Where in the world am I today?: Port Everglades, FL, USA
Got this tip from Willie Tyler the other day and thought it would make a good tip for a ‘Technical Tuesday’ entry. I work on cruise ships a fair bit and often I fly into ports in foreign countries and am picked up at the airport by a representative from the local port authority. The port authority is a local representative who looks after details for cruise ships that visit that particular port. When a new guest entertainer arrives, it’s often the port authority, who ensures that you get picked up, taken to what ever accommodations have been arranged and/or takes you directly to the ship you’ll be working on.
When I arrive in a country where I don’t speak the language, with a ton of props in tow I sort of stick out and people who are looking for a “Guest Entertainer Type” don’t usually have a hard time finding me.
Quite often they’ve got a sign with my name on it along with a sign that indicates which cruise line they’re working for. When I see a sign like this I breath a small sigh of relief that there’s actually someone there to pick me up (I’ve had a few instances where there wasn’t) and quickly walk over and introduce myself.
Ventriloquist, Willie Tyler took this concept one step further and travels with a sign that has his name on it so when he gets past the immigration formalities and has collected his baggage he can hold up a sign that helps identify himself to people who might be looking for him. Though not overly complicated, this sign has apparently saved his bacon on more than on occasion and I’ll be crafting a sign of my own when I get home from this current trip.
