In a time of disappointing turnouts for various national trade shows and regional events, it's something to see the attendance at the Plumbers Success International 2002 Summit, Sept. 11-15 in St. Louis. The official tally was 550 people from 310 contracting companies. What's more impressive than the attendance is the length of the show itself -- three business days, a full day on Saturday and a half-day session on Sunday.
From 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., the crowd in the double ballroom stayed put. Even the half-day session on Sunday in which each attendee was charged a $10 admittance fee for a Thanks for the Tip-style giveaway attracted a crowd.