2010: My San Francisco 10 for 10

San Francisco was a regular work stop for me every year for the last nine years, thanks to working with Oracle & VMware. I didn’t think I would make my tenth this year since I’d decided at the end of 2009 to take a break from the corporate world – a decision motivated by the desire to spend more time at home with my family and kids.

Well, life is unpredictable… An unexpected proposition came round in September for me to take on a part-time consulting position with XPR – a boutique public relations firm. It was interesting arrangement that I thought worth trying out. My main client is Salesforce.com and along with it came the need to host some analysts/media at Dreamforce, their annual user conference in San Francisco. So that became my first business trip for the year… and yes, 10 out of 10 – hello, San Francisco!

Thanks to Dreamforce, I got to see Bill Clinton ‘live’ in action. This was an exciting opportunity… after all, for communications people, over and above great key messages is great message delivery. And who better to learn from than a speaker who reportedly commands at least US$150,000 to deliver a speech – he did not disappoint. He spoke passionately about the major challenges facing our world today and the pressing actions and choices we all face. The magic combo of presence, posture, tone, body language, facial expressions – he used these powerfully. Backed by great speechwriting, he was totally engaging. He’s a master of articulating and reinforcing key messages, using memorable soundbites and phrases which he repeats over and over again, to great effectiveness. 

Then there was Stevie Wonder. I’m not a big SW fan but hearing him speak, I couldn’t help but be moved by his musical talent and his genuine heart for people and humanitarian efforts. His loss of sight at a young age never deterred him – he learnt the piano at the age of seven and mastered both the drums and harmonica by the age of nine. Wonder is a nice addition to my eclectic list of performers whom I’ve had the chance to hear play at the conference appreciation parties over the years…Sheryl Crow, Billy Joel, Seal, Aerosmith, Elton John, Lenny Kravitz, Joan Jettt, Berlin, Stevie Nicks & Fleetwood Mac, Foreigner… a side benefit of being in the IT industry!

It was nice to get out of the Moscone Convention Centre. Aside from the mandatory work dinners, we made it to a fun conference party at The Temple Nightclub on Howard Street (we were misdirected by the hotel concierge to Temple Bar on Polk Street, which was not where we wanted to be – the latter is dangerously close to the infamous Tenderloin district)…

We even managed two visits to the very popular Cheesecake Factory – blame in on the different reporters. The weather was perfect - we dined al fresco and got some sun whilst watching the world (and the resident Factory seagulls) go by around Union Square. I got to indulge in my personal favourites - the Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake & the Kahlua Cocoa Coffee Cheesecake … simply heavenly!

I saw some pretty impressive gingerbread creations whilst getting out and about to various meeting locations… brilliant for celebrating the Christmas season and a feast for the eyes, but I doubt they would’ve been any good for eating!

After all of that, I managed to squeeze in time daily to skype & IM the kids & husband at home. It made me appreciate again the latest comms technologies … and yet it reminded me of why I’d opted to take some time out from full-time work. Much as I enjoyed having a career and the road warrior life, family is priority… a heartfelt revelation that cold December day!

Well, let’s see what 2011 brings and if it will offer me the opportunity for 11/11 to SF!