I was 23 or so, more than two decades ago, when I last spent any measurable time in Atlantic City. A close friend of mine took me on a beautiful two-hour boat ride from Long Beach Island, N.J., to Harrah’s Marina & Casino to gamble a bit and eat lunch and dinner at the marina. The message was clear: It was probably best to not “gamble” by venturing out onto the boardwalk where there wasn’t much to be seen and your safety can be called into question; it was better to stay in near proximity to the marina and casino where your surroundings were controlled and guarded. In light of what I was able to ascertain from afar and from what was routinely reported on the news at the time, I heeded the advice. Fast forward, I attended our annual company conference last week at this year’s location: the Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City. A mere three-hour drive south from Bergen County, N.J., down the Garden State Parkway with traffic, I arrived and, to my surprise, was immediately taken aback. Something was different. For one, from the moment I headed in on the Atlantic City Expressway and had a chance to explore, of all things, the cleanliness of the highways, local streets, sidewalks, buildings, boardwalk and beach vividly stood out. Not a food wrapper, cigarette butt or the classic errant beer can or liquor bottle could be seen. Even the Tropicana’s parking garage was immaculate. Second, I was noticing many young couples walking around, some with children on a Monday afternoon. “What’s going on here?” I thought. So I parked, easily checked in and headed to my room for a two-night stay. While it may be true some of Atlantic City’s hotels and casinos have been challenged, like Revel, and the Tropicana and many other hotels and casinos are trapped aesthetically in the 80s, I must say the Tropicana was remarkably impressive. It was effective in keeping the casino (and everything we know a casino to be) separate from the hotel, restaurants and shops while keeping the venues in close enough proximity to each other to allow for efficient accessibility. I, too, must commend the Tropicana for its terrific meeting space, a pleasant and helpful staff and in-house catered food that surprised even the most finicky of my teammates, me most of all. Honorable mentions must also go to Continental Atlantic City at the Pier and the Palm Restaurant inside the Tropicana for knocking it out of the park with drinks and dinner! We all agreed on how well time passed and how effective our annual corporate meeting had been, largely as a result of the venue. So a BIG thumbs up for a BIG surprise goes out to Atlantic City and the Tropicana Casino and Resort. See you next year for sure, maybe sooner! — David Katz, director of sales & marketing