Remembering Dick and Myra Larkin - National Association of ...

convention recapSavannah - a Conference to Remember…REFLECTIONS OF A FIRST-TIME ATTENDEESpeaker Sam Glenn creates a “masterpiece.”As I boarded the taxi for the briefride from the airport to the hotel,I pondered for about the twentieth timewhether or not the trip to Savannah wasgoing to be worth the expense. Havingnever been to a NAPAA Conference, Ihad little to go on except for the glowingadvertisements in the DirectExpressnewsletter and my memory of previousarticles in Exclusivefocus magazinerecounting the wonderful time past attendeeshad experienced. As a 20 yearveteran agent, I also wondered whatI could possibly gain from going to ameeting with a bunch of people I hadnever met. I detest being in large groups,and to top it off I didn’t think I packedthe right kind of clothes. This was notgoing to be a fun trip. To say that myattitude had taken a turn for the worsewas an understatement.But to really put things in properprospective, I need to digress a bit. As along time NAPAA member, I often felta certain itching obligation to attend oneof the conferences, if for nothing else butto satisfy my curiosity about what actuallywent on there. To the best of myknowledge, no one in my local markethas ever attended a NAPAA conference,but I guess it’s not something you wouldshout from the rooftops either. What Ireally wanted was an unbiased opinionabout the quality of the meeting. Also,this past year was a tough one for me financiallyso I didn’t need to be spendingmy hard-earned cash playing around atsome boondoggle in Savannah, Georgia.Topping things off was the dangling axeof the dreaded and yet-to-be receivedAgency Status Review. My stress levelwas near DEFCON 2 and climbing.Most Allstate agents are struggling,so I don’t want to try to “outdo” everyoneelse’s problems, but as a Florida agent, Ihave had to deal with a declining automarket, an uncertain economy, a deadproperty market, continued propertynon-renewals and to top it off, the embarrassmentof having the Florida Officeof Insurance Regulation shut down Allstate,not once, but twice. If ever therewere reasons to climb into a cave andhide, I think I had more than my share.But something told me to look past all ofthe garbage that was clogging my brain.So I accepted the financial challenge andjust did it. Whether it was the culminationof so many bad things and the needfor some relief, or the lure of “Springtimein Savannah” as NAPAA put it, Idecided to put my hesitations aside andbooked the trip.Over the succeeding few weeks, I alternatelycongratulated myself for makinga good decision and looked forwardto a new experience, or I derided myselffor spending my hard-earned money onsomething I knew little about. Since mywife could not attend, I at least felt a littlebetter for not incurring the extra airfare.But then there was that guilt thing againfor leaving her behind while I went off tosome “party” in Georgia. The expectationfor a good return on my investment wasstarting to consume my thoughts and so,just prior to the trip, I reconciled myselfto having made a poor financial decisionand I would just try to make the best ofa bad situation.Mansion on Forsyth ParkMy arrival at the hotel brought thingsback into focus and I was pleasantlysurprised by the efficient staff that metme outside followed by the ease of thecheck-in process at the front desk. If firstimpressions are important, then NancyFish’s choice for the Mansion on ForsythPark was a home run. Not only was thehotel staff superb, but the accommodationswere about as elegant as it gets. Myroom was five-star quality and I instantly38 — Exclusivefocus Summer 2009