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From the President, March 2002
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From a CSI press release, dated November 29, 2001: Construct America - which will debut in Chicago in April 2003 - will feature the following co-located trade shows:
Construct America will debut at the Chicago McCormick Place in 2003 and be held there through 2005, before it moves to the Las Vegas Convention Center in 2006. Starting in 2007, the show will alternate between Chicago and Las Vegas. There has been much debate about the reason for this change, and what it will mean for the convention, so I won't go into that again. At this point, it's a done deal. If you want to know more about it, read:
In short, the 2002 convention in Las Vegas will be the last one in the traditional end-of-June time slot. It also marks the end of the cross-country rotation of sites; until further notice, there won't be another show in Minneapolis, San Diego, Baltimore, or any of a long list of cities that are deemed to have inadequate facilities. the good old daysThe first convention I attended was in Chicago, in 1990. Just a country bumpkin myself, I couldn't believe all that the convention offered. As a relative newcomer to the world of specifications, I had a hard time deciding which seminars to go to, nearly every time slot had at least two that I wanted to see. Then there was the show floor - truly an amazing site! The largest conference I had been to before then was the annual AIA meeting in Minneapolis, which would have disappeared in McCormick Place. So many booths and so little time! I grabbed a convenient bag, went to the first booth on one side, and eagerly set off on an adventure of learning. As I neared the end of the first row of exhibits, I realized that I was doing something wrong. With shoulder bags on both arms, and another in each hand, walking became increasingly difficult as I accepted brochures, product binders, samples, candy, pens, and coffee mugs at booth after booth. Somewhere in the second aisle, I had to return to my hotel room to unload. It wasn't until much later that I learned that exhibitors were more than willing to send information by mail, or even to deliver it to my office in person. And then there were the parties. I had heard the term "hospitality suite" before, but I didn't really know what it meant. I thought the welcome reception was just fine, but Friday night was just too much! Parties, food, drink, and music 'til the wee hours of the morning. Programs, products, and parties - what more could I ask for? The parties also gave me a chance to meet other chapter members in a non-work environment. Until that time, my opinion of some of our esteemed specifiers was that they were, well, stuffed shirts - very professional, very proper, and not much fun at all. I recall seeing some of our more prestigious members dancing wildly away, sport coats off, ties loose, and working up a good sweat out on the floor. that was then and there, this is now - and hereThe time and location may have moved, but our annual convention still presents an excellent opportunity to learn more about our business, meet members from across the country, pick up a truckload of those all-important continuing education credits - and have a great time. As noted in the press release, the move to Chicago is accompanied by a change in schedule. That in itself may or may not be a good thing, but the change will also have a major local impact. Our Construction Expo (formerly known as the product fair) is in March. Obviously, we can't have our show in the same month as the convention, or even a month before or after. Fall is also a bad time, as we're either just getting a new year going, it's time for the AIA convention, or it's too close to Thanksgiving and Christmas, so we're looking at January for next year's Expo. If you haven't gone to convention before, make an effort to fit it into your schedule; it's a wonderful once-a-year opportunity. And this year you'll have a chance - a slim chance - to win enough to pay for the trip. Sheldon Wolfe, President |
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