President Calderon at PAACE Automechanika Mexico

So it's been a while since I've written because I've been finalizing everything for my event that is finally closing today! I will breathe a huge sigh of relief after this year's show is finished...it has however been a success! We had a special participant in the inauguration of the show on Wednesday...President Felipe Calderon. After hours and hours of meetings with his disorganized security staff over the past week, we finally worked came to an agreement with them. These men did NOT like the fact that I was a young gringa, a woman or that I had any type of ability to make a decision. They basically forced us into changing the hours of our event to accommodate the President's arrival and according to my staff here, we could have had some serious actions taken against us if we did not submit to their requirements...event shut down, inability to ever enter Mexico again (which would make me cry!), etc. Apparently they are not the people you want to mess with here in Mexico. On Wednesday, I entered the convention center to find out the Calderon's security staff had completely taken over with an army marching outside, metal detectors, barricades in the show and security bodyguards EVERYWHERE. It was quite the ordeal. All of the planning, headaches and trouble however paid off because when Calderon entered the building, he greeted me in the typical Mexican way with a handshake and kiss on the cheek.