Back in Orlando for Connected26

EAB Connected26 in Orlando, FL

I was in Orlando, Florida, Sunday through Wednesday last week to attend a conference for work. It was a good conference, and I was able to spend some time on Sunday doing my own thing before everything got started on Monday. I went to the pool Sunday afternoon and then went out to eat that night.

Bucket of Beers by the Pool

I had just been in Orlando for another conference about a year ago, so it was fun to be back and have a little spare time to do things other than just attend the conference. This conference was Connected26 by EAB. There were good sessions throughout the day, and I made some good connections with others attending. I last attended Connected in 2024, so it was good to be back and catch up on new features and information from EAB.

Carrie told me Monday morning that I should have explored the city some, but I told her I would wait until she was with me to visit some of the places near the hotel. Some of the other attendees from Washburn ventured out to other locations in the area to sightsee and do some shopping.

I could have gone out Monday morning too, since the conference did not start for me until 11 a.m. with lunch. Instead, I decided to sleep in a little and take my time getting ready for the day. Sometimes that is just as good.

My flight out on Sunday was early, around 8 a.m., so I had to be in Kansas City by 6 a.m. It made for a long day, but it was worth it. I had a connecting flight through Dallas since there was not a direct American Airlines flight to Orlando, at least on the day I was flying.

On my return flight Wednesday, I flew out in the middle of the afternoon and got back to Kansas City around 10 p.m. Both days of travel went well and were uneventful, which is always a good thing when flying.

It will be a few months before my next work trip. I think February is my next scheduled one. I did talk to some people at the conference about other conferences they like to attend, so I might look at going to one next summer on the West Coast. Nothing is confirmed, but I will be watching for the conference to be announced so I can check into it further for 2027.

Selfie Poolside

I made some good connections at this conference. It was also fun having a number of people from Washburn there and seeing them in different sessions throughout the conference. We all went out to dinner Monday night, which was fun.

Usually, the conferences I attend only include me, and I meet new people while I am there. Sometimes I will have one other person from Washburn attending, typically from my department. This time it was fun to have a larger group of us attending the same conference and to be able to interact with everyone throughout the sessions.

Overall, it was a good trip and conference. It also made for a short work week, since I got back to work on Thursday and only had two days in the office. I like to stay caught up on email and issues while I am traveling, so thankfully I did not have a lot of catching up to do when I returned.

Until next time, have a great rest of your Sunday and a wonderful week.