Initial Report on Blog Trip to Blanco Canada in Toronto
31 January 2011
“Eating, Learning, and Loving Every Minute of It”
Wow. Even though I arrived Saturday afternoon it is still hard to believe I’m back in San Diego. My mind is jumbled with a kaleidoscope of sights, images, and impressions of an absolutely glorious trip to Toronto, Canada as a guest of Blanco. I went from some absolutely stunning weather, as anyone who watched the just completed PGA tournament at Torrey Pines can attest to, to some very cold weather, although I was assured by all concerned that I had actually lucked out, as the weather the week previously had been much colder.
Actually, as it turns out, I lucked out all the way around, starting with my San Diego departure. We avoided some very harsh weather on the east coast, so bad, in fact, that most of the people who were to arrive from that part of the country, excepting only those who were hosting, simply gave up on the trip and stayed home. Meanwhile, although temperatures in Toronto were certainly cold by San Diego standards, the streets were clear of snow, and we were indoors most of the time.
That brings me to the second part of the luck out, because you never really know what you’re going to get on a trip of
this size. Obviously, those who are hosting it have certain things they want their guests to see and write about, else why go to all this expense? Sometimes, though, that schedule can be so rigid that it becomes very much a ball and chain. Well, sir!
We were hosted by Flavio Bergamin, the President of Blanco Canada, who is without a doubt the most gracious man I have ever met. His attention to his guests and their needs was nothing short of incredible. In tomorrow’s blog, I shall have more to say about him, but for now I would simply like to express my gratitude to him and the other people from Blanco. Lori Dolnick, Vice President from Frank Advertising, put the trip together and was also a most gracious hostess. We were wined and dined to a fare thee well, but along with that we learned a great deal about Blanco sinks, which is another subject I will be covering this week.
Finally, there is the International Design Show itself, which was the other part of our trip to Toronto. Blanco very graciously gave us free rein to explore it both Thursday evening and all day Friday. I naturally spent a lot of time at Blanco’s display and took a lot of pictures, but I then went through the show itself and had some thirty in-depth conversations with other exhibitors, all of which I will be writing about in the coming weeks.
The picture of brochures was taken in my living room when I got home. The pile on the coffee table may not look that impressive, but, as I said, there are some thirty contacts there, complete with media discs and the like. Behind it is the contents of the Swag Bag from Blanco, which was put together by Andrew Pike. Andrew did more than just throw things into a bag; he put a lot of thought into providing us with some souvenirs of a wonderful trip, along with items we could put to use in those frozen wastes.
Well, OK, “frozen wastes” is a bit of hyperbole. It was not nearly as cold as I thought it would be, and a vibrant city of some two-and-a-half million can certainly not be described as any kind of a desolate waste. It was truly a most warm and wonderful trip, and I am glad beyond hearing of it that I was able to participate in it. Tomorrow, and for the rest of the week, I shall have much to say about our adventures, but for now I simply wish to express my thanks to Lori, Flavio, and all the others who worked so hard to make our trip so fun, comfortable, and educational. Blanco promised us we would “Eat, Learn, Love,” and the trip more than lived up to that billing.
Joseph
Leave a Reply
2 Responses to “Initial Report on Blog Trip to Blanco Canada in Toronto”
January 31st, 2011 at 8:46 AM
It sounds like it was a great trip and a very educational experience. I wish I could have been there.
Joe
February 1st, 2011 at 8:03 AM
Very well said! You got some great pix too. Looking forward to reading the rest of your posts from this trip.