Since we’re all about communications I had to take a picture of this message center.

It’s out in the foyer area in front of the registration counter.

One of the things you get when you register is a number that identifies you. It’s used as a mechanism to send you a message.

That’s about all I know about it at the moment. I’ll look into it further and update this post if I have more to offer.

One of the first things I ran into here at the FEMA convention was the communications center. It’s a big room with lots of tables so you can meet up and have a nice chat which a bunch of folks were doing.

In it you’ll find things like this Information Center which lists companies who’s services FEMA endorses.

There’s also an interesting set of boards listing members and who is here representing the company. It even has a place for their room number if they care to share it. I don’t think I’ve seen that before.

What’s the first thing you do when you go to a convention? That’s right.

I got into Minneapolis yesterday evening. It was kind of drizzly and cool. Better than snow and ice. The weather should be nice here by this afternoon and it looks like we’re going to have a midwest warmup for a couple days.

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers has come out with its annual industry forecast for the United States and Canada. These are 2007 Retail Sales Predictions (in units vs. 2006). If you can’t read this chart very well then go to their website and you’ll find a complete summary of their report in the Industry Trends section.

A picture can almost be as good as being there. Almost. The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) just put the finishing touches on a new office building. They held an open house in June to “not only showcase its new headquarters office to attendees but also educate them – in a fun and informal way – about AEM and the industry segments it serves.”