Recently I received an invitation to an after party being thrown by some folks who I don’t think are actually attending the SALT conference in Vegas but will be in town during the event. Well, as any decent person would do, I answered that I’d be there, as I will be in the City of Sin for SALT again this year.
A few hours later, I got a call from one of the hosts saying there had been a ghastly mistake. It turns out that this party is closed to anyone who is deemed to be a competitor to the hosts. Since the folks at Context Summits are one of the hosts and I am the co-founder of Operations for Alternatives — a conference focused on operations (hence the name) — I am not welcome at the party. The invitation, it turns out, according to the caller, was sent in error and is being rescinded.
Now, dear readers, this is not the first time this has happened to me. A year or so ago, the folks at GAIM Cayman would not honor my registration because they believed that OFA is a competitor. To both Context and GAIM, thanks for the ego boost.
When Andrew and I started OFA three years ago, we set out to have a conference that includes everybody. Every event, every session, every part of the conference, all cocktail parties and, of course, after parties are open to everyone. Maybe it’s because we weren’t always picked first on the playground or maybe it’s because we understand that being in the same room with one’s competitors is not the end of the world. It could also be that we listened to the market and the market (i.e. the conference registrants) are frustrated when they attend a conference and are told that this or that part of the event is closed.
Nevertheless, one of the things that makes OFA successful is its inclusiveness. It also doesn’t hurt that it has a great emcee! What is even funnier about both of these incidents is that those of you who know me know that 95% of my time is spent on A&C Advisors work. Andrew and the good folks at ACI really run OFA. Nonetheless, I am deemed a competitor and, well, competitors are barred from late-night cocktail parties.
Competition is healthy. It’s a good thing. It keeps people focused and it keeps them on track. If you are so afraid of being in the same room as your competitor, you might think about getting out of the business. To be successful, you need to know your competition. You need to do the research.
Clearly the folks at Context haven’t done their research. If they had, they would know that the motto of OFA is “If you want to meet investors, don’t come.” We don’t offer manager speed dating, we don’t throw lavish concerts or pool parties. We don’t do anything more then run a series of events focused on educating operations professionals.
Our events are open to everyone. So if the people at Context or GAIM want to come to OFA, we would welcome them; all they have to do, like everyone else is to register at www.ofa-america.com. Our next event is in the fall – I hope to see them there.
THINGS THAT DRIVE ME CRAZY
I am sick and tired of everyone telling me what a great deal they got on this or that. While nobody likes to pay retail, there is clearly a silicon chip in people’s heads that switches to overload when it comes to talking about how good a deal they got on their car, their TV, their sneakers, their whatever. Everybody “has a guy”. It is really weird to me. It seems like I am the only guy who doesn’t have a guy. I’m not sure if that is good thing or bad, but it just happens to be true