Imaging USA 2011
Well, as all good things must, the 2011 Imaging USA conference has drawn to a close.
The weather in San Antonio has rally not been great, but today arrived with bright sunshine and warm temperatures. Finally, a day to enjoy in San Antonio. My first seminar wasn’t until 1 pm, so I roamed along the Riverwalk to see what I could see. Today was the first exciting photographic day at the conference. The rest had been cold and foggy. Cold I can shoot in, but fog takes away a lot of details.
Just outside my hotel
The Alamo
Does your downtown look like this? It does in San Antonio
Seminars ran from 1 pm until 6:30 today, and I was planning on hitting all of them. For me, the seminars are the reason I come to this conference. The trade show is great, but it doesn’t make any sense to spend thousands of dollars traveling to try to save hundreds of dollars in purchases.
After the seminars, the closing party was held by Kodak. A wonderful event and followed the theme of the next conference – New Orleans. There was plenty of pulled pork and black-eyed peas to enjoy. The music was great, and a grand time was had by all. I’m looking forward to New Orleans, as I have never been there, but it has always sounded like a fascinating place.
I am presently making my way back to Toronto, currently waiting in Chicago for my next chariot for the final leg of the journey.
Highlights of the conference:
- Great speakers
- Excellent opening and closing events.
- Great location.
Low lights of the conference
- Strange decision to not run seminars while trade show is running
- Some seminar rooms were skinny and deep, which made it hard to see the stage. In fact, it felt like a hallway.
- Too many great seminars happening at the same time.
- Seminars starting at 7am to avoid the trade show – and then nothing but trade show until late afternoon.
- United Airlines for ripping off the handle of my checked bag – thanks.
Recommendations
- Run seminars and the trade show at the same time. The seminars are secondary to the trade show, so the trade should just deal with seminars happening at the same time.
- This is a big one. To put it in perspective, I would still attend with no trade show, but I would pass if there were no seminars.
Next year, Imaging USA takes place in New Orleans. I have never been there, but this is also one of the four unique American cities according to Hemingway. I am definitely looking forward to it.