The conference was conducted last week and was held at Tulalip Casino and Spa.  There were many great speakers and teachers.   I myself was especially fond of Michael Buschmohle , Pamela Ziemann, and Peter Merry.  Things I have learned (and learned again for Peter Merry’s case) are invaluable to me personally and for my business.

But I do like to say this first: Tulalip Casino rocks, period!

There are 28 casinos operating in the state of Washington and I have been to two of them.  The first visit was to the one in Auburn many, many years ago accompanying some visiting friends, and then last November I was doing a wedding at Muchleshoot casino.  No impression, except I was surprised by the almost full parking lots at Muchleshoot.  For Tulalip, I have seen it’s getting built, first the casino and then the tall building next to it.  I have seen the traffic jam on the I-5 off ram, and yet I have never made an attempt to stop and pay a visit.  It was just one of these many casinos you see almost everywhere you go, right?

Well, how wrong I was!  I still haven’t visited its casino site as the conference was held at the resort site (the tall building), and I was blown away!  We were given tours to its spa and many themed rooms.  One word: ‘Wow!’.  Even their standard room looks and feels better than most hotels’ standard rooms.  It’s a common feeling among my colleagues: who would have thought!

Of course my mind was also busy on setting up imaginary bride to different cool locations and/or spots, and there were many.  This place will definitely one of my favorites for bridal session photographs.

I must disclaim that I do not receive any incentives for praising about Tulalip.  I am doing this because I was genuinely and pleasantly surprised by its quality.  In the Communication seminar, one of the common mistakes is ‘prejudice’, a pre-formed opinion based on insufficient knowledge.  If there is anything I could have learned from this experience, it is to keep an open mind.  In many situations, my knowledge is not sufficient.