A 178Kb PDF of this article as it appeared in the magazine—complete with images—is available by clicking HERE
Well, it’s conference season again, and I’m sure many of you have or are attending your state shows. I’m very impressed with many of our state organizations for the work they do in promoting the profession and educating surveyors. The national shows, although costly, generally provide more than the state shows in the way of presentations, seminars and the latest technology and techniques, but the state events still do a bang-up job.
Something you might consider about these shows is the networking opportunities. We recently met with a Nashville surveyor and he talked about how, when he first started his business and didn’t yet have a reputation, he had to partner until he did. We’re hearing that many of you are partnering like crazy as you chase what work is out there, and these shows might open a door for you.
While the East Coast was shoveling out after two major snowstorms, I was fortunate to be in Houston for the SPAR laser scanning show. Now in it’s seventh year, this show has captured that market, and each year the attendance has grown. Even with the economy, this year is no exception. Attendance was up from 630 last year to nearly 800, and fully 25 percent of the attendees were from outside the U.S. One of the keynote speakers was Chairman of Optech, Dr. Allan Carswell, whose presentations are always enlightening. (He was featured in our September 2009 issue.) To me, a good conference is one in which I have so many sessions to choose from I can’t attend them all.
After the SPAR conference, I made several company visits throughout the Southeastern states that I will write about in upcoming articles. Meeting with others in our profession, and `talking shop’ with technology providers and surveyors across the country who have graciously invited me to do behind-the-scenes visits with their companies is always a thrill for me. From the great response we get both in person and via email, I believe our readers enjoy these stories as much as I enjoy doing them.
Fluctuations in the U.S. economy are easily monitored by anyone who keeps tabs on the number of survey jobs posted in the classified ads of their local newspapers. In my 14 years as an editor, technology has brought many changes to the ‘old ways’ of doing things, and writing about them has been both challenging and bittersweet. In these tough times, when just about every family and company has had to tighten their belts, it is important to watch the horizon. In April, the annual ACSM conference will be held in sunny Phoenix. ACSM will be partnering with GITA, so the show promises to be well-attended and full of technology and related industry work that can be used to diversify and expand your practice.
Marc Cheves is editor of the magazine.
A 178Kb PDF of this article as it appeared in the magazine—complete with images—is available by clicking HERE