2012 Our World Underwater

[Barracuda2]

But the thread is in the GLWC forum!

I understand your perspective. This'll be my first show and I've been diving for over 6 years. With the cost of the show, hotel, and fuel, it's not a small chunk of change. I doubt this will become a yearly trip for me, but I've been wanting to make it to the show for a few years now and decided to simply make it happen this year. I'm looking forward to it!

With that said, my original post didn't ask what people thought of the show, nor whether they thought it was worthwhile or valuable. I simply asked who, from the GLWC, was going.

You always got my back, Jim---Thanks.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

The show's less than 2 weeks away! I'm getting pretty pumped. It's looking like it'll be an awesome show!!

I just hope this amazingly mild winter holds out.

 

[HowardE]

Hey guys, don't mean to crash your thread, but we could use a few volunteers to help out at the SB Booth during the show. It's usually a lot of fun, hanging at the booth, and we'll get you into the show that day and give you a T-Shirt too .

 

[Chris Brown Tech]

Im going. Please stop by the booth and say hi!

 

[Jendra]

I am looking forward to seeing everyone this weekend!

 

[kjvander]

I'm in and will be there all weekend....

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Well, the show has come and gone. While I'm very glad I went, I don't plan to make it a regular trip. I really enjoyed the seminars. Seeing Stan Waterman present two films was a real treat! The two film festivals were great, although Sat nights dragged on a bit too long. The exhibits were OK. My main goal was getting measured for a custom suit at the DUI both. Got that done, so in that regard, the exhibits were a success. Catching up with some friends was a treat as well. I'm just not much of a 'mingle and meet new people in a large setting' kinda person. I do better getting to know folks in smaller settings, like the Meet and Greets we have twice each year.

I didn't much care for the location. The hotels are pricey, the few restaurants nearby are even pricier. With that location, they really have you trapped. Unless you want to get out and drive someplace, there aren't alot of options for dining and places to hang out with friends. Yea, the hotels all have bars and lobbies, but as some found out, they are rather restrictive in how they let you use them.

On a personal note, I'm just not a fan of Chicago. I'm not a big city person, so I'm always a bit antsy when I'm in Chicago with a gazillion people. But that's just me. For others, that's a real highlight. Not for me.

Next year, I'm looking forward to hitting one or two of the smaller, regional shows held in OH and MI.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Im going. Please stop by the booth and say hi!

I stopped by and had a chance to meet Oliver. Sorry I missed you Chris. While I do most of my diving up here, I do hope to get down to the Keys and dive with you guys eventually!

 

[Chris Brown Tech]

I stopped by and had a chance to meet Oliver. Sorry I missed you Chris. While I do most of my diving up here, I do hope to get down to the Keys and dive with you guys eventually!

Ah must have missed you. I was probably doing the rounds

Hope to see you down the Keys then!

 

[Chris Brown Tech]

A quick round up of the event from my perspective:

I was surprised at how busy the show was overall. The size of the show was about right, didnt get to see any seminars as I was manning the booth and doing the rounds

I thought the venue / location was great. The CTA Blue line was right outside, most hotels had courtesy shuttles from O'Hare, so it was a piece of cake to get to and from the airport, the convention center, the hotels and downtown chicago. We did one trip down town for classic chicago pizza which was fantastic and I did another to see Guns N Roses for a once in a lifetime perfomance at the House of Blues. I managed to snag a ticket from a friends dad for which I am eternally grateful. He could have sold it for upwards of $800 outside. Even the box office tried to buy it off him. The city was really clean and the people were friendly. (I guess Im just used to Miami, which is the opposite)

My room in the executive wing of the Hyatt was $114 per night, a great rate I thought. For those that wanted to spend less, you could easily get the CTA in from a cheaper hotel outside Rosemont. Food and drinks in the venue were predictably extortionate, about right in the hotel and incredibly cheap in downtown chicago. If you know where to go, you will eat and drink well for no more than your local town. Our hosts pointed out these places, where you pay about $20 - $30 average. My bill for 2 x medium pizzas at a very popular restaurant was $28 between 3 of us with free beer. I dont think that was intentional though

Back the show - I met lots of great people running small charter boats in the great lakes. These guys are passionate about what they do and are highly skilled skippers. A resource that seems under utilized. I encourage people interested in wrecks to check them out. The national park service was there too with a neat 3D movie of the wrecks in their booth.

I also made some great connections and reconnected with customers who have dove with me over the last 6 years. I recognized so many of them that it must be due to the friendliness of people up there that makes a lasting impression.

Manufacturers were present as usual, although not necessarily in force compared to trade shows such as DEMA. The continued growth of tec was evident, with plenty of CCR's and sidemount stuff.

The only downer was the cold. Thankfully it was apparently extremely mild weather for the time of year. Good job as I dont own a jacket