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Let's just get this out of the way: It's been cold in Alamo City (and most of the rest of the U.S.) and lots of folks are having a hard time getting here.
This crap happens every few years no matter where the show is located. I personally think San Antonio is great. Most people are congregated in the big hotels near the convention center and the River Walk is an American treasure. Kind of a drag that it's been chilly but today and tonight should be way nicer.
The people in this business are fantastic. If you come to this event you will renew friendships, make new ones and walk away with a pile of business cards and a great feeling about being a turfhead. Here are a few memories and moments thus far.
The best thing in the world happened to me Sunday shortly after I arrived. I got a text from Bill Brown of Turf Republic fame inviting me to join him and some other folks at the Hyatt. I walked in and found a bunch of friends...and one very special person I'd never met: Gloria VanBuskirk. I wrote about Glo -- the wife of Massachusetts super Jason VanBuskirk and followed her heart-wrenching and then inspiring story through his blog posts during her coma and subsequent recovery (CLICK HERE to read "Glo"). I hugged her, she gave me one of the best smooches of my life and I cried. Reason #458 why I love my job.
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Frank Dobie of Sharon GC |
I decided to sit down for a few minutes in the main convention center lobby on Monday. Our friend Tim Moraghan joined me after a bit and -- four hours later -- we had talked with 50 or so of the best superintendents, suppliers and other turfheads in the world who just happened to walk by. We saw Shaun Emerson, Matt Shaffer, Mark Kuhns, Steve Cadenelli, Bruce Williams, Gary Grigg, Bob Farren, Darren Davis, Jeff Markow, Chris Dahlhamer, etc., etc., etc. Seriously, I'm not sure why GCI even gets a booth at the show.
I spent today schmoozing and wandering around the show floor checking things out as the "some assembly required" part of exhibiting at this thing took place before my eyes. There are plenty of great displays out there (the Toro booth is astounding) but the scope of seeing 500 companies supporting our industry is amazing.
When I first started in this crazy business almost 30 years ago, my job was to run around the show and take pictures of people and stuff. Some things never change.
What will today hold? Well, more new product unveilings, 13,000 folks yakking and networking and lots of friendships, old and new, being renewed or begun. That's what GIS is all about.
