8 Sales Meetings, 6 Client Visits, 2 Analyst Briefings, 3 Conferences, 5 Business Dinners, 4 Lunch Gatherings, 1 Board Meeting & Vacation with My Family of 8: Talk about a productive two weeks in the Big Apple
Social Marketing NYC style! I’ve spent the last two consecutive weeks in New York City. It was a combination of work and some play. And by play I mean my family came along – my wife Holly and all six kids. Okay, before you call bull on the “work” thing let me explain what an incredibly productive two weeks it was – for both my social media business and family.
I’ve long known and loved NYC for the culture and certainly the vibrant business community. It’s full of movers and shakers. And I am here often in Vitrue’s New York office. But I gained a new appreciation during these past 10 days because of the sheer volume of work completed and time spent with many of the industry’s key players and companies. New York is certainly the business capital of the world. So much happens here from a business, advertising, social media and increasingly technological perspective. I’ve always known it; it was just reinforced this time.
We all know that today’s business world – especially if you live in the technology and social media realm, as I do – is non-stop 24/7. But you still have to take family vacations, right? So I kind of incorporated the two. My wife and kids had plenty of activities on their own and plenty that we did together. And I was able to continue to focus on Vitrue and industry business while also spending quality time with my family. Yes, of course it was busy. But this amazing city allowed me the best of both worlds.
As a family, we hit some of our favorite eating spots, including my old neighborhood the Upper East Side’s Caffe Buon Gusto for heaping piles of pasta, great wine and dessert. Benny’s Burritos is a family favorite for their amazing burritos, quesadillas, and – very important – their “Daddy Juice,” otherwise known as margaritas. John’s Pizza is also a great family spot with the best pizza and pizza rolls on the planet! I also served as a very entertaining, if I do say so myself, babysitter while the girls went to see Mama Mia on Broadway. A visit to “Needle Park” – the Lower East Side area made famous by the 1970s book and later movie with Al Pacino – gave me some time to blow off steam and energy and see one of the city’s unique and storied sections.
Reggie Bradford
But let’s go back to New York from a business perspective. It’s absolutely a tremendous place to do business, not only because of the key players and industries but the overall energy and buzz of NYC. The entire city is an entrepreneur’s dream, offering opportunity, exposure and information at every turn. I had face-to-face, productive meetings with numerous Vitrue clients, as well as plenty of prospective clients. I was able to participate in two informative and intriguing analyst briefings with Forrester and Gartner industry associates. I also met with many of Vitrue’s business associates and partners including Facebook, Twitter, bankers, and private equity companies, as well as several interesting (and possibly future) technology and platform partners. And I presented at a handful of industry conferences, including BMO Annual Advertising & Marketing Conference and Digital Media Summit. (Internet Week was taking place during my last week in the city.)
Our clients at Vitrue are some of the world’s most recognizable brands and doing some pretty sophisticated social media marketing, so I’m often traveling to places from San Francisco to London to Paris to Cincinnati and elsewhere. And of course I’m in New York City often. But the Big Apple will get extra trips this year. You can bet on it. I even caught myself thinking about a place in Manhattan, just for the frequent visits. The wife and kids gave the green light for that idea. They also got a new appreciation for the city.
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