Meet Me in Orlando!
Earlier this week I got to spend two glorious days in Scottsdale, Arizona attending the National Flood Association conference. Formerly known as the National Flood Determination Association, the NFA has been a long-time partner organization of ASFPM. Granted, for someone who lives in the upper Midwest, the opportunity to escape the clutches of the way-too-long winter (it was snowing the day I left for Arizona) to go somewhere sunny and warm was the ultimate no-brainer. But what I really craved were those in-person interactions with colleagues and friends that were put on hold for the past two years as COVID raged. The perspectives given by the presenters were excellent, and I enjoyed talking to several of the exhibitors as well. All in all, it was a great event, and it just whetted my appetite for the ASFPM Annual Conference in May and what I think are the 3Ps that must not be missed — people, presentations, and products!
As I noted earlier, there simply isn’t a substitute for seeing folks in person. I tend to be more of the gregarious traveling type — and have felt cooped up for way too long. Whether it is reconnecting with old colleagues whom I haven’t seen since the last in-person ASFPM conference, or making new acquaintances, where else are you going to find more than 1,000 people who share your passion and energy for tackling the issue of flooding in our communities? I look forward to seeing friends like Frank and Aaron who are two of the kindest, funniest, and down-to-earth floodplain managers you could ever meet. There are a lot of really smart floodplain managers doing great things in their communities and I love picking their brains in between presentations or out at dinner some evening. Our local host, the Florida Floodplain Management Association, is filled with spirited and sharp floodplain managers who are excited to be hosting this year’s conference. With a conference of this size, there are ample opportunities to make new friends and hands down, you will not find a friendlier bunch of people.
As far as presentations go, one consistent piece of feedback I have heard about the ASFPM Annual Conference through the years is a sense of wonderment over how many presentations and events we pack into four days. This year, in addition to great plenary sessions there will be more than 200 concurrent presentations organized across eight tracks. There literally is something for everybody. And, in learning from the last two years of virtual events, whether you attend this year’s conference in person and online — you will have access to all of the presentations on-demand for a limited time afterward so you do not have to worry about missing a presentation while deciding what session to attend. It is our goal that by Friday of conference week, you will not want to attend another presentation out of fear your brain may explode from all the new ideas learned.
Finally, and this is where ASFPM really stands out, is a chance to see the latest in flood risk reduction technology, products, and services in our exhibit hall. I urge each of you who attends to go through our exhibit hall to see what’s new. When you think about it, we have gone through a technological revolution over the past few years in the workplace due to COVID. Well, the same can be said in terms of some of the new technologies being applied to flooding problems. Whether it is using artificial intelligence and big data to help craft new flood management solutions or consultants who assist communities with engineering, modeling, project and design needs or manufacturers of the latest flood mitigation products, the exhibition at ASFPM’s conference is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive. Don’t miss it!
I still vividly remember my first ASFPM conference. It was the 2000 conference in Austin, Texas. I remember feeling in awe that there were so many people working in the field of floodplain management and I had a hard time deciding which presentations to attend. I met folks who would become life-long friends, and if I close my eyes I can still see the fireworks show that was part of the Thursday night event. But hey, I also understand that there are some of you who might not yet be ready to travel or whose employers haven’t budgeted for an in-person event. If you fall into that category, think about joining us virtually. You can get all of the details at ASFPMconference.org. I can’t wait to see you all in Orlando next month! Please be sure to introduce yourself and say hi!
Your partner in loss reduction,
