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Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m excited.

On Monday night I’ll board a chartered United Airlines jet bound for Copenhagen, Denmark to take part in the selection process for the host city of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee will decide on Friday, October 2^nd whether Tokyo, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro or Chicago will host the world’s largest sporting event.

As an on-going student of history, I have some sense of what I think the experience might be like. I know that bringing the Olympic Games to Chicago would be one of the great moments in the city’s history. I know there would be a significant economic impact throughout the entire region; the lasting tourism benefit is quite impressive.

I also know that if I had the chance to witness Daniel Burnham’s pitch to the 1893 World’s Fair committee… selling the prospect of a rebuilt, but at the time largely unbuilt, Chicago… I would have wanted to be in that room. Burnham succeeded. I believe this is a similar moment in time and that is the simple reason as to why I am going to Copenhagen.

I am an event guy. I have worked on hundreds of events in my life. From professional tennis and golf events, beauty pageants, major parades, conventions, and even working under the direction of the secret service on Obama’s Election Night Rally in Grant Park, I get great energy from being part of big events.

I have the perfect job for that since Chicago Trolley & Double Decker is involved in so many of the area’s major events. Just in the past month we provided service for the Air and Water Show, Lollapalooza and helped Oprah create a special TV studio on top of one of our double decker buses for her 24^th Season Kickoff Party held on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile.

Events are in my blood.

What’s nice about this trip to Copenhagen is that I was invited to attend by the Chicago 2016 Bid Committee as a supporter and member of the delegation because of my involvement from the beginning. I will tell you about those activities along the way. Just to be clear, I won’t be co-presenting with anyone named Obama, Daley, Ryan or Winfrey, but I will be there to watch as this part of history unfolds.

It’s been fun this week to read the papers and see who would be the latest additions to the guest list! I’ll bet there will be some surprises before we are through.

So I will be in the room, in the cheering section, talking up the benefits of Chicago to anyone who will listen. I plan to file some notes here each day.  And I hope to make this a reasonably entertaining look at who’s involved, places we are exploring in our free time, and what the real buzz is from the front lines.

I have a feeling this trip will be something truly special and I’m excited.