I want to start this blog as a follow-up to DeDe’s mention of our site visit and winter meeting in Mobile. If you have never been to Mobile, this is a great city to visit. It looks a 
Roosters (authentic Mexican--be sure to try the Avocado Popsicle), and Dauphins (panoramic view of Mobile at the top of a bank building). It’s good I had my walking shoes as there is so much to do and see within easy walking distance.
Back at the office--at the request of our sponsor committee, I recently spent some time grouping past attendees into industries based on the company they represented. Although not perfect, especially as many consulting companies represent several industries and therefore couldn’t be tied to one. Also many attendees left ‘company’ blank at registration. But even with the drawbacks, using 11 years of data, Pharma/Health topped the list for SESUG attendees, followed by Education and Analytics Consulting. Hopefully, this and the other information from this analysis will help the committee get us some much needed sponsors.
One of the things that we have promised to do with this blog is to share the ups and downs of SESUG 2022 conference planning. The ups are easy and we know that everyone shares in our successes. The downs are there as well. The last couple of months have been especially trying for both DeDe and myself as other obligations tried to get in the way. DeDe was feeling much pressure from her day-to-day clients to accomplish more and more and was dealing with a schedule change from her husband that impacted taking care of their little one. I was the culinary leader for a local wine & culinary festival (over 500 attendees) that should have taken place last fall but was moved due to COVID-19. Yet, as you can see by DeDe’s post and this one we are meeting our deadlines and have continued to push forward. Perhaps the conference will be even better due to our increased ability for efficiency.
Registration has now opened so here’s hoping all our readers are making their plans to attend. In the meantime, perhaps we should all eat a Moon Pie in preparation. After all Moon Pies are the Mobile Mardi Gras official treat and come in many delicious flavors. (Photo from Mardis Gras museum.)
