Valuable Training, Great Food, Windy City

However long your career spans, it’s never a bad idea to learn new ways to do your job better. Or simply reminded of old ways. And if you can do that in a city like Chicago, then it’s even better.

Last month, two of us CLM-ers [Morgan Lord and Jarred Blankenship] attended Second Wind’s Account Executive College in Chicago. The sixteen hours of intensive training gave us a chance to recharge and discover ways we can improve the client/agency relationship. The course taught us techniques to better communicate with our CLM clients as well as efficient processes to meet deadlines and budgets. Topics such as account and strategic planning, the importance of research, and the role of integrated marketing are just a few that were covered.

After long hours in the classroom, it was time to hit the town. Our home for the three days was the Intercontinental Hotel, which happens to be the home of Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse and Eno, a fantastic wine tasting room. These two were our launching pads before hitting other hot spots. A favorite was dinner at Frontera Grill, the restaurant owned by the famous Rick Bayless. (If you didn’t already know, Rick Bayless was the winner of the first Top Chef Masters and we discovered why). Then we hit up The Rosebud, a classic Italian restaurant just off Chicago’s famed Rush Street, for night #2.

CLM | Nov 15, 2011