Posted November 7, 2007 10:51 AM by Mark Piepkorn
Related Categories: Events, Greenbuild '07

Well, I'm in—standing at the back of an auditorium that seats 6,000... at an event that does seem to me now like it will exceed 20,000 attendees. The registration lines this morning were astonishing, a mythical beast with multiple tails snaking up and down the expansive corridors of this sprawling structure. I tried to take pictures, but it was one of those scenes that a lens just can't convey.

The west end of the third floor of the facility was choked this morning with people waiting for the auditorium to open. I knew I wasn't going to get in, but the breakfast buffet was on the other side of all those people. I managed to find a back way around the throng by going down two floors, and after finding six escalators that were all going the wrong way (on purpose, I'm sure), discovered an elevator off in a corner that took me right to breakfast... and to the far doors to the auditorium.

(I was just booted from where I was standing, which was a pretty good spot. I could have stayed if I was registered as Press. "Wait a sec," you say, "I thought..." Yeah, me too. It turns out that the badge they gave me doesn't have the press ribbon attached—doesn't give any sort of indication anywhere about what I might be—so as far as the local-chapter USGBC goons [an attractive and apologetic blonde woman] are concerned, I ain't nothin'. Heads probably oughtta roll, but I probably don't have a big enough lens on my camera to be taken seriously. And now that I'm over here in the rising mists on one distant side of this hangar, I really need some of that big glass.)

The preliminary speakers have started... self-congratulations, awards, sweeping statements, slick video clips. Spontaneous, though polite-sounding, applause. Surprisingly, there are scattered seats available, and people are still filtering in. Greenbuild old-timers know that the pre-speaker speakers do gas on, even though their time in the spotlight is usually deserved. Aldo Leopold's daughter is here; Rick Fredrizzi's mom is here. Home Depot is (again this year) honored for stepping up (hopefully it starts inspiring them to really step up). Autodesk's efforts in building information modeling. Affordable green housing. Transportation issues. More prisons are LEED certified than K-12 schools. Greenbuild(365) is broadcasting this session as we speak; I'm trying to connect, and hoping you're having better luck than me.

The room has a half-second echo. It's been over an hour. A few people are starting to leave.

And then...



Comments

Hi, thanks for the reporting. Someone should tell the USGBC techies that the live feed of the plenary speakers is not working via greenbuild365.org. Its had my head spinning 365 degrees trying to get the live feed to link up. Good luck amongst all those people.

BTW a fun report might be documenting the types of shoes people are wearing. I know it is a green building conference and not a green clothing one but I wonder how many people are wearing comfy green, US made sustainable shoes to get around the overwhelmingly large building they are in??

Cheers
Posted 11/7/07 11:21 AM by matthew
There was just this kid... this poem... I thought it was starting to go over the top... and then suddenly it was just amazing.

Bill is being introduced.
Posted 11/7/07 11:23 AM by Mark Piepkorn
At 1pm , there is STILL a line for registration that snakes through the West Building. The lines for lunch were ridiculous. Did they not know that 20,000 people were coming for this convention? It reminds me of the Green Festival which was held in McCormick Place this past April. The staff was completely overwhelmed and 40,000 people showed up over the weekend of the event. I'm glad for the high turnout as it shows that the design and construction industry is finally getting clued in to the fact that building green is the way to go.
Posted 11/7/07 1:54 PM by Timothy Latz
Hi Mark if you get a chance drop by the GreenBuildingStudio stand and say hi to my colleague James Morrison (all the way from Scotland) and the all the guys from GreenBuildingStudio.
Posted 11/7/07 2:16 PM by Neil Finlayson
hey mark! glad to see your coverage! just watched bill over the interwebz, wish i could have been there!
Posted 11/7/07 2:24 PM by phil
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