I’ve never been the most active FAM tour participant in the third party world but I’ve certainly accepted my fair share of invitations over the last seven years. This past week I was afforded an opportunity impossible to pass up – a FAM tour invitation to Long Beach, CA, a city I’ve booked before but had never been, coupled with the ability to bring my wife and son along with me. Neither had ever even been to the state of California and after the brutal winter we on the East Coast have endured, any excuse to be laden in sunshine day in and day out, was to be cherished. Off we went to the West Coast.
The hospitality of the team from Long Beach was unrivaled, making accommodations for my family’s need in a way I’ve never before seen. We were brought in to celebrate the city of Long Beach during its most significant event, the Long Beach Grand Prix. The city was packed, streets were closed and rerouted, and guests of the FAM tour were in as many as five different hotels. Yet the coordination was impeccable, the hotel accommodations were superior, and the food was ever flowing. Perhaps the most succinct way to showcase how above and beyond the team went to take care of my family, including my eleven month old son, was when they handed him his very own noise cancelling head sets to block out the noise from the race cars. They worked like a charm – in that they blocked the noise for him – and they charmed us ever more.
I have booked Long Beach for both a small and a medium sized conference. On this FAM we were afforded the chance to see the city’s largest hotels as well as their convention center. The hotel package is very tight, the dining options are close by and extensive, and the majestic Pacific Ocean is never more than a few blocks away. What a great destination I’m now so fortunate enough to have experienced first hand and even better, with my loved ones.