Tuesday, 21 November 2006
Specialty Focus Draws Crowds
I recently returned from the 22nd Central Pennsylvania Geotechnical Conference. This specialty conference was sponsored by ASCE’s Central Pennsylvania Section, the Geo-Institute of ASCE and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. It was energizing to see 400 attendees come out to the town of Hershey, Pennsylvania to discuss geo-technical engineering and science. It’s not easy to get to, and I know it primarily for its chocolate. What brought all these geo-technical professionals from both near and far? The answer is a conference that directly addressed the hot topics and critical issues to geo-technical professionals. There was also an outstanding exhibit where regional vendors could showcase their wares.
It’s interesting that a seemingly small area of specialty within civil engineering, like geo-technics, draws a large group. Having recently returned from ASCE’s annual conference in Chicago, that boasted more than 700 attendees, I took note of the fact that a specialty conference in Hershey could draw more than half of Chicago’s annual conference attendance.
It made me wonder…What factors do you consider most in deciding to attend an ASCE conference? I expect that many of you have an opinion on this and I want to hear it!