 | Linda Bailey, Division Manager, Meetings & Conferences |
 | Mike Hazell, Web Publisher |
 | Bob Finn, Online Editor |
 | Anna Thompson, Manager of Meeting Services |
 | Joanne Durham, Manager of Conferences & Meetings |
 | Cheryl Green Pozner, Director of Business Development |
 | Eric Holden, Sr. Product Manager Training Development |
 | Victor Bishop, Marketing Specialist |
| Questions? Send an e-mail | |
Attendees got an early start this morning, streaming into McCormick Place to make the first round of education sessions that kicked-off at 8:00 am.
Here in Chicago, where NFPA is hosting its 113th annual conference, the focus is on all facets of reducing the burden of fire and other hazards. To that end, more than 130 education sessions will be held over the next few days, with internationally-reknowned experts talking on the most relevant subjects of the day: sprinkler systems, alarms, electrical safety, crowd management, preventing firefighter injuries and death, disaster management, and many more.
After this morning's sessions end and attendees get a chance to grab a quick lunch, we'll hold our Opening Session at 1:00 pm. In addition to hearing remarks from NFPA President Jim Shannon and Board Chair Paul Fitzgerald, we'll hand out several important awards and enjoy the comedy of The Second City. Visit this blog again later today for updates from the Opening Session.
“Wow, this place is huge!” That was the typical reaction of our pre-conference seminar attendees as they walked into McCormick Place this morning. Located just a quick cab ride from downtown Chicago (the shuttle buses start running tomorrow morning), McCormick Place is the nation’s largest convention center. Its four state-of-the-art buildings have a combined total of 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space, 1.2 million square feet all on one level. The facility hosts more than 3 million visitors each year.
The original McCormick Place was completed in November of 1960, and even back then, it was the largest exhibition center in the United States. But on January 16, 1967, a tragic fire occurred, resulting in the collapse of major portion of the roof. In all, there were a total of five alarms and four special alarms responding with 94 pieces of fire apparatus including three fire boats, three Chicago Civil Defense Units, and more than 500 firefighters.
This Tuesday, from 8:00-9:00 am, Randy Tucker, of Rolf Jensen & Associates, and an NFPA Board member, will discuss the McCormick Place fire, the investigation, and resulting changes in codes and standards and the insurance industry.
And at 9:30 am, Daniel Cozzi, fire marshal for McCormick Place, will lead a tour of the facility’s command center and discuss the fire protection features of the convention center.
We recently sat down with Linda Bailey, division manager of NFPA Conferences and Meetings, and talked about some of the highlights of this year's Conference and Expo in Chicago.
Why NFPA selected Chicago for its June conference, and why attendees will enjoy their visit to the Windy City. About McCormick Place and special transportation arrangements to get you to and from conference activities. New at this year's event: two "behind-the-scenes" tours, comedy from The Second City, and a look back at the collapse of World Trade Center Tower 7.
Do you have a question for Linda? Just click on the "comments" link below, enter your name (just your first name is fine) and your e-mail address (this will NOT show in your post), and type your comments in the white box. Then select "post".
