Mike Staver's Blog

My colleague and friend Jeff Siegel is a meeting planner. Like most meeting planners he is thorough, focused on the client and very detail oriented. I was impressed right away by how effective he was at bridging the gap between a customer he knows well and me, a speaker who the client had never worked with. What i was most impressed about with Jeff came as the result of a very casual conversation about a business he has started. He shared his idea and dream with me about it and asked that i give some thought to it and then share with him any counsel i may have. In a sentence or less let me share with you what he is doing. Jeff started a company called Relationtrips that inspires and helps parents connect on a profound level with their kids by creating meaninful adventures in travel. Not just some hokey trip to an amusement park but a fully involved adventure where kid and parent are actively involved in planning a journey complete with logos, themes, etc. Here’s the coolest part………..Jeff and his son Spence came up with the idea while watching a sporting event on TV. Jeff and Spence have experienced relationtrip after relationtrip and can entertain you for hours with stories from the road. What an impact they have had on each other. At the core of it all is Jeffs’ commitment to help parents and kids connect and learn about each other in significant ways without forcing the kid or the parent into some kind of contrived relationship. We could all learn alot from Jeff and his idea. I am very moved and impressed by his willingness and ability to share what he and spence have built with the world. If you get a change go to myrelationtrips.com. It’s in its infancy but I am sure Jeff would love to hear from you!!