Oct20IBM CIO Conference 2008Posted at 16:25 in Dubai, Project Management

Yesterday, I attended the CIO Conference 2008 from IBM at the Atlantis Hotel on the Palm Jumeirah. Key Senior Executives of IBM and other Senior Industry Leaders from Banking, Telecommunications and Public Sector presented on the trends for tomorrow's enterprise. IBM is conducting every two years a CEO Study shedding light on what the future may hold. Through interviews with 1'130 business and public sector leaders worldwide in 45 countries, they provide new and compelling perspectives on strategic issues. The tagline of this conference was "Design for people, Build for change" and the content of it was as great as the venue.

Oct17Halloween Horror NightsPosted at 13:23 in My Work

Last night, I attended the Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Florida, and I have only one single word to say: WOW! In terms of experience, this ranks very high amongst what I have done in my life. It was tense, scary, spooky, and really fun. Here are my top 5 reasons why:

• It is my first halloween in North-America, and coming from Europe, this event was really taking it to another level
• I have always liked horror movies, and this event's is built around horror movies culture, background and references
• Costumes, make-ups and prostetics are really movie quality, and you can see that actors and employees have as much fun as guests
• The scare zones are absolutely thrilling, all around the Park, and - believe me - actors are litteraly scaring you to death
• In terms of Project Management & Operations approach, having seen it behind the scenes, I am puzzled to see that they deploy everything between 5PM when the Park closes, and 6:30PM when the Horror Nights open. Great job guys!

I have only one thing to add, next time, I'll take Universal Express, and this would be my single advice to you. Queues were absolutely insane to some of the haunted houses (60 to 90 minutes, almost from start to finish of the night). It is said to be the best Halloween event in America, and from what I saw, I have no problem to believe that, I have enjoyed it a lot.

Oct1335 yearsPosted at 01:00 in My Work, Personal

I turned 35 today, spending 16 hours in the plane and finally landing at Orlando, Florida. I'm staying at the Hard Rock Hotel for one week of meetings and discussions with our Orlando colleagues. I'll be back in Dubai late next Saturday, right before the CIO conference 2008. That will be a busy week...