Originally Posted By: dvalley
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Hello Everyone,
Well, I made it back very late Sunday night and I?m just now catching up on my missed responsibilities and a full schedule of inspections for the past two days. I just wanted to give everyone a little insight as to what went on last week. The Convention turned out to be Fantastic. For those of you who didn?t have the opportunity to attend this Convention, you missed out one of the most exciting educational opportunities anyone could ever experience in a two day period.
Upon arriving Wednesday evening, class sign-up sheets were filled quickly. Those attendees that found their desired class full on one particular day had the option of choosing that particular class the following day at an optional time frame due to the well-planned-out schedule of staggered and repeated times that were available. It worked out great for everyone, I believe.
The classes were very educational and all the instructors had brought some interesting material to the table utilizing Power Point presentations. Every class that I had attended was fully packed. (Standing room only) The 8-hour Saturday class (Pro-Lab) was the only class that I was unable to attend due to being filled too quickly. So I decided to occupy my day by Park Hopping, which I?ll go over later.
I personally thought that this Orlando Convention was well planned out. I know that mistakes and last minute decisions were made (most were behind closed curtains) but any mishaps that did arise were handled in a very professional and tactful manner as they did not happen to arouse any attention. Hey, it?s our first Convention?Nobody was expecting perfection and it was definitely a learning curve for those who were involved in the rigorous planning and processing of this event. Now that we?ve gotten our feet wet, I hope to see this event transpire again next year with an even greater attendance turn-out.
I would like to thank the following individuals for their honest dedication and hard work in pulling this Convention together. These gentlemen volunteered a lot of hours behind the scenes and did a fantastic job at planning such an enormous task. In no particular order I applaud Dave Bush, Gary Johnson, Paul Sabados, John Bowman, Blaine Wiley and Gerry Beaumont. If I failed to mention any more unsung hero?s, I sincerely apologize. I also want to commend Earl Beahm for his continued efforts in raising a good amount of money for the NACHI FOUNDATION. During my time in the Vendors area, I noticed that Earl managed to get almost everyone (who had walked by his table) to gladly donate money the FOUNDATION. He was very friendly and personable to everyone there and he easily talked them into digging deep. He was perfectly chosen for this task. Way to go EARL.
The Vendors who participated in this event filled the exhibit hall. I, along with everyone else that browsed the Vendor area, brought home a bag full of freebies and goodies that I still need to go through and determine what to do with.
These pics of the vendor area are a bit dark?
VENDOR AREA]
VENDOR AREA]
VENDOR AREA
I?ve uploaded a lot of photos from this event for everyone to browse through. This Convention also allowed me the opportunity to finally put faces to the many names that I?ve been conversing with over the past two years on the MB. I really enjoyed meeting everyone there. Check out the following pics ?
NICKBLAINE, EARL & GARY J.
BLAINE, GARY, JOHN B & PAUL
BLAINE, NICK & GARY
DAVE BUSH & WIFE
EARL B. & WIFE
GARY, BLAINE, JOHN & NICK
GARY & JOHN
JOHN, BLAINE & GARY
JAMES ROOFF
JAMES ROOFF & WIFE
JAMES' PARTNER & WIFE-Sorry I forgot the name
NICK & GARY ARE PREGNANT
PAUL & OUR BARTENDER
PAUL & JOE H.
PAUL, JOHN & JOE
Ok?As for what happened to me on Saturday?The Pro-Lab class that I wanted to attend was a full class. I didn?t sign up for that particular class on time so I was unable to attend an already filled up session. So I decided to hit the theme parks all day. The Hotel personnel had told me that it would be impossible to visit all four parks in one day. Well, I proved them wrong?I attended all four in about 10 hours.
Here?s pics of Saturdays' activities?
AEROSMITH ROLLER COASTER...AWESOME RIDE
AEROSMITH ROLLER COASTER...AWESOME RIDE
ANIMAL KINGDOM
TIGER...UP-CLOSE
BEAUTY & THE BEAST
BEAUTY & THE BEAST
BEAUTY & THE BEAST
BEAUTY & THE BEAST
DONALD
EPCOT
The infamous FULTONS. If you're from N.E., The Seafood is lousy at Fultons.
LIVING TREE
MAGIC KINGDOM
MAGIC KINGDOM
MAGIC KINGDOM
MAGIC KINGDOM
MAGIC KINGDOM
MAGIC KINGDOM
MGM STUDIOS
KIDS FAVORITE
PLANET HOLLYWOOD
PLEASURE ISLAND
RAIN FOREST CAFE
SPACE MOUNTAIN
SPLASH MOUNTAIN
TOWER OF TERROR...AWESOME RIDE
OUR HOTEL
OUR HOTEL
OUR HOTEL
Not sure if you noticed but most of my pics are taken from very good locations and angles with no people in my way. How did he do that????
--
David Valley
MAB Member
Massachusetts Certified Home Inspections
http://www.masscertified.com
"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go."
