A good time was had by all.

Apr 1, 1997 12:00 PM, Larry Anderson

That phrase used to show up often on the society pages of my hometown newspaper, and it certainly summarizes our recent experiences in a place very far from my hometown - New York City. We were there for Access Control's Security Systems Integration Conference and Expo.

Saturday, February 22. It seems like a short flight from Atlanta to LaGuardia; they say the wind is blowing in the right direction. A limousine driver pounces on us at the airport before we even see a taxi. The ride to the hotel is a good deal - a little more expensive but no less exciting than an amusement park thrill ride. Near-accidents don't count, the driver explains. It only counts if you actually hit the other car. The plan is for our whole staff to meet at a certain nice restaurant for dinner. The restaurant comes highly recommended by Jill Aronson, our East Coast sales rep and New York bon vivant. We all cram into the lobby of the restaurant (along with at least half of New York's Jet Set Crowd) and wait an hour before getting a table. It's a big, round table, but there aren't enough chairs. We beg the management for more chairs, but they decline with a polite firmness that's a sign of real sophistication. Three of us have to go back to the hotel. Jill knows all the great restaurant in New York; the food we see on the other plates as we are leaving looks delicious!

Sunday, February 23. This is my first time as a host at a trade show. I've been to plenty of shows, but never as a member of the team responsible for the show. It's a whole different feeling when you have a vested interest in whether the show succeeds. We've been working on the show for months. A lot goes into planning and executing a trade show, and I regret having taken it all for granted at other shows I have attended. It's a little like planning a wedding. It's like you take care of all the big issues, but you worry that something - some little detail - will go wrong. And so, on this eve of our show, we are all worrying about the trade show equivalents of losing the ring or having a bridesmaid whose shoes don't match her dress. It's all in the details. We hold a preshow meeting, a last chance to obsess about the details we can control as a way of pushing aside concern about the details we can't. We get a 10-page memo spelling out every aspect of the show. We have dinner at another on f Jill's favorite restaurants. We all get chairs this time and are treated to three kinds of pasta - all delicious. The others eat something called antipasto, but fortunately, none of it crawls onto my plate. Note for expense report: $32 including tip.

Monday, February 24. What a great day! Our opening session goes splendidly, with presentations by three men from New York's World Trade Center. One of them talks about the February 1993 bombing and shows sobering slides of the damage. Looking at that massive crater of destruction emphasizes perfectly the importance of what we are here to discuss. (We also get another reminder from the day's New York headlines - a mad gunner at the Empire State Building.) There is also good, detailed information about the security measures undertaken after the World Trade Center bombing. Other sessions during the day are just as good. When the trade show floor opens at noon, we get the big reward for our months of planning and hard work. Crowds. People everywhere. People dense in the trade show aisles. People cramming into exhibitors' booths. And with the people, a sense of excitement that continues for the next three days and leaves us elated at our success. It's a sweet reward for a lot of hard work.

Tuesday, February 25. The people keep coming. Every time I pass the registration booth, there are attendees signing up. Our Trade Show people are all smiles. Even our Designated Worrier is ready to relax. They like us; they really like us! The sessions are well attended, and the information is solid. We're already thinking: Next year in Atlanta will be even better.

Wednesday, February 26. The last day of the show, and things are winding down. But still there are people signing up to go into the exhibit hall. Only an hour to go, and people are still signing up. A Japanese journalist arrives and asks for an interview with the show organizers. We are happy to oblige. I ask him to send me a copy of his article when it is published. He says he will be happy to, but it'll be in Japanese, and I won't be able to read it. (I may frame it anyway.) All in all, it's been a great show. A good time was had by all. You should have been there

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