Overheard

For three days, I have been a shadow attendee at a local tech conference that had an odd policy on outside research analysts. Whatever. As a shadow delegate, I have met with some folks whose companies are in my “research space” since they were in town.

Anyway, while waiting for a meeting, I overheard one of those conversations you can only hear in the lobby of a conference hotel. As background, the hotel was also hosting a group of osteopaths. The scene was a husband and wife (I assume an osteopath and his wife) and a younger man, clearly a marketing sort for a conference organizing company.

Conference organizer: You know, we’d better make our plans pretty soon, because cadavers are expensive and in short supply. If we need a few for the conference, we’d better lock in a date.

Osteopath: You’re right.

Conference organizer: Now that we have that settled, let’s talk about the most important item on the agenda—are you free for dinner tonight? There’s a great steak place up near Pinnacle Peak.

At that point, I got up and left otherwise I would have lost my lunch.