After walking what seemed like a half mile that took the better part of 20 minutes (the plenary is across two highways from the Exhibit Hall!), I arrived to listen to Rick Fedrizzi and Colin Powell at the Opening Plenary of Green Build 2010.
Rumors existed months ago that President Obama would keynote the event, however after much delay, we’ll have to settle for Powell. I hesitate to use the word settle however – this guy is hilarious. About half way through his speech, the audience burst out on several occasions in laughter.
What’s really evident this year is the lack of an audience. An entire row of chairs was empty and the room seemed much smaller than Green Build 2008 in Boston and Green Build 2009 in Phoenix. I wouldn’t be surprised, however, if the Sherpa like trek has something to do with this.
Another interesting point at this years event is the size of the Exhibit Hall. As press, we were notified that approximately 1000 exhibitors were here at Green Build in Chicago which may seem large until you compare it to the 1,800 we experienced in Phoenix. The conference is claiming 30,000 attendees but that has yet to be determined. A report from the exhibit hall this afternoon will be a better determinant of that.
