--- title: "Daily Buzz: Raising the Vacation Stakes" id: "47816" type: "post" slug: "daily-buzz-raising-the-vacation-stakes" published_at: "2019-08-29T19:21:34+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-17T02:00:42+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2019/08/29/daily-buzz-raising-the-vacation-stakes/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2019/08/29/daily-buzz-raising-the-vacation-stakes.md" excerpt: "An association industry pro puts more work into his out-of-office messages than most people do into their vacations. Also: The MacBook Pro is getting even harder to travel with on some airlines." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "Content Creation" - "Marketing" - "Public Relations" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" - "Executive Leadership" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Daily Buzz: Raising the Vacation Stakes An association professional was recently featured on a popular public radio program, and the reason why is, well, unexpected. Andy Freed, CEO of the association management company [Virtual, Inc. (opens in a new tab)](https://virtualinc.com/) , was highlighted on American Public Media’s *Marketplace* program for his long, highly produced out-of-office messages, which he has created in video form since 2012. The clips, which [can be viewed on his website (opens in a new tab)](https://andyisooo.com/) , are often riffs on popular movies. The most recent one was a 27-minute-long parody of *Game of Thrones*, called “Vacation Is Coming.” Really. Explaining why he takes such an elaborate approach to something so traditionally banal, Freed said he started doing offbeat messages about 15 years ago and tries to top himself every year. “Life is boring enough, and it’s fun to just have some fun in places you might not be expecting to,” [Freed told the radio show (opens in a new tab)](https://www.marketplace.org/2019/08/22/automatic-reply-vacation-is-coming/) . ### MacBook Flight Woes > Comment: MacBook Pro airline bans getting out of hand, but Apple can solve it [https://t.co/6UGHrQ2aeG (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/6UGHrQ2aeG) > by [@benlovejoy (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/benlovejoy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [pic.twitter.com/8Nv7eZQwWs (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/8Nv7eZQwWs) > > — 9to5Mac (@9to5mac) [August 29, 2019 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/9to5mac/status/1167035355612295173?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **If you own a MacBook Pro** and are heading to Australia anytime soon, you definitely want to read this. [As 9to5Mac notes (opens in a new tab)](https://9to5mac.com/2019/08/29/macbook-pro-airline-bans/) , two Australian airlines have taken steps to regulate MacBook Pros in planes in response to a recent product recall. Virgin Australia is requiring passengers to travel with the laptops in carry-on luggage, while Qantas (which mostly provides long-haul service) requires that *all* MacBook Pros, not just the recalled ones, must be turned off during flight. While no U.S. airlines have announced such requirements yet, it’s worth keeping an eye on if you’re a Mac user, as travel regulations in one part of the world tend to spread elsewhere. For more on this subject, check out [our recent piece](https://associationsnow.com/2019/08/dont-let-your-road-warriors-get-caught-off-guard-by-device-recalls/) about how device recalls can really throw a monkey wrench into travel. ### Other Links of Note **Travel-size toiletries are moving out of hotel rooms.** Marriott, the world’s largest hotel chain, [just announced a plan (opens in a new tab)](https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/29/business/marriott-eliminating-plastic-toiletries-trnd/index.html) to switch to larger, reusable bottles. **Remote work provides a lot of freedom,** but it comes with some big drawbacks. [Fast Company lays them out (opens in a new tab)](https://www.fastcompany.com/90395082/how-to-address-the-productivity-and-satisfaction-pitfalls-of-remote-work) . **You may have a chief marketing officer,** but might you be better off with a “customer value officer”? On *CustomerThink*, Vince Jeffs [makes the case (opens in a new tab)](http://customerthink.com/dear-cmo-sorry-but-we-need-a-cvo-customer-value-officer/) for a change. (via Vimeo) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#Content Creation](https://associationsnow.com/tag/content-creation/) [#Marketing](https://associationsnow.com/tag/marketing/) [#Public Relations](https://associationsnow.com/tag/public-relations/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoForesightWorks Live– The Shifting Environment for ContentJune 25, 2020](https://associationsnow.com/2020/06/25/foresightworks-live-the-shifting-environment-for-content/) - [ArticleProof Versus PromiseSeptember 16, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/16/proof-versus-promise/) - [VideoRecap from the 2025 ASAE MMC+Tech ConferenceMay 19, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/05/19/recap-from-the-2025-asae-mmctech-conference/) - [VideoSneak Peek: Highlights from Day 2 of the 2025 ASAE MMC+Tech ConferenceMay 14, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/05/14/sneak-peek-highlights-from-day-2-of-the-2025-asae-mmctech-conference/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2019%2F08%2F29%2Fdaily-buzz-raising-the-vacation-stakes%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !