as it ever did. Cities are back. I’m back.

That said, here’s a whirlwind tour of my travel this spring/summer — where I’ve been and where I’m headed next, in chronological order.

The year kicked off with a trip to Raleigh for the North Carolina Transportation Summit, followed by returning home and catching COVID from my child’s daycare. (That’s always how it goes.) The next month I was back on the road, starting with a visit to Continental’s Contitech North American sales conference to talk about the future of mobility and energy. From there it was off to Orlando for the International Builder Show — a mammoth event on the future of home — and then onto Scottsdale for Tiger 21.

After a breather, I was off to Austin for Coldwell Banker Commercial’s Global Conference (above), then zig-zagging back-and-forth across the country for Cartus in Santa Barbara, Citywire in Miami (below), and the National Association of Realtors in Phoenix. Then it was off to Vegas for the Expedia Group’s massive EXPLORE22 confab — video here — followed by Houston for the real estate developer Hines, where I was joined onstage by friends and colleagues including Richard Florida and Ayesha Khanna. And now here I am.

From here, I’m off to Miami next week for the International Fresh Produce Association, followed by another whirlwind in June with trips to Toronto for Coldwell Banker; British Columbia and Nova Scotia for Kal Tire; Washington for Bonaventure Holdings, and more this summer and fall. Stay safe as the next wave of Omicron sweeps through, and hopefully I’ll see you on the road soon.