Good day…welcome to the Great White North!

No, Bob and Doug MacKenzie weren’t there, but Toronto was great last week for Ontario Motorcoach!

The flight from Harrisburg to Toronto was one of the smallest commercial planes I’ve ever flown on…16 total seats! That’s all…wow. I’ve never been on a plane where the Flight Steward was also the Co-pilot! He did the talk, checked seat belts, then went and sat in the right seat up front! Every once in a while, he’d open the door, take a look back to make sure we were all OK, then shut it and get back to flying the plane. I was a bit concerned, but it was a fairly steady flight for such a small plane!

The convention itself was great, as always.  OMCA is my #2 show every year now, as our friends north of the border love to come to Lancaster County for shopping, touring, and shows.  We have several very good customers in Ontario, and the relationships continue to grow and deepen, which is always the goal.

But it goes deeper at OMCA…for the second year in a row, I was surprised by how outgoing and friendly Canadians are.  As part of the conference, they hold a Round Table Discussion, which is becoming more and more popular throughout the industry.  It’s kind of a reverse appointment…a table full of suppliers sit, and the Operators move from table to table.  It’s not supposed to be a selling time, but instead a chance for us to learn from the Operators what they’re dealing with, and how we can help them.  Of course, people always want to try to sell…I even heard that, at one table, an Operator had to stop people, and remind them that “this is not selling time.”

What really surprised me at the Round Table was how many Operators that I met for the first time last year, who remembered me, and were very gracious about how much they love our theatres.  I’m lousy with remembering faces (yes, that does explain why I looked at you funny, until I remembered who you are), but these folks make an art form out of remembering people, their properties, and good experiences their groups had.

But it’s the networking time at OMCA that always shines…whether it’s the Icebreaker, a dine-around opportunity (or two), or just sitting in the lobby bar at the end of the evening talking, these are people who honestly want to get to know you, and work with you.  They are very genuine, and I really like that.

Other random thoughts…we had dinner in the Japanese Teppan Yaki restaurant in the hotel, and that was just amazing.  Our chef (who we named Bob, since we couldn’t pronounce or understand his real name) was awesome, and did everything you expect from that type of cooking (the volcano made from onions, breaking an egg on the side of the spatula, and landing a pepper shaker in his hat).  The food was excellent, the conversation was excellent, everything was excellent.  And I even ate a piece of sushi, which I swore I would never do.  I wouldn’t eat it every day, but it was tasty!

And I have a new favorite Broadway Musical…it’s not for everyone, and the language will put some people to flight.  But I grew up listening to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, so “Jersey Boys” was nothing short of flawless.  The performers were vibrant, the sets and costumes perfect, and the singing was spot on.  Led by the signature falsetto singing of Frankie, if you closed your eyes you were sure that the real Four were standing there! We were all on our feet, singing along by the end of the show (OK…I was singing along the whole time, but I was NOT alone in that).  Highest recommendation if you remember the 60’s (and are immune to a lot of F-Bombs dropping all around you).

I find myself already looking forward to OMCA in 2009 in London (and 2010 in Niagara Falls, and 2011 in Windsor).  If you’re interested in motorcoach business from Canada, it comes highly recommended.

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