In order to learn a new product, German engineering and marketing directors were asked to visit the west coast of the US and instruct all sales representatives on any innovations realized on the products we represented around the country. All salespeople were invited, and we all complied.
It was my responsibility to schedule the venue, travel, meetings, hotels, meals and all other details to not only instruct and teach, but also to round up the boring couple of days with some entertainment. My lucky stars were in a row, and I scheduled a trip to Disneyland about mid-morning of the third day so we could watch the Disney parade at night.
Several of the German non-smiling directors, with their very professorial attitudes were not too keen on spending some of their valuable time on a kid’s theme park and were very vocal about it. I won, because I was in charge and they finally agreed to ride in a van I had leased for the meeting; the van was accessible to airports, hotel and best of all a trip to Disneyland.
Our driver was a fun fellow who worked for the local distributor in their warehouse, shipping and inventorying the different products brought to the US from several European companies. He was a fine young man and a terrific driver; he was also a delightful tour guide when asked about the different buildings and other landmarks as we rode.
Tickets were already in house, so there was no need to wait in line; our guests were loosening up a bit and they finally thought and agreed the trip to Disneyland was a good idea, not great, just good. There was no language barrier, as our guests spoke English well enough to ask for directions and with maps on hand, we all parted ways to find our preferred rides or entertainment.
First, popcorn was needed. Found one of the engineers at the candy store asking for the same thing, so I was delighted to walk along with him and enjoy the scenery; little did I know in Germany popcorn is eaten with sugar, not salt. His first kernel made his mouth pucker and he almost spit it out! I was most apologetic for the lack of information, but there was nothing one could do about the difference in cultures. So sorry. After a while, he started to enjoy the butter and salt, and all was well.
After several hours of walking, riding the train, enjoying the music and the parade, we were ready to return to our hotel and rest; the next morning everyone was to depart to the airport and return to daily routines.
We waited for our driver and waited some more. He apparently was so involved in riding all the attractions he forgot the time we were scheduled to depart to our hotel. He eventually met us at the designated spot, apologized and brought the van around to the entrance to get everyone on board. Unbeknown to us, he had forgotten to fill the gas tank, and run out of gas just as we were leaving the park. So, we waited some more, in the van, while he waited for the AAA truck to bring gasoline and rescue us.
The end of the story is, while we waited for gas, everyone agreed we had a grand time.