Viva Las Vegas, 2010

Well, here we are in 2010 and I just got back from five days in Las Vegas at the Mobile Beat industry educational conference. What a great time! Lots of very useful information gathered and shared, and lots of time spent around many friends from around the country (and world) who are also DJs. Sound In Motion DJs & Video surely benefits from these trips we take.

Highlights included:

• Watching the Super Bowl in the sports book area of Caesar’s Palace: If you aren’t going to the game itself, watching it here is pretty much the next best thing. Just a phenomenal atmosphere… kind of like being at the game, but in a GIANT luxury box! Here’s a video clip of what it was like: it’s the video review of the New Orleans Saints‘ 2 pt. PAT conversion, and the group’s reaction – I’ll never forget the experience!
• Traditional Ethiopian dinner and coffee ceremony at Merkato Restaurant: As is our custom, Raffi & I chatted up our cab drivers the whole trip, which led to some amazingly funny, informative and even bizarre situations, but hands-down our favorite was Eyasu. He is of Ethiopian descent by way of Cairo, and has been living in the USA for many years now. If you ever are feeling sour on this country or what our situation is here, there is not a better dose of reality available than spending ten minutes with someone like Eyasu, who reminds us all of what life is like in so much of the rest of the world. Look, I’m not one for jingoistic patriotism, but Eyasu’s love for his adopted country is very inspiring indeed. We are very, very lucky to live here.

  We asked Eyasu if there was a good Ethiopian restaurant in Vegas and he turned us on to Merkato at 855 E. Twain Ave. We walked in, and it wasn’t until three hours later that we left. It was incredibly good! The food was outstanding (particularly the Kitfo) and the coffee ceremony was really unbelievable. They pan-roasted raw coffee beans over an open flame right before our eyes as we sat around the fire with the owners and their family talking about everything under the sun. They pan-roasted fresh popcorn as well, and we all got to slow down and know a little bit about each other. In a way, it was quintessentially un-Vegas, if that makes any sense. Anyway, when you go, ask for Rahel, our waitress : )

  PICTURES!

  

  Meat and vegetables, salads, and the wonderful injera bread - wow!

  

  Rahel roasting the coffee

  

  Raffi about to enjoy some of the coffee while Merkato's owner looks on

• Hanging out with all of our DJA friends at the piano bar at New York New York and watching Prior Lake, MN’s inimitable Bill Hermann serenade Rebecca Ferrell (and all of us, really) with his confident, soulful rendition of Wilson Pickett’s “Mustang Sally”!
  
  

  LL Bill H!

• Catching several seminars that offered great information, like Nick Covino’s on VJing and Jeff Meuzelaar’s on SEO, as well as great inspiration, like Kent Julian’s “Live It Forward” and Don Piper’s “90 Minutes In Heaven”.

Again, all in all, a great trip. Lots more to tell, really, from the business development side, but let’s just summarize by saying we spent some very, very valuable time with friends old and new and look forward to applying many new ideas to our business in 2010 and beyond!

Advertisement