Have you ever had an opportunity to get reacquainted with a close friend you've sort of lost contact with over the years?  Before seeing them again you reflect on the good old days and how much you enjoyed being with them.  Then, when you finally meet, you see how much they have changed (as have you) and you begin a new, even better relationship.

That was my experience last week at the National Restaurant Association show in Chicago.  I confess I hadn't been to the show floor in a number of years, and had a mental image of what it would be like to return.  I was very pleasantly surprised at what I found and, although there will always be quite a few booths that really don't have much application for me as a designer, there was a plentiful plethora of pleasing equipment (okay, enough with the alliteration) and many opportunities for learning.  The show itself was much brighter and more open than I remembered, and I thoroughly enjoyed being there.

FCSI once again hosted the "Ask the Design Experts" booth.  Over the four-day run of the show there were about 140 appointment slots and, of those, 120 were filled either through appointments or walk-ins.  The different visitors' familiarity with design issues ran the gamut from novice to sophisticated veteran.  The booth was located in the concourse between the two main exhibition halls, so there were many opportunities for casual networking and space available to sit and catch up.  Altogether it was a very positive opportunity to help increase the visibility of FCSI as a Member benefit.  In fact, we expect that we will gain several new Members through our presence.

Another highlight was the annual cocktail reception organized by our Midwest Chapter.  In its short life the attendance at this event has forced it to grow from an informal gathering at the Renaissance Hotel's lounge to a dedicated private event occupying the entire venue to this year's full-scale reception in one the hotel's function areas with over 220 attendees.  Kudos to the Chapter for their vision, insight, and all the work that went into it.

Good food and great friends - some of whom we haven't seen since the good old days.  And so it continues...