The chance to join 2,500 professionals that share a vested interest in the success of CDFIs only comes around, well, once a year. What does it look like from start to finish for an attendee, a dad/husband and a business owner to make the journey from home on the East Coast wayyyyyy out to the West Coast to attend the 2024 OFN Conference? Well, I will show and tell you.
On The Way to 2024 OFN Conference
My connection from home to CLT got off to a great start. First, boarding was a breeze and we pushed back from the gate 20 minutes early! I’ll have plenty of time to make my connection. Second, I had no seat mate in my row- that’s poor man’s first class right there. Then…..the pilot tell us we had to wait an hour on the tarmac for a landing slot to be assigned by ATC in CLT. So that was fun. I spent the time reviewing my schedule for the 2024 OFN Conference and realized I could squeeze in a session being led by the coolest guy I know- Wilson Lester of Partners in Equity. Finally we took off exactly 1 hour late. But that’s life.
Run the Race Set Before You
Saturday the 19th of October, American Airlines Flight 993 departed at 4:25pm from gate B5. I was at gate E32 at 4:07pm. American Airlines says they close boarding 15 minutes before stated departure time. Allegedly, the walk from E32 to B5 was a 17 minute walk. I had 3 minutes before boarding ended. The marathon runner in me took over and I ran the race that was put before me-like The Bible tells us. I ran that race with my backpack and carry-on in just under 6 minutes. Scanned my boarding pass and the agent closed the door behind me. I had made the plane by 30 seconds. The flight from CLT to LAX was great and was reminded that America is beautiful from the sky.
How I Spent My Sunday
I timed my sleep perfectly to align with local time and woke up ready to continue to work on preparations for something new we are working on here at Abacus. My wife and kids met our best friends for church and I joined in online from the road. I grew tired of my hotel room and headed downstairs to the hotel lobby to get some coffee and write this post. I have seen some OFN staff working on the final details for the 2024 OFN Conference. If past conferences are any indication, it is going to be a great week.