In-person work increasingly replacing remote work big-time in Bay Area. Is this happening in your locale, too? The restaurants and retail near the office complexes should be feeling better about this. #business tinyurl.com/vzxdu5d8

I invite you to check out my latest article: "What Will You Paint on Your Canvas?" It's about starting projects, goals, sales, etc., with a "blank canvas" - and how we "paint" what happens next to accomplish our goal. tinyurl.com/yjfp8khk

Thanks to Hotel-Online for publishing my latest article, "What Will You Paint on Your Canvas?" How often do you start a plan or sales opportunity with the idea to "paint on a blank canvas"? Explore the ways to do so and #twistthefamiliar to stand out! hotel-online.com/news/what-will…

Terrific business meet-up and luncheon today by our Mt. Diablo Hospitality Alliance (SF east bay/nor CA), hosted by Wente Vineyards and their VP Brendan Finley. Terrific setting, wonderful food, and engaging business discussions. What a home run! Thank you very much Wente! David Rubens

We've all likely done this at one time or another while on vacation or travel. But you'll worry less if you have a strong #2 and a stout team back at home. Great #leaders develop others to pitch in, lead, make decisions, etc. It's about building #trust & #competency around you.

With #Thanksgiving coming, I'm reminded of a mentoring tip I got from John Metcalfe, founder of Associated Luxury Hotels many yrs ago. He sent Happy Thanksgiving cards to his customers rather than Christmas/Holiday cards. Why? Because nobody else did that. Twist the Familiar!

Hats off to the Lafayette Park Hotel for a wonderful pre-holidays customer appreciation party last night. They did a great job on food, service, and setting a terrific atmosphere for networking. Here with the hotel's Director of Sales @franpecho20 #hospitality #hotels #EventProfs

An annual tradition for our Mt. Diablo Hospitality Alliance - our fun Holiday Mixer last night, and this year we added a toy drive. It's a great way to chill with colleagues, share business opps, discuss trends, & toast the year we've had. At Luna Loca Restaurant, Danville, CA.

Hosted my 5th annual "Yuletide Classic" golf tourney for friends & family last Friday at Wente Vineyards. The course was in great shape, the weather was perfect, the staff really took care of us, and there were plenty of laughs all around with a modified "Ryder Cup" 2-person team format.

Attended Associations West Seasonal Spectacular yesterday in Sacramento - a fun gathering of #hospitality pros & #eventprofs working to do business together. Here with a star sales performer, my friend Lauren Siring Siring of the Monterey Plaza Hotel - Rocking it for her beautiful hotel!

Another enthusiastic, hard-working #hospitality. #destination salesperson putting her creativity to use in her booth at yesterday's “Seasonal Spectacular” tradeshow by Associations West in Sacramento was my new friend AnaLaura Becerra, CDME, CMP, CTA of travelsantaana. Way to go!

Always happy to meet enthusiastic, effective salespeople who really put in the work to draw #eventprofs to their booth & have real conversations with them. Here's Laura Fitzgerald representing The Walt Disney Company Disney at last week's Associations West Seasonal Spectacular in Sacramento.

With today as the unofficial "everybody back to work" day after the holidays, it's a great time to reinvigorate your business and delivery to your customers, to "twist the familiar." Never take customers for granted or sit on your laurels. Keep looking for new ways to wow them!

Great job by CEO Trish Snowden of PleasantHill_Chamber DMO today with their #VisitPleasantHill Annual Tourism Luncheon at the Hyatt House. She outlined how tourism efforts are showing terrific growth and recognition, and how important a committed community can be to driving business.

A terrific article from Meetings Today about the power and value of in-person meetings. From my own first-hand experiences, I don't think there's any question. Groups are posting record attendance at their events. tinyurl.com/3mdd2vdz #hospitality #eventprofs #meetings

I invite you to check out my new article that makes the case for building solid plans vs having trendy NYE-type resolutions at the beginning of the year that quickly fade away. "Stop Making Resolutions. Start Building Results" at Hotel-Online -tinyurl.com/mw2dvkb3

Fun lunch today with Donna Labriola of #WalnutCreek Downtown at the bustling new "Original Joe's" in Walnut Creek, CA. In just a few months since opening, it has become quite the popular place in town to try out wonderful dining and sharp service. This town has it going on!

Stunner of an article by Matt Shumer on #AI -- Not a treatise on the how to use it per se, but a bigger picture look and why you should jump in and get going, despite your fears or cynicism. It's an eye-opener! (2) Something Big Is Happening | LinkedIn

The late Jack Whitaker, an Emmy-winning and hall of fame broadcaster for several decades, said this (and it can apply to just about everything): "A good idea never loses its power, and it's always uncomplicated." Think how many things around us are unnecessarily complicated.