From the Publisher: Reviewing the 2008 Show
The 2008 Show was so much larger than the 2007 with standing-only crowds
by Pat McCarrell | Published in June 2008 conferences | Fabulous Showcase Event | From the Publisher | trade shows | Departments
If it seems like just a few months ago I was welcoming you to the magazine issue where we review all that occurred at our annual conference and trade show, that’s because it was. The December 2007 issue reviewed our last summertime event, held in August 2007 in Miami Beach.
Now, just sixth months later, we’re reviewing the next show, this one held in February in Las Vegas. What a difference six months make.
I was astounded at how much larger the show was: more than 8,000 people, 100 seminars and 900 exhibits on the trade show floor. I was equally astounded that the intimacy we enjoyed in the previous 10 smaller shows was not lost.
Sure, many seminars were standing-room-only, but what they lacked in space seemed to be made up in spades by the energy of the conference-goers in the rooms. In the hallways between sessions, there was a spring in the step and a light in the eyes of attendees as they scanned programs and room numbers to get to the next class.
The events were equally amazing. Hundreds of event suppliers introduced their products and services. From the fantastic production of the Grand Opening Session by Sheila Stack of Impact Productions, to the Opening Night Las Vegas event at Chameleon Studios, to the most Fabulous Showcase Event ever held, ideas were everywhere you turned.
In the following pages, we’ve attempted to synopsize the entire five days into the magazine, though some of the energy will undoubtedly be lost in the translation. Like the show itself, the show review issue is a massive undertaking that we could not bring you without the dedicated efforts of our staff, whom I want to thank deeply.
We hope that those of you who attended can thumb through these pages and recall some of what you saw, or locate one of the suppliers who showcased themselves at the event that you just knew you wanted to call when you got home but never did.
I also realize that most of the 30,000 of you reading this were not among the attendees at the show. Perhaps for you the translation of the conference into the magazine will trigger the response that leaps to my mind right off: Where were you?
About the author: Pat McCarrell
Pat McCarrell was formerly the publisher and editor of Event Solutions magazine.
Contact: editor@event-solutions.com