2009 Convention Report

I recently saw a comment referring to this year’s convention as “great”. My initial inclination was to agree, but it got me thinking about what a given convention might mean to different attendees. I'm sure this year’s first-timers, award recipients, and new Fellows will long remember Indianapolis, while those who have been to many conventions may not. One thing I have learned from CSI conventions and conferences is that you shouldn’t be too ready to snub a host city. Indianapolis has museums, a zoo, a beautiful canal parkway, and other attractions within walking distance of each other. If you didn’t go this year because Indy wasn’t sophisticated enough for you, you missed a great experience.
snob: one who disdains people or things considered inferior

I recently saw a comment referring to this year’s convention as “great”. My initial inclination was to agree, but it got me thinking about what a given convention might mean to different attendees. My first convention was in 1990, and I have been to most of them since. I enjoyed every one, but, as you might expect, some were more memorable than others. For me, five conventions stand out: Chicago '90, San Diego '91, San Francisco '94, Dallas '01, and Las Vegas '02.

The 1990 Chicago convention was my first. About fifteen members of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Chapter chartered a bus and rode down together, and some of us shared rooms. The keynote speakers were Studs Terkel and Willard Scott, and programs included Editing On-Screen, Integration of CAD Drawings and Specifications, and CSI Format for Mechanical and Electrical Specifications. I couldn’t believe the show floor; I felt like a kid in a candy store! This was the pre-Internet era, and everything was distributed on paper, so every booth was stocked with boxes of literature. By the time I reached the end of the first aisle I knew I wouldn’t be able to get everything back to the hotel. An experienced conventioneer came to the rescue, telling me to take only the most interesting brochures, as the exhibitors were happy to send literature. (See my March 2003 TechNotes at http://snipurl.com/nk1gy for a few interesting scans of 1990 convention memorabilia.)

When I went to San Diego in 1991 I expected and got more of the same. There are two reasons it’s on my favorites list: It was my first visit to California, and I found out why everyone wants to go there; and I received my first Institute award that year, for creating a keyword index to the Manual of Practice. Also, it was the first time I was invited to an exhibitor-sponsored dinner, this one on a double-deck boat tour of the harbor. As I watched the daylight fade and the moon rise, I wished I had brought my family along, and vowed to bring them to a convention.

1994 was another year of great memories because of San Francisco itself, and because I brought my family. Since then, my wife has always accompanied me, and one or both of our children managed to go along a few more times. I think this was the year I became aware of how many members I knew in other chapters, and meeting them became a major part of attending conventions.

The 2001 convention in Dallas was a high, with a couple of Institute awards. The best thing was that it was the one and only time my wife attended the opening ceremonies, where awards were presented at that time. I was president-elect for my chapter that year, so my wife and I hosted the chapter hospitality suite. One night we must have had fifty people in the room! Finally, there was Las Vegas in 2002, where I received my Fellowship. It was our biggest family trip, with both children, their spouses, and my wife’s mother. We stayed in a great two-story apartment across the street from the Hilton, with an outdoor pool and no slot machines.

Looking back, it's easy to see that the relative greatness of a convention depends a lot on what happens there. I'm sure this year’s first-timers, award recipients, and new Fellows will long remember Indianapolis, while those who have been to many conventions may not.

Although one thing or another has occasionally been less than expected, I have never been to a bad convention. This year, as usual, I found information about a number of new or changed products that I put to use immediately, again demonstrating the value of the exhibit hall.

Another thing I have learned from CSI trips that you shouldn’t be too ready to snub a host city. The location definitely can improve the convention experience, but the programs and exhibits are useful regardless of where we go. I admit I have on occasion had reservations because of things I had heard - I didn't want to go to LA (too much traffic, too much smog), and I had little interest in going to Las Vegas because I’m not a gambler. In each case, I’m glad I went, as both cities were amazing, and each had something unique to offer.

I had been to Indy before, for a bi-region conference in 2002. Even though I am a Hoosier by birth, I had no expectations one way or the other, as all the time I spent in Indiana was either in the Fort Wayne area or near Columbus. We had a heck of a good time at that conference, and I was impressed by all the city had to offer. There is even more there now than seven years ago, yet many museums, the zoo, a beautiful canal parkway, and other attractions are within walking distance of each other. If you didn’t go this year because Indianapolis wasn’t sophisticated enough for you, you missed a great experience. Don’t make the same mistake next year.

The 2010 convention will be at the Philadelphia Convention Center, 11-14 May.

Comments

 
By: Donald G. Rowe
On: 07/29/2009 11:31:08
I just about past by this blog post thinking that I didn't need to read one more report on this or any other convention. I'm glad I didn't. Mr. Wolfe's review of the "Indy" convention was thoughtful and informative. It renewed by enthusiasm for these events. I was one of those snobs who snubbed Indianapolis. Of course, I've never been there, so my rejection is based only in preconceived disdain. Silly me. Thanks Sheldon for the gentle slap on the wrist.

I went to Baltimore in 2007; my first CSI convention. I packed in three days of educational goodies, including the exhibit hall where I made a list and mapped out my route through the "candy store." I didn't have time to waste wandering around that massive space. I was on a mission; I had work to do.

In the evening I explored Baltimore on foot, finding some (out-of-the-way) foodie dinning spots well worth the jaunt. I also got a taste of Baltimore by staying in a flat in a late 18th century row house that a family lets out to visitors. It was comfortable, quiet, unique. It was in a well-worn neighborhood to the west of downtown, but safe and "colorful." It seemed like a neighborhood slowly scratching its way back respectability. By staying there, I cut a little deeper into the soul of Baltimore that I would have missed had I staid in the Holiday Inn downtown.

~Donald Rowe, Rowe's Work Architecture
"Integrating Design and Practice"

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