Conference day

(Written at 12:00pm)

A dilemma. There’s a conference held on a subject that you’re involved with professionally (link). It’s free, held at a luxurious sea-side hotel in Tel Aviv, and you heard that most of the people that you know through work are going to be there. Will you go?

My basic instinct, which was very hard to fight was the answer “no”. Relying on my experience with previous conferences, especially the free ones, I’ve developed a hunch that I should give this one up. But, since the opportunities to meet companies in my profession are quite rare, then after a long self debate I persuaded myself to go.

A big mistake.
A drive from Jerusalem to Tel-Aviv, which usually takes from 45 minutes to 1 hour has taken almost two hours, and that’s after I did a few shortcuts to void traffic jams on the main number 1 road. The heatwave that is currently swapping the country, with temperatures of almost 35c, have claimed many car casualties, and driving on the main road you can see many overheated cars at the side of the road, waiting for salvation that’s stuck in traffic. Finally, after arriving to TelAviv, I realize what a mistake it was to arrive with a car at TelAviv. The parking at the hotel was packed and there was no room, so I was left to wonder between the full parking-lots searching for a place to leave my car, only to find one for 20 shekels per hour (5US$, 160NT$). I walk for about 15 minutes to the hotel, and stand in a very long line. Waiting there, I was reminded that – after cursing Asians for over a year for their smoking habits –Israelis love to smoke indoors too, regardless of relevant laws. When I got to the stand I was told that the conference is full and that there is no more room for anybody.
“But you guys called me yesterday to confirm my registration, you send me a confirmation letter and another SMS begging me to come, I’ve gone through a 2.5 hours hell to get here, and now I can’t enter?”. “Sir, you’re holding up the line” they respond. I look back at the line puzzled, then look back at them – “Why, for goodness sake, do you have a line if no one is allowed in anymore?!”.

So, I sit down at the hotel lobby, turn on my Laptop, take out some Chinese and do the one thing that I know I enjoy and that calms me down. Bloody !@#^! hell.

(Written at 20:00pm, same day)

If I were to summarize the whole Israeli culture in one word, then I would have to say - “connections”. That’s the only way things get done around here, like it or not. Thankfully, a friend from my military years has shown up, giving me a ring and asking me if I’m there. After I told him the ridiculous happenings he picked me up and we went to the reception together. It was easy enough, since he was suppose to give a lecture later on and him asking to “let in his friend” has solved all previous issues. Sigh.
A few people I haven’t seen in a long time, a few lectures that brought up some ideas on how to approach things and what lectures I should not ever give and it ended. As it usually is with conferences, most folks were more interested in the prizes, the food and meeting up with friends on work time, than in the information provided, but that’s just fair - since the organizers knew that so they didn’t really care what was going on.

A day like this is an important opportunity to evaluate where you are, what people you know and the what is it exactly that you’re doing.