It is with great honor that I received The National Contract Management Association (NCMA) designation of NCMA Fellow on June 5, 2009.  This award is reserved for contracting professionals who have made significant contributions to the field of contracting and is a lifetime designation.  The plaque was awarded to me at the St Louis NCMA chapter meeting on August 6, 2009 and my photo will appear in an upcoming publication of Contract Management magazine. 

I recently returned from the 2009 Mobile Beat Las Vegas DJ conference; it was a blast! The annual mobile DJ show brings professional disc jockeys together for three days every year to network with their peers, participate in seminars, and improve their businesses.  This year’s show was held at the Riviera on the Vegas Strip. Several other top entertainers in the St. Louis area attended, to include Chris of CJsDJs, Dodie of Celebrate DJ Service, and Kris from Millennium Music.

The seminars featured top speakers in the industry. Topics included general business, marketing, maximizing the internet and websites, the modern bride, wedding trends, and technical workshops. I particularly enjoyed the three-part presentation by Jim Cerone of Indianapolis called “The Perfect Host.” He highlighted the role of the professional disc jockey as wedding director and explained the finer details of being the perfect host.

The conference was not all work; after all it’s Vegas! Our private entertainment on the Top of the Riv included national acts such as Otis Day and the Knights, Vanilla Ice, and Ron Dante (lead singer of The Archies). We also had some free time to catch some of the local sites. Since I’m always looking for a thrill and skydiving wasn’t available, I figured my best bet would be the rides on the top of the Stratosphere Casino and Tower. I was right; the three-ticket package did the trick! Check these out if you get a chance:

• The Big Shot - Shoots passengers straight up 160 feet at 45 mph (over 4Gs) until they are 1,081 feet above the Strip.
• X-Scream - A giant teeter-totter that propels you 27 feet over the edge of the Tower, 866 feet above the ground.
• Insanity - A massive mechanical arm extends 64 feet over the edge of the Tower and spins you at a force of 3 Gs for a truly mind-bending experience.

The exhibition hall is always popular with the DJs.  The national leaders in disc jockey equipment displayed their gear, answered questions, and let us sample their goods.  I even won a nicd CD carrying case as a prize for answering a music trivia question! With discounts offered for the show attendees, I had trouble deciding what to buy.  I decided on two items - a pair of power-assisted speaker stands by “Frankenstand” http://www.frankenstand.com and a laser light by Bliss Lights http://www.blisslights.com.  The model BL-15 that i purchased creates an “Enourmous universe of stars” by projecting a dark blue background on the ceiling and tiny laser green lights throughout the room.

I had time to catch one show, so I took the short triip to downtown Vegas and Fremont Street to the historic Plaza Hotel and Casino.  It was my chance to relive the days of the classis Las Vegas with Frank, Sammy, Joey, and Dean - The Rat Pack!  These true to life impersonators, backed up a live swinging big band, made me feel like I went back in time!