Nervous Nelly Braces for Atlanta

Usually about this time of year I’m eagerly anticipating a chance to get on the road and get a chance to mingle with the familiar faces at national trade shows. But I don’t know, folks, this year I’m feeling a bit more trepidation about next week’s GlassBuild down in Atlanta.

For starters, my colleagues and I made the decision a couple months back to drive down to the show, our magazines and booth in tow. Seemed like a great idea at the time, until the reports started coming in about the terrible flooding the area is facing. Our hearts go out to those impacted by the floodwaters. But then too are the practical concerns, which began to worry me even before I chatted with Vitro’s Alice Dickerson about her downtown commute.

Assuming we make it to the show without problems, I know some of my coworkers are a wee bit concerned about the stories circulating regarding the H1N1 virus. Nowhere does a germaphobe live more in fear than in areas where large crowds circulate, eager to shake hands. So don’t be offended if you stop by Booth 2902 to talk with my colleagues Holly Biller and Katie Hodge, who will be manning the booth, and catch a glimpse of them heading straight for the hand sanitizer.

Then there’s the show itself. I’ve spent all day double-checking appointments, revising my seminar schedule and other such organizational tasks. Unfortunately, it feels like the second I’ve written down a booth number, that company is no longer on the exhibit list, so I’m nervous that we’ll have another mis-marked directory on our hands.

I’m not usually such a pessimist. And I am optimistically hoping that these concerns will fade by the time our van is stuffed with magazines, or at least by the time the appropriate driving music CD is blasting. But I think I’d feel a lot more optimistic if some of my co-attendees out there would drop me a line or leave me a comment here about what you’re eagerly anticipating at this week’s show … or if you’ve got your own organizing to do, just drop by the booth Wednesday to share some positive stories about your company that will help set the tone for this year’s event.

Overheard in Kansas City

Just got back from Kansas City, Mo., and the Glass Association of North America’s Fall Conference and I just wanted to share a few observations from the meeting:

Was one of many thrilled to see Greg Carney at this meeting. He was quite the man of the hour …

Got a nice chance to chat with Henry Gorry (ask him about his tennis injury). We went to a favorite topic of travel when he mentioned that Guardian might be considering a second site in Russia for manufacturing glass, in addition to its facility in Ryazan …

Heard an interesting conversation regarding the soon-to-be-completed Protective Glazing Manual – print, digital (i.e. CD) or both? Good question – what’s your preference? …

Was happy to touch base with Rick Kalson during the meeting regarding our new Contract Glazing Site. This means some great new updates from that site coming soon on USGNN.com …

Governor Parkinson did a terrific job on his presentation before this group. Each of the Energy Seminar presenters provided a lot of interesting information, but I was pleased that the governor seemed not only knowledgeable about the audience to whom he was presenting but very passionate on the topic of renewable energy …

GANA executive VP Bill Yanek noted yesterday morning that there were more than 120 participants at the Fall Conference, even more than last year. Considering during Glass Week we were hearing this annual event might simply be a webinar, it seems the membership really supported the great benefit of these meetings. Kudos again to the staff at GANA for making all this happen …

There were oohs and aahs during the Decorative Division meeting when a photo of division chair Kris Vockler’s beautiful new baby boy were projected on the screen. Looks like she had a great excuse for missing this meeting. Congratulations, Kris, and we look forward to seeing you in March …

Can’t believe how many information bulletins are poised to come out of this group. I’m sure there will be plenty of updates by the time we get to the next big meeting, Glass Week, set for March at the Paris Las Vegas. Looking forward to seeing everyone there …

In the meantime, folks, keep an eye on USGNN.com as we’re coming closer to the November issue of USGlass, with its special GANA supplement. We’re cooking up some good ways to get everyone involved and you can expect a request for submissions to come out soon.