The Recession Is Over!
January 12, 2011
As I walked into the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) 2010 trade floor, it was clear that there was an energy level on the floor that I had not felt in 10 years. This industry took a
At Your Service
November 17, 2010
It has been one of those months—the kind where there seems to be a permanent target on your back. It began with my partner trying to rent a car. We both travel a lot, and are members of this company’s
Better City, Better Life
July 9, 2010
As the axiom goes, in 1810 the savvy entrepreneur should have gone to London, in 1910 they should have been in New York, and in 2010 they should be in Asia. Having recently returned from Shanghai, China and the World’s
Safe Disposal Of Green Rhetoric
August 18, 2009
I admit it. I’m tired of being lectured to about green building and sustainability. I’m not tired of the concepts; I like to think that I have subscribed to and enacted sustainable practices in my life and work for many
More Client Expectations
February 6, 2009
“Learn who your client is, ask about their expectations, and listen to the answer.” That was how I closed my previous column, in which I detailed some of our experiences being on the client side of the fence, while building
Great Expectations
November 1, 2008
Do you know what your client expects from a project? Currently, we’re experiencing life from the client side of the fence, and learning from the experience. Thorburn Associates is expanding its offices in North Carolina. We grew, we ran out
Can You See Me Now?
June 26, 2008
How do we have a good video meeting? The answer is the same as for a face-to-face meeting-we need to hear and see well in order to communicate and meet effectively. In terms of videoconferencing, how do we set things
The State Of Themed Entertainment
October 31, 2005
School has started back up for the Fall, and the themed entertainment conference time has begun. The middle of September found us in Birmingham, England for the International Leisure Industry Week (LIW). The end of September found us in Maastricht,
Devil In The Details
July 18, 2005
Let’s look at the word “submittal.” The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language’s third definition of submittal is: to commit (something) to the consideration or judgment of another. From a consultant’s point of view, submittals are printed documents or
Time Out Of Mind
June 21, 2005
Why does the last 20 percent of the project seem to take 80 percent of the time? Our challenge in the last few months has been dealing with or trying to deal with closeout submittals-one of those nasty little things