Nametag Nation: A Conventioneer’s Guide to Escaping the Conference Crowd
If you’re in New Orleans on business, sometimes you might feel the overwhelming need to escape your coworkers. Nothing personal, but after spending three consecutive days in a hotel conference room or sprawling convention floor, sometimes you would just like to escape the familiar throngs, be they fellow dermatologists, historians or regional sales reps.
So stow your badge, hail a cab, and seek out a place where nobody knows your name…n
· Avoid the Obvious
Conference goers usually congregate for “no brainer” gathering spots — convention center restaurants, hotel bars, etc. Make a mental list of these places and cross them off your list.
- Eat Where They Ain’t
Being a mostly pedestrian people, conventioneers naturally gravitiate toward the high-traffic neighborhoods (French Quarter, Warehouse District near the Convention Center, CBD near the hotels). Grab a cab and head to for restaurants in the lesser-known zones: Mid-City, Uptown or the Marigny.
- The Magic Number is Four
If you want to move quickly, limit your escape group to four members. It’s the perfect number, since everybody can pack into a cab, last-minute tables are easier to nab, and the group doesn’t fall prey to the dreaded “I don’t know… what do YOU want to do” syndrome. (If you get roped into a larger group, break into groups of four rather than waiting for one huge table.)
- Invent a Family
It never hurts to have a convenient “family obligation” excuse ready, just in case. If you need to give your boss the slip, invent a distant family member who insists on taking you out to dinner or a drink. Distant cousins or friends of a sibling work well, since they’re not particularly trackable.