The 100 Years Club Installment #146: My September “Field Trips”

I’m returning from a 10-day journey to Las Vegas (for the Blueprint conference) and then to the East Coast (to visit family).

In keeping with my September “back to school” theme, I reflect on our class trips to the symphony, museums, and Sleepy Hollow, and high school excursions to ski and participate in Model Congress. Growing up in NYC had huge advantages.

What these two eras have in common is the mind- and soul-expanding impact of getting out of your “usual” place and experiencing new and interesting things.

While in Vegas, I even went to Oz at the Sphere.

But for now, let’s focus on Blueprint.

We spend $2 trillion annually on housing alone. 

Having moved earlier this summer, I contributed as a consumer.

That doesn’t count all the $$ from commercial construction (offices, stores, malls, etc.)

And what I learned from attending Blueprint is that technology, AI, and robotics are having an impact on every aspect of the planning, building, and “habitation” experience. Here are just a few things I saw.

In addition to the companies in the video, I visited the booth for Placer.ai, which helps planners of all kinds decide where to invest in their next properties. (Yeah, I’m a data geek!) Also not pictured in the video (due to tech issues, of course) is the swag bag from Barclays. No matter how high-tech an event is, having a branded bag is a staple of the conference industry.

I also attended a fantastic luncheon and roundtable led by Women in Construction Tech, where the topic was how to get more of us excited about this booming industry. If you loved to play with Legos, trucks, and digital gadgets as a girl, this is a great career path to pursue.

Conferences and Trade Shows are the Ultimate Adult Field Trips!

As some of you know, my last corporate gig was as head of marketing for an international trade show company. They own ComicCon. Events are not just limited to business. Festivals are booming too.

I’ve attended and spoken at shows with communities ranging from food to medical aesthetics to hardware to strip clubs.

I’m also chairing Street Fight LIVE 2025 this Tuesday, having set the agenda and lined up about 30 speakers.

Although we no longer pile into school buses for excursions, the concept is timeless.

Despite the access to virtually unlimited information online, meeting founders, inventors, investors, and thought leaders IN REAL LIFE has no equivalent.

Plus, you get free swag!

P.S. Want me to attend and cover an upcoming event? You know where to find me! (Unless, of course, I’m in Oz or Munchkinland.)

Here’s a little something I found in my trade show archives: