Made to Feel Welcome

Just thought I’d give a brief public thank you and shout-out to the two conferences who booked me in March.

The Code 1 Conference in Cedar Rapids, IA is run by Kirkwood Community College. KCC runs an excellent EMS education program, and a highly respected hotel/hospitality management program as well. These two dovetail nicely, as the college runs a high-class hotel and convention center staffed by the students attending the program. Virtually all of the hotel and conference center staff were smiling, courteous twenty-something students, and the food and service were superb.

The Code 1 Conference is a small regional conference that has been educating EMS personnel in eastern Iowa for close to 30 years now, and they put on a good show. All sessions are held consecutively in a common ballroom, and attendees got to hear folks like myself, Bob Page, Larry Torrey and other EMS luminaries. Paramedic Program Director Ben Symonds made sure to make us all feel welcome, and treated us to some of the best pizza you will ever find outside NYC and CT. I had a great time.

EMS Update 2017 was held at Seven Springs Resort in Seven Springs, PA just this weekend. Put on by the Emergency Medical Services Institute, these guys held over 80 educational sessions in three days. I was privileged to give the opening keynote address, and even though they whiffed on providing me several of the items in my standard speaker contract (hookers, blow, and a punch bowl full of green M&M’s), they treated me very well. The food and hotel service were great, the fellowship was even better, the conference staff were attentive and helpful, and the attendees were downright awesome.

While they did book me for one talk at the obscene hour of 7:30 am (Seven. Friggin’. Thirty!), they more than made up for it by treating me to an enjoyable round of sporting clays at the resort. While I didn’t coat myself in glory, I didn’t embarrass myself either. Good companions make up for a lot of missed shots, and as they say, even a bad day shooting beats a good day working.

I had a blast at both conferences, and I thank the folks who invited me. If you ever get a chance to attend either, do so. You won’t regret it.