to WEF I go...

Tomorrow I head back to Dar es Salaam for the Africa World Economic Forum (WEF).  While most of my participation will be limited to the outskirts of the Forum I am still quite excited to be going.  The 'actual' WEF participants are all heads of global organizations or countries!


The primary reason for my trip is to coordinate the RTP activities around WEF, our relationship with UAM and hopefully assist Johann (my old boss, RTP founder) in securing some new corporate connections.  I will be there for a week and it will be pretty packed week though much of it is still in the air as I am unsure what I will get access to.


The tricky thing about any event with this calibre of participants is that security is a HUGE concern and access to the venues is therefore limited.  The other issue, well in Dar, is that every hotel is booked and they are all price gouging!  Susan, our amazing travel coordinator in Toronto, tried to book me a room at the same hotel that Johann will be at.  She went through the event company and was told that they will only assist 'registered participants'.  I ended up getting lucky as Anna, the UAM coordinator in Dar, had booked a block of rooms....so I have somewhere to stay and won't be sleeping on the beach.


The downside to attending WEF is that I will have to wear proper shoes!  This may sound like whining....which it is...but for the past nine months I have lived in my birks.  I have only put heels on twice and my black flats once.  I am preparing myself for sore feet and a couple of blisters.


I will try to post an update mid-week to let you know how its all going.