My VIP Experience at the 2015 North American International Auto Show #7AutoShow #NAIAS

The Detroit Auto Show is where the Cars are the Stars....

On Thursday night, my son and I were fortunate to attend a Tweet Up during Industry Days at the North American International Auto Show sponsored by Channel 7 News and Specs Howard School of Media Arts. We are part of a group of about 100 Metro Detroiters who received complimentary VIP access to the show to view all the cars and displays up close and personal. After putting on our special Tweetup t-shirts and credentials, we are all set to view the pageantry.

The Ford exhibit was awesome and the Ford GT was the star...

As a Ford employee, you know I had to make a stop at the Ford exhibit where the all new Ford GT was on display and getting lots of attention. The Ford exhibit also has a lot of interactive displays, one of which is a camera that displayed a photo of my son and me on the ceiling (made to look like the sky) of the exhibit for everyone to see.

I could not believe that I was sitting in a $400,000 car! Thank you Bentley....

When we came to the Bentley exhibit, I could not believe that they were allowing people (in groups of 4) to enter the display and sit in the $400,000 cars.  And yes, everything inside and outside of a Bentley is quality to the max.

Best inactive display was from Dodge where the car was the video controller...

If you like interactive displays, one of the best was in the Dodge exhibit were the driving game controller was an actual Dodge Charger!!!

Alfa Romeo has a $10,000,000 car on display!

The Alfa Romeo exhibit pays homage to the past with some classic race cars on display that are worth over 10 million dollars. And yes, there are people standing guard to make sure no one touches these priceless cars.

With so much to see and do, make sure to check it out for yourself during public days at the North American International Auto Show which run from Saturday, January 17th thru Sunday, January 25, 2015.

Check out the NAIAS website for info on tickets and parking

North American International Auto Show (NAIAS)
Cobo Hall in Downtown Detroit
January 17 - 25, 2015
www.naias.com

We absolutely LOVE this! MT @wxyzdetroit: WOW! What a fantastic turnout for the #7AutoShow Tweetup! #NAIAS pic.twitter.com/NJ87OTugqU #FordNAIAS
— Ford Auto Shows (@FordAutoShows) January 16, 2015

And be sure to follow Channel 7 Detroit on Facebook and Channel 7 Detroit on Twitter so you will be "in the know" when they announce other great social media VIP events like this Auto Show Tweet Up.

Like my photos in this post? They were taken with my awesome Samsung Galaxy Smart Camera which I reviewed back in 2013


Enjoy!


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FREE Rayovac Powers Your Vacation Twitter Party 5/19 7pm

Join the FREE #Rayovac Powers Your Vacation Twitter Event on May 19th at 7pm

Join Rayovac and MomSelect for a Twitter Event to support the exciting Rayovac Powers Your Vacation-Magic Wand Sweepstakes. The evening will feature more than 20 fun giveaways from Rayovac ranging from a summer supply of Rayovac Batteries to Disney Gift Cards.

Rayovac Powers Your Vacation Sweepstakes
Date: Wednesday, May 19th
Time: 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. CST
Location: #rayovac
Follow: @Rayovac_Battery, @MomTalkRadio, @CirclePRMary



And watch this video and go to  http://www.rayovac.com/disneyvacation/ to learn about the Rayovac Powers Your Vacation-Magic Wand Sweepstakes

Enjoy!

1st TWEET & TASTE Michigan 3/8 8pm

Join in Monday, March 8th for the first ever Tweet & Taste Michigan

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When: Monday, March 8 at 8 p.m. EST

What is it: Join MichiganByTheBottle, the winemaker, a master sommelier and several local wine bloggers as they explore a select group of wines from Black Star Farms and share tasting notes and impressions on Twitter.

RSVP on the Facebook Event Page

Click here for more info

Shannon Casey, from MichiganByTheBottle, explains how Tweet & Taste Michigan works and walks you through tweeting using the #ttmi hashtag.

How it works:
•Pick up the wines we are tasting at your local wine shop or online. Black Star Farms is offering $.01 shipping to business addresses for participants who order between February 23 and March 9. Use code TweetNTaste in the online shopping cart or place your order by calling 231-944-1270. (For questions or possible exceptions on the shipping discount please call Black Star Farms at 231-944-1311)

•Log into Twitter on Monday, March 8, at 8 p.m. (using either Twitter.com or your favorite Twitter client, such as TweetDeck).

•Search using #ttmi (this is the hashtag that we will add to all of our posts).

•As the wines are tasted, share your impressions and feel free to ask the winemaker any questions. Add #ttmi after every post, to ensure everyone sees it.

REVIEW: Working Mom's "Me Time" Twitter Party

When I joined twitter earlier this year, I never thought I would be using it to party. But, last night I did just that at the first ever "Working Mother Me Time Twitter Party" event hosted by Working Mother Magazine and Country Inns & Suites By Carlson.

The event lasted one hour and encouraged us working moms to take this time as a break to figure out how to find a little "Me Time" in our busy schedules. Using tweets, moms (and some dads) shared their stories and thoughts on how to (or why they cannot) carve out some time just for themselves.

Working Mother Magazine asked a series of thought provoking questions to get everyone talking, laughing and relating:

- What do you do just for YOU?

- Is is easier to find time for yourself at home or away from home?

- What's the funniest "Me Time" thing you have ever done?

- Do you think your significant other or children understand or support your need for "me time"?

- What is the difference in the way or how often you spent "me time" before and after you had kids?

- What special "me time" activities do you do on business trips?

- What are your biggest fears about leaving home and taking a retreat?

- Describe the best solo or "girlfriend" retreat you have ever taken. What made it so special?

- Does holiday travel pose family stress or is it just fun?

- If you had an extra hour a day, what would you do for yourself?

I learned from the conversation that all of us are feeling stressed and are putting everything first before ourselves. But I also learned some moms and dads are squeezing out "me time" where they can. The success stories ranged from putting the kids to bed early (one parent said bedtime is 7pm!), to mini spa treatments, to lunches with friends, to reading and tweeting behind a locked bathroom door. The stories I heard made me remember one Mother's Day when I locked myself in my bedroom with my TV and remote as a present to myself - that was one of the best Mother's Day presents I ever had!

As parents, we all know that family time is very important. But tonight's conversation also brought out that family time has to be balanced with "me time".

The one question that really made me think was concerning my best "girlfriend retreat". The question made me realize that I have not had a girlfriend retreat since I became a mom because my friends and I have not made the time. Well, one lucky mom at the party will now have to make the time since she won the grand prize of the event - A special girlfriend retreat package courtesy of Country Inns & Suites By Carlson.

This virtual party was a whole lot of fun. I learned good tips, heard many funny stories, made some new friends, and released the stress from my day. Thanks Working Mother Magazine and Country Suites. Let's do it again real soon.

By the way, the most popular answer to the last question "If you had an extra hour every day, what would you do for yourself?" was to take a hot bath or sleep. They both sound good, but I would have to add bargain shopping to that list!

(Graphic above from WorkingMother.com)