[b] School

WPPI is right around the corner and this year will mark my 16th year in a row that I’ve attended. I love WPPI week. It’s such a great opportunity to be inspired, to learn, to network and to find out the latest and greatest products & services that this industry has to offer.

I’m doing things a little bit different this year, scaling back a bit, but I just wanted to share my plans as there will be plenty of opportunities to connect with other [ b ] Schoolers.

I guess the big news is that I won’t be hosting my legendary party this year. I need a break! To be honest… it’s a pain in the ass to host it, and each year it gets more and more expensive (as more people come every year). I just need to take a little break this year and I really want to relax and enjoy WPPI instead of constantly prepping and hosting events and overextending myself. Instead, I want to concentrate on connecting on a deeper level with my industry friends and I am going to do my best to play match maker for you WPPI newbies. I promise that next year, we’ll be back with our very first [ b ] School prom!

Here are a few things that I am planning… of course this schedule is subject to change, so be sure to follow @thebschool on Twitter, and perhaps for the week of WPPI make sure to get the mobile updates sent directly to your phone.

Saturday, February 18th, 10pm. Early bird GTG. For those folks in town early, I’ll be at the Centrifuge bar at the MGM (conveniently located next to the poker room) to have a drink or two and to connect before the convention really gets going.

Sunday, February 19th, 3pm. The B.E.C.K.E.R. System. I’ll be sharing the 6 steps for success in this industry. I’ll be doing my platform talk and I’d really appreciate if you could come out and support me. I’ve actually given this talk a couple of times already and each time I take the feedback and massage it a bit. I feel very confident that the info that I’ll be sharing is going to be very valuable and that you’ll enjoy my presentation. It’s going to be the basis for what I speak/teach about in the [ b ] School for the rest of the year. If you haven’t done so already, please pre-board for this session to guarantee a seat.

Sunday, February 19th 5:30pm. Immediately following my presentation, I’ll be headed to the Rouge Bar at the MGM to meet up with [ b ] Schoolers. After having a drink or two, I suggest we head up to see Photo Ignite at 7pm together, then hitting up the after party.

Monday at lunchtime. I suggest hooking up with a group of 5 or 6 people and eating together, then walking the tradeshow. Good lunch spots at MGM include Wolfgang Puck, ‘Wichcraft, The Grand Wok and the Studio Cafe. The food court also is a decent lunch option and it has flexible seating if you’ve got a bigger group.

Monday at 4pm- Happy Hour. Come on down to Diego at the Studio Walk inside of MGM for some queso fundito & some empanadas. I’ll be in the bar/lounge area.

Monday night. I’ll be hitting up the Madera Party. I’m not much of a dancer so I’ll be passing on the other big party, but I am sure a bunch of [ b ] Schoolers will be there. Have fun!

Tuesday & Wednesday lunch & dinner. Again, I suggest going in groups of 6-8 people. Larger groups are harder to seat. Some of my favorite places to dine in Vegas include:
Holstein’s at Cosmopolitan.
BLT Burger at the Mirage.
Nobu at the hard Rock.
Mix at THEhotel. (expensive, but worth it!)
Red Square at Mandalay Bay.
Lavo at the Palazzo.
Tao at the Venetian.
Wazuzu at Encore.
Little Buddha at the Palms.
Simon at Palms Place. That’s where I’ll be brunching on Sunday.
Olives at Bellagio.
Mon Ami at Paris.

Tuesday 10pm Late night crepes. Find some friends and split a cab and head over to Paris for a late night crepe. It’s only open til 11, so don’t be late.

Tuesday 11pm:ish- After crepes, were’ heading to the Ellis Island Casinon & Brewery for some late night karaoke. 4178 Koval Lane, just a block or so from Paris. I’ll be busting out my special rendition of “With or Without You” but I better not be the only one singing!

It seems like every year we end up at the pizza place at NYNY in the wee hours of the morning, but we never actually plan it. I’ll be sure to tweet about it if I am heading over there.

This schedule is subject to change and evolve, so again, be sure to follow @thebschool on Twitter for the latest info.

Lastly, if y’all have links to anything else that is going on during WPPI, please leave a comment below. See ya soon!