Las Vegas, Nev., October 1, 2008 — The 2008 BICSI Fall Conference is officially underway this week, hosting nearly 4,000 attendees, exhibitors and guests during pre-conference seminars, committee meetings and exhibiting hours on Sunday and Monday. The conference offers an unrivaled educational line-up of pre-conference seminars, wide ranging presentations, BICSI courses and state-of-the-art exhibits. 

The general session of the conference opened Tuesday with a bang, and several other noises, as attendees were awakened with a unique performance called ITStomp. Based on the famed Broadway show, STOMP, the production incorporated dance with stunning sound and lighting effects using actual information transport systems (ITS) hardware. Items used included circuit boards, orange plastic innerduct, staple guns, a punch down tool, a metal triangular cable hanger, metal unistrut bars, metal “J” hooks, a ratchet style crimp tool, a toner set, a rack cable manager and an outside plant steel tie down bar

BICSI President Edward Donelan, RCDD, NTS, TLT, and newly appointed Executive Director John D. Clark Jr., CAE, spoke of the many exciting events happening during the conference and the latest association news. Clark addressed BICSI members for the first time and expressed his delight in meeting with them and sharing in the “BICSI Experience.” 

The opening keynote featured corporate positioning specialist Ken Schmidt, who spent over 12 years helping Harley-Davidson build its brand reputation. Schmidt helped the audience rev up their engines with positive, motivational thoughts on developing unique business strategies and strengthening customer loyalty. He explained that “marketing yourself or your business shouldn’t be done in a rational or logical manner, because unless it’s a life or death decision we don’t think with logic. We think with emotion from the heart. And, that’s how you can make that human connection and continue to relate to customers as we keep advancing in a technology driven society.”

Rodney Casteel, RCDD, presented the first technical seminar of the day, “Are You Playing in the Zone?” Giving attendees food for thought on updating their network infrastructure design skills, Casteel examined three different architectures addressed in the TIA-568 standards. Closing out the morning session, Jerry Bowman, RCDD, NTS, U.S. North-Central Region Director, delivered important updates on the evolving BICSI NxtGEN Program. 

Continuing into the afternoon, attendees were presented with the informative “Government Relations Update,” as well as a presentation weighing the potential results of the end user’s choice to implement 10GbE copper or fiber. Dennis Streiter closed the general session with the hot environmental topic of how to “green” data centers for efficiency and dramatic cost savings.

The day ended with the BICSI Reception and Exhibits where thousands of attendees and guests visited with more than 150 exhibiting companies. They also visited the new “What’s New? What’s It Do?” theater to listen to several ITS companies present information on their latest products and business solutions. Attendees were given a passport in the Exhibit Hall and raced around to the booths of participating companies to obtain their stamps. Once filled, they raced back to the theater to drop the passport off for a chance to win one of 21 $100 gift cards.

The week will continue with additional events including several concurrent educational sessions, more exhibits and the closing general session with special guest speaker Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger. 

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BICSI is a professional association supporting the information transport systems (ITS) industry. ITS covers the spectrum of voice, data and video technologies. It encompasses the design, integration and installation of pathways, spaces, fiber- and copper-based distribution systems, wireless-based systems and infrastructure that supports the transportation of information and associated signaling between and among communications and information gathering devices.

BICSI provides information, education and knowledge assessment for individuals and companies in the ITS industry. We serve more than 25,000 ITS professionals, including designers, installers and technicians. These individuals provide the fundamental infrastructure for telecommunications, audio/video, life safety and automation systems. Through courses, conferences, publications and professional registration programs, BICSI staff and volunteers assist ITS professionals in delivering critical products and services, and offer opportunities for continual improvement and enhanced professional stature.

Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, USA, BICSI membership spans nearly 140 countries. For more information, visit www.bicsi.org.