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I loved the movie "Saving Mr. Banks." The whole process of bringing the sweet story of the magical Mary Poppins to life was fun and inspiring.
So, it's appropriate that our show -- perched on Disney's doorstep -- shows every sign of being a magical success. Allow me a few observations on Orlando 2014:
- Zero logistical troubles. When GCSAA said "we're not mailing out badges anymore" I figured a registration debacle was sure to come. But, the new Bayer-sponsored registration system worked like a charm. Never once saw a line or people waiting. Well done.
- Interesting, engaging new classes. I heard rave reviews about some of the newer education offerings including the architecture session on Tuesday afternoon. Change is good!
- Actual industry news is happening. Plenty of new products rolling out and the intriguing partnership between Valent and Nufarm (the lovely folks sponsoring this enewsletter) all means great stuff for those observing our happy little business. More to come on that tomorrow,
- Relatively happy exhibitors. We'll see if traffic meets expectations tomorrow (always tough to keep folks on the show floor when the weather is nice) but the superintendents I talked with seem to feel obliged to spend more time with companies. There is a growing awareness that (duh!) the companies that exhibit here are supporting the profession and the profession should damned well support them.
- Social media is bringing bits and pieces of the show to attendees as well as the 75% of supers who don't attend. Time to get onboard the Twitter train folks! Kudos to Turf Republic, too, for their astounding, in-depth coverage of the event.
So, at a somewhat sour time in our market, The Orlando GIS seems to be a nice spoonful of sugar. The question is whether the show will continue to deliver on expectations. We'll let you know tomorrow as GCI's coverage continues.
