My journey to Project Voice 100 was 14 months in the making and this event didn’t disappoint at all!

By the way this is my first blog post/reading so please be gentle.

Day One
I started the first day off by driving to the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport(DTW). I parked after about 10 minutes of trying to find a place to park. After grabbing my bags and walking for what seemed to be 10 miles, I made it to the counter where I attempted to pay for my checked bag. As I was going through the process I found that a gentleman had left his credit card in the machine, but not before he paid for my bag. I went to the counter and gave the nearest delta employee the card and she took possession of it allowing them to take the charge off of his card, while returning it to him.

The both flights went well, except for a few bumps here and there, nothing major. So, I landed in Chattanooga got my bags and headed to the hotel via Taxi. Once there I was inside my hotel room I could remember thinking about how far I had come and questioning if I was able to hang with the voice first crowd. I was thinking maybe I could jump back on a plane and no one would notice. After making contact with AJ Wool and him being able to catch a ride from the taxi I headed down to the hotel lobby looking to meet him.

Upon arrival in the hotel lobby I was greeted by Bradley Metrock, Ian Uitle and two nice gentlemen that traveled over 10,000 miles from India to be there. We talked about the conference and moving forward from the pandemic. Bradley is about what feels like 7 feet tall and has this huge physical presence. I remember thinking that this must be what some people feel like around me and I stand tall at 6’ 3”. He came off as a gentle giant, looking forward to helping people network and to get the most out of there travels. AJ arrived shortly thereafter and joined the conversation. The last thing to do for the night was to grab a bite to eat and we were invited by Ian to dine at his hotel the Read House Historic Inn.

Once AJ, Ian and I arrived at the Read House the first thing I noticed was the beautiful marble floor and the vintage wood workings are the lobby and restaurant area. The entire hotel made me feel as if I traveled back in time. AJ, Ian and I spoke for about two and half hours, about voice tech, what we hoped to gain from the industry and just about everything else. I told him that I only wanted to be a champion of the tech and to help others get the most out of their voice devices. AJ talked about the importance of civility and humanity could benefit from the use of voice tech. Ian struck me as a real genuine person who only wants to help others succeed. He audio records just about everything and rides his Dragon, a one wheel hoverboard. There were so many times I felt that he was going to wipe out, but it seemed to be like an extension of his body!

Day Two
The next day started out slow AJ and I both slept in recovering from the day of travel and excitement from meeting everyone for the first time. I was up very early. A result from years of military scheduling and training and AJ fully waking up sometime after 11am. The perfect odd couple. I sent a photo to Ben which he titled “Military meets the Arts”. Once lunchtime came around, we both went to the City Cafe Diner which had a menu that spanned over 20 pages. Its interior is a perfect 50’s dinner while the staff is friendly with superb service. AJ and I both got pancakes that were cooked to perfection.

After lunch we walked the streets of Chattanooga looking for a USB Type C Plug. Even though the mission was a failure, the benefit was that we were able to walk the streets, while interacting with the citizens and seeing the lovely scenery of the city. Following our sightseeing we headed back to the hotel where we got ready then made our way to the convention center. When entering we found a huge spread of amazing food laid out for us and gift bags filled with local delights. Our plan was to go live and to interview the participants, but we had a few technical difficulties. Our first two live streams were a disaster to say the least so we decided to just record them on my phone and catch people at the after party.

The reception was great and Bradley said a few words, but it was mostly time to mingle with others. The thing you must keep in mind is that Bradley made our personal safety his top priority. He provided ample space at each table and everything was extremely sanitized, providing a good level of comfort for the attendees. After the reception we all headed over to the Read Hotel Inn for drinks and more networking. I was able to interview 12 people at the via my iphone which we released on the Voice Spark Live YouTube Channel. You can find it under Project Voice 100 Micro Interviews. Be sure to check them out. It was new for us and they were really fun to make.

Day Three
The final day began with AJ and I waking up at around 7:00 am, much closer to my normal schedule. We prepared ourselves to present at the conference. We made our way over to the continental breakfast at the convention center. AJ and I found a table near the window and we saw Jeff Blankenburg of Amazon sitting in a chair along the wall. He asked us if he could eat with us. Ok, everyone, I was a little star stuck. Sure, sure I will have breakfast with the Principal Technical Evangelist for Alexa. With only four sets at each table we had one more seat leave open and Julie Daniel Davis of Voice in Education also joined us for breakfast and the presentations. Julie is a lovely lady and such a nice person. Her perspective on voice tech is amazing. Those few hours were something that I will remember for a very long time. We presented after Julie and she also recorded our presentation via my phone. I have that post up on Voice Spark LIve YouTube Channel as well.

After everyone presented we had about 90 minutes to network. I used this time to grab a couple more micro interviews and to meet some really interesting people. Once the networking time was up we all gathered for a big group photo and then went our separate ways.

AJ and I headed back to the Airport sharing a cab and waiting at one of only two gates at the Chattanooga Airport. Upon waiting for our flight we had the chance to hangout with Jeff Blankenburg one more time. It was nice to talk with him about everything and anything. Jeff is a very interesting guy and is one of those people that you can just talk to. He is a very down to earth person and we got along pretty well. This was an awesome treat because for me it was like hanging with someone who I see as a celebrity. It was funny because I kept telling myself to not geek out too much and to keep my cool.

Wrapping up the conference was great and it gave me the ability to meet AJ in person. I can’t give Bradley enough praise for putting this together. I look forward to attending more of his events and I wish him all the best.

Military meets the Arts!