Nearly 500 people came out to the Gracia Ballroom in Sin City’s beautiful Cosmopolitan Hotel to attend Mission Possible, an all-industry networking event put on by EDS.
According to the event master of ceremonies, Robert Dion, a partner at Davis, Harrison, Dion, it was the highest attended event in at least five years.
“Our goal as an association is to bring back some youthful energy to this conference, and it’s working,” Dion says. The event planners ran with the “Mission Impossible” theme and included everything from prize giveaways in locked briefcases, and actors in latex bodysuits.
Still, the event provided a perfect way to jump start a show that revolves around premium networking opportunities, and provided an early opportunity to refresh those year-old handshakes.
“It’s always good to reconnect with old friends and new customers,” says John Knight, Vice President, General Manager of Knight Electronics. “Hey, it’s better than putting up the booth, anyways.”
Jim Brourton, Vice President of Global Distribution Sales and Business Development with KEMET led a short, but sweet commencement speech. “Another record year [for EDS], in a difficult economy,” Brourton said on the podium, but we had a chance to catch up with him before he roamed too far.
“We resurrected the all-industry reception a few years ago and asked, ‘How do we show everyone involved that EDS is alive and vibrant?” Brourton says. “We have a lot of key people here from Mouser, Arrow, TTI, and Avnet – as well as a lot of smaller guys. We’ve come a long way, but we still have some room to grow.”
From the tone of the reception, EDS is moving in the right direction.
Filed Under: Rapid prototyping