I have been told that at the NPA more business is done in the lobby than on the exhibit hall floor.
I ran into Andrew Blair in the lobby and he told me that the word "lobbyist" comes from the early days of politics in DC when lawyers would stand in the lobby of the Willard Hotel in the city and wait to meet senators and congressmen. They would then "lobby" them for favorable votes. THe term stuck…
I note that he, CEO of a major parking company, was in the lobby. Maybe there is something to this.
JVH
