Breaking News about global innovations

An oldie but still a good example of combining live action, voiceover, graphics and animation in video. I produced this in 2011 for the Hampton Roads Partnership during the Vision Hampton Roads kick-off for their Innovate!HamptonRoads™ program, aimed at regional economic diversification by connecting entrepreneurs, ideas and investment.

Vision Hampton Roads (website archived by Hampton Roads Community Foundation) was the first region-wide Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy to serve as the region’s roadmap to help navigate its course to the future. Direct YouTube video link.

"We have Breaking News about global innovations discovered right here in America's First Region."

"Hampton Roads is in the heart of the Mid Atlantic in Coastal Southeastern Virginia ... an 'innovation hotspot' on a global scale."

More about innovation, entrepreneurship and education in Hampton Roads (direct video link to presentation I created for HRP):

WHRO Downtown Abbey - Masterpiece Trip Itinerary

 

Bert & I dressed up for a
 Downton Abbey-inspired
garden party at Hermitage Museum,
Norfolk, Virginia (USA)

What a joy it has been following the lifestyles of the Edwardian-era upper class and their servants in the PBS TV series Downton Abbey. From the sinking of the Titanic, through foxhunts and fairs, birth and death, taxes and tea parties, not to mention the unpleasantness of being a woman in this time period, the land of my forefathers is quite entertaining, to say the least.

 

We're experiencing the real Downton Abbey this Fall 2014! My hubby Bert Schmidt, President/CEO of WHRO, and I lead a group of anglophiles on a tour of merry old England, the Masterpiece Theater way. We'll visit Buckingham Palace, enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour and private dining at the real Downtown Abby - Highclere Castle, and stroll through the villages and taverns we’ve seen in the TV show, and much, much more.

 

Here's our itinerary:

 

Saturday, September 20
Bert and I arrive a day ahead of the rest of our group. Our flight brings us into Heathrow Airport on Saturday morning...and if all goes well with our travels, we plan to spend the evening with an "Eye" outing, that is, on the giant London Ferris wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames!

 

 

Sunday, September 21
Day One: WHRO group arrives, meeting at our hotel, The Rubens at the Palace, 39 Buckingham Palace Road, SW1W 0PS London, United Kingdom. (read more)

 

Monday, September 22

Day Two: Downton Touring #1 in the village of Bampton, Devon. (read more)

 

Tuesday, September 23
Day Three: London Touring starting with the Churchill War Rooms, Clive Steps, King Charles Street, SW1A 2AQ London, United Kingdom. (read more)

 

Wednesday, September 24

Day Four: Downton Touring #2 at Highclere Castle, Highclere Park, RG20 9RN Newbury, Berkshire. (read more)

 

Thursday, September 25 - Sunday, September 28
The WHRO portion of the trip is at an end, while Bert and I continue on to Paris through the Chunnel (English Channel Tunnel) via the Eurostar rail line and plan to explore Paris on our own, from our headquarters at Radisson Blu Champs-elysees.

WHRO Downtown Abbey Trip 2014 - Day One

Sunday, September 21
Day One: WHRO group arrives in London.
The Rubens at the Palace, 39 Buckingham Palace Road, SW1W 0PS London, United Kingdom

 

• Our group meets at Heathrow Airport for transfer to Rubens at the Palace, the majestic 4-star luxury hotel which recalls the magnificence and splendor of a bygone age, yet with the latest in modern comforts and technology. From the windows of the Rubens, we can watch the comings-and-goings of Buckingham Palace guardsmen in the Royal Mews, or step outside to share in the unforgettable daily pageant of the Changing of the Guard.
• Check-in and enjoy lunch on our own, then meet our guide and take a relaxing panoramic tour of London by boat on the River Thames.
• This evening, a private cocktail reception and dinner will be held at the hotel, where we will screen the first episode of Downton Abbey Season 5 (subject to scheduling, not available in the U.S. until January 2015).

 

WHRO Downtown Abbey Trip 2014 - Day Two

Monday, September 22
Day Two: Downton Touring #1
Village of Bampton, Devon

 

Today, we meet our private driver and guide for a full day of exploring:

• An early morning visit of Buckingham Palace State Rooms, which are only open to the public for a few months each year.
• Drive to the picturesque village of Bampton, used for all external village scenes in Downton Abbey.
• Enjoy a lovely lunch at The Swan, the pub where a very key Downton Abbey storyline was filmed. [spoiler alert]
• Return to our hotel for a leisurely evening.

 

WHRO Downtown Abbey Trip 2014 - Day Three

Tuesday, September 23
Day Three: London Touring
Churchill War Rooms, Clive Steps, King Charles Street, SW1A 2AQ London, United Kingdom

 

We meet our private driver and guide for a full day of exploring in the city:

• Visit Churchill’s Cabinet War Rooms, where Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his cabinet members worked underground throughout the expected air raids on London, directing England through World War II until the lights were finally switched off in August 1945.
• Enjoy lunch at our leisure and spend the afternoon shopping or taking in London’s highlights on our own.
• We're considering another Masterpiece visit, this one to Mr. Selfridges.
• Evening at leisure.

 

WHRO Downtown Abbey Trip 2014 - Day Four

Wednesday, September 24
Day Four: Downton Touring #2

Highclere Castle, Highclere Park, RG20 9RN Newbury, Berkshire

 

Departing London, we'll be on our way for the once-in-a-lifetime, private visit to Highclere Castle, the centerpiece of the PBS show we all know and love, Masterpiece's Downton Abbey, a dramatic exploration of the British relationship between upper and lower classes.

• By special permission of Lady Carnavon, we've been granted exclusive access to Highclere Castle's State Rooms, grounds and Egyptian exhibition.
• Enjoy lunch in the Castle's beautiful State Dining Room, the very dining room featured in "Downton" itself. Lady Carnarvon herself may join us to personally host part of the day.
• During its summer public season, Highclere Castle welcomes nearly 1,500 people every day through its doors, so this is a truly unique opportunity to have Downton Abbey all to ourselves for the day!
• Our driver and guide will return us to the Rubens at the end of this very special day, so we may enjoy our evening at leisure.

 

 

 

While not technically a ‪#‎Masterpiece event, what trip to London would be complete without a show at The National? Bert and I have tickets for the Wednesday 9/24 performance at 7:30pm of "War Horse."

 

For more, subscribe to Lady Carnarvon's blog, a behind the scenes look at her life and home and anecdotes from everyday life at Highclere Castle. The world of Highclere still exists with its own community of Chefs, Gardeners and Housekeepers, Colin the Butler and Jo the Groom as well as all the other people who make the ‘Real Downton Abbey’ a welcoming place for visitors today.

Pierson-Schmidt Wedding in Taos, NM

Fabulous family wedding June 21, 2014, in Taos, New Mexico.

Groom = Mark Schmidt, younger brother of my hubby Bert.

Bride = Abby Pierson (his gorgeous "catch")

See pictures from the Pierson-Schmidt photo album.

I've been remiss in maintaining my personal blog since joining xTuple (February 1, 2012), the leading provider of commercial open source business management software for growing companies. Check out the xTuple website and the reason is clear...we are a fast-paced, growing company ourselves.

Headquartered in the “innovation corridor” of downtown Norfolk, Va., xTuple integrates all critical functional areas of a business in one software system: sales, accounting, and operations– including customer and supplier management, inventory control, manufacturing and distribution. As a commercial open source company, xTuple works with a global community of tens of thousands of professional users. xTuple gives customers the ability to tailor solutions with multi-platform support for Windows, Mac, Linux and mobile as well as flexible licensing and pricing options. Read more via the open source community and join the innovation conversation at xTuple.org.

Follow us @xTuple || #ERP #CRM #accounting

About #xTupleCon14
Held in the downtown business district at the premier Norfolk Marriott Waterside Hotel and Conference Center, the annual xTupleCon brings together a global community of open source technologists and ERP users to learn, collaborate and innovate. For 2014, attendees experience two days of in-depth pre-conference hands-on workshops, a VIP welcome reception, awards dinner, door prizes, invaluable training, and more. xTupleCon14’s week-long events run Monday, October 13, through Saturday, October 18, 2014.

About xTuple, the world’s #1 open source ERP
Award-winning xTuple, makers of the world’s leading suite of open source accounting, Corporate Relationship Management (CRM) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), is supply chain management software for growing businesses to control their operations and profitability. xTuple integrates all critical functional areas in one modular system: sales, financials and operations — including customer and supplier management, inventory control, manufacturing and distribution — the powerful tools to Grow Your World®. CIO Review named xTuple a top company in the forefront of tackling Manufacturing Technology challenges and impacting today’s marketplace.

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From blueprints to buildouts, xTuple helps foster startups in the heart of the Mid-Atlantic technology corridor between Research Triangle, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C., as a committed, passionate member of the Norfolk/Virginia Beach tech community. Learn more at xTuple.com/aboutus.