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It has been some mumbleteen years since I began leading trade compliance seminars. During that time I've had the opportunity to meet thousands of people—some interesting, some not so much. Fortunately the former have been more numerous than the latter. I've also had a range of experiences—some rewarding and others I would prefer to forget.
There was the time early in my career when I opened my mouth to make a point and a juicy housefly decided it would be the opportune moment to land on my tongue. Time stood still, as it often does in these instances, as I weighed the pros and cons of swallowing or spitting. Spitting won out. After a brief break and a rinse with mouthwash, class continued.
There are the occasional interruptions at seminars. In Independence, Ohio, smoke began pouring from the ceiling vents of the meeting room. Astonishingly the hotel manager stood in the hallway saying there was not a problem. We didn't stick around to find out.
Sometimes the interruption comes in the form of laughter from the neighboring meeting room. If the laughter continues I often ask the class to laugh back at them. There is no way I will allow a meeting of oncologists to have more fun than us, a happy-go-lucky crowd of trade compliance professionals.
On one occasion a group of guys dressed in athletic gear descended on my meeting room. They didn't look like my typical attendees. I asked if they were there for Export training. They insisted they were. After devouring the entire catering table the realized they were supposed to be two doors down attending employee training for the health club X-Sport.
I think I've experienced it all through the years:
* I've been poisoned by the salad bar.
* The hotel threw my books away. Fortunately the dumpster had not yet been emptied. Class proceeded with coffee-stained books.
* Another hotel provided a table that was leaning at 60 degrees. When I tried to straighten it, it collapsed injuring my finger. Lest you worry, I can still offer up a fervent one-finger salute, albeit a crooked one.
* I found a post-it note on my keyboard notifying me that my fly was down. (Blush!)
* I've shown up for a seminar on the wrong day. Fortunately I was a day early.
* I've destroyed more suits and ties schlepping books and moving tables than I care to admit.
The experiences are not all negative, although those are the more humorous stories.
After misplacing my books, the hotel had them reprinted by 10:00 a.m. Wow! The same hotel printed my presentation for me when my projector fizzled. Go DoubleTree!
There was the catering captain who recognized I was developing laryngitis. The next morning I found honey and lemon at my table. (Thanks, Alex!)
And then there are the many of you I have met over the years. While I might be the instructor, you have taught me more about your businesses and your lives. I feel fortunate to have had this opportunity to get out from behind a desk and to have met each of you. But enough with the sentimentality!
With experience comes wisdom they say. Following are words to live by:
1. Always travel with a backup copy of your presentation and book.
2. Paying a little more for a good hotel is worth the expense.
3. Don't waste money on an expensive suit or tie.
4. NEVER eat at the salad bar.
5. If a fly lands in your mouth, spit.
See you at the next seminar, friends!
| Product Model | Inside Diameter | Outside Diameter | Thickness |
| 7905DF NTN | 25 | 42 | 18 |
| 7304BDF NTN | 20 | 52 | 30 |