LAS VEGAS -- No wonder the reception is so poor in this town. Every CTIA Wireless delegate must have two phones and the one solution to bypass the wireless carrier. Keep dialing and keep dreaming.

Talking of dreaming, how about last night's Tryst? Hundreds thronged the SMS aggregator OpenMarket's celebration at the Tryst, the swanky and plush nightclub that is part of the extravagant Wynn hotel. OpenMarket senior marketing manager Amy Thomas -- she held the keys to last night's fun and did she wield them with them well ?

So again, with Lady Serendipity in tow, this writer bumped into Diane Strahan, vice president of mobile services at NeuStar; Jeff Hasen, vice president of marketing at HipCricket, and Alec Andronikov and Derek Merrill, CEO and vice president of products, respectively, of MoVoxx.

It was hard to ignore the waterfall in the background. An indoor waterfall in the desert. Only in Dubai and Las Vegas. The message for mobile marketers: no obstacle is insurmountable.

Now who's that very tall man in the distance? It couldn't be ? Rob Lawson. The president of Limbo was his usual charming self. He introduced this writer to an executive from content seller Flycell.

Talk quickly turned to kids when an acquaintance thrust an iPhone with an image of her young one in front of the Flycell executive. Emily Post's book on "Every Day Mobile Etiquette" is long due.

Even in that dark, but flattering light, it was hard to miss OpenMarket executive Jan's dazzling smile. Jan kindly invited this writer to the party. She is nothing but genial and friendly, with a kindly smile that begs for a return compliment. Oh no, she's blushing ?

With her was Alex, him too his usual charming self.

Had to say hello to OpenMarket's Nick McIlveen. Nick was in his typical upbeat element. He made an introduction to Tony Rose, president of Pacifica, CA-based drop in media. This entrepreneur has big plans for mobile.

A few more hellos later, it was back to the velvet rope area to thank Amy for her hospitality.

Amy's guest, Joe Cabral, senior business development executive at The Production Network, was standing by. His company built OpenMarket's booth for this week's CTIA Wireless show. It was fascinating to discuss the elements of branding that go into building an effective booth.

This publication's Jodie Solomon and Dan Butcher were there to represent the brand. They, like the other mod and hip people at the OpenMarket event, were out to make a hard day's night.

The OpenMarket party was certainly among the best networking events simply because it included three key ingredients: planning, smart guest list and great location. The net result was that it felt more like a social gathering than a corporate event.

Which is what dinner before the OpenMarket party felt like.

Sybase 365, a major messaging firm, invited key analysts and press to a sit-down dinner at the Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse across from the Monte Carlo casino hotel on the Strip.

It was grilled halibut for yours truly -- surely the best had in years. The best halibut in a desert.

Sitting next to Bill Dudley, group director of product management for Sybase 365 Mobile Services, is always a pleasure. Bill is extremely knowledgeable about the mobile market. Sitting next to his clients Paul Franz, vice president of worldwide sales at Digby. and Gene Lew, chief technology officer at Integra5, added to the stimulating conversation at the table.

Gene's company has developed technology to send text messages to your fridge.

What a day. More tomorrow on meetings with senior executives from key mobile companies. What did the executives from Yahoo, mBlox, Go2, GPS Core Technologies and the Mobile Marketing Association have to say? And how many mobile phones did they carry ?