High life, low life: My 18 years of NAB Show
Next week will be my 18th vis
it to NAB Show and anyone that knows me well will be very aware that I love this Las Vegas event. As one of our core values at Platform says: ‘work hard, play hard” and that certainly sums up NAB.
Here are some of my high-life and low-life experiences over 18 very memorable visits.
Best night out
That was without a doubt at NAB 2000. It was actually my first visit to Las Vegas and together with an amazing team of friends at TANDBERG Television we snatched tickets to see Oasis on their breakthrough US tour. The Manchester lads were playing at The Joint at The Hard Rock, a pretty small venue where they were supported by newcomers Travis. It was absolutely awesome.
Out of town adventures
Hiring a bright yellow Hummer and driving above the snow line to Mount Charleston. It was 92 degrees on the strip and 45 minutes later David “snow belly” Bramley was rolling in the snow up the mountain. We then drove through Fire Valley, which is always stunning. Our driver, Clare Bramley (then Morris) and I were nicknamed “The Hummer Girls” for quite a while after that.
I do
Talking of Fire Valley, one year some of our friends from London wanted to get married in Las Vegas and asked my husband and I to be witnesses. I persuaded them to time their wedding with the end of NAB so we didn’t have to travel there twice. They got hitched on the rock arch in the park. Amazing and beautiful.
Shop or swim?
Both. Premium Outlet North for bargains, Fashion Show Mall for treats and The Wynn pool for sun and swim – splash out on a cabana if there are a few of you and you’ve done well on the tables.
Lucky slots
I can’t resist a few spins on Wheel of Fortune. Won $2,500 a couple of years ago. Spent it the next morning in Prada. Easy come, …….
Steak or sushi?
Hard call. Both are great in Vegas. Steak would be Craftsteak at MGM, sushi Muzumi at The Wynn. I already have reservations for both next week.
Best burger?
In ‘n’ Out. And they now have one on the Strip so we won’t have to hire a car.
Husband highlights
Russell has been to many NABs with me. As a musician and TV writer he has a professional interest, but in all honesty he’s more excited about the poker and the partying. His stand out memory is definitely the machine gun training day he did in the desert.
Scary times
Drinking in the Sand Dollar Hells Angels dive bar out in the desert – courtesy of my mates Dave Godfrey and Graham Cradock. It’s closed now, apparently because too many people got killed in fights. Thanks guys!
Do we live here now?
And then there was the volcano. Thanks to Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull erupting on the last day of NAB in April 2010 all flights were cancelled and we were stranded. The journeys people went on to get home were incredible – some rushed to (and got stuck in) LA, our Norwegian colleagues chartered a boat from New York, others flew from Vegas to Columbia to Spain and then drove across Europe to get back to Blighty. David and I stayed in Vegas, had a fab week on British Airways and got home at the same time as some of the most intrepid globetrotters.
As I prepare to fly out to Las Vegas, I am really excited about the days ahead. The Platform team will be on site with a number of our clients – check them out here. To get an insight into my NAB serious side, take a look at the video interview I did recently with our clients Paywizard.
Do give us a shout if you fancy joining in our 2017 Las Vegas adventures – I am sure we will be making memories once again.
