As NRCA conventions go, this one was a success by several measures, but mainly from that seat-of-the-pants feeling that you get when you arrive back home with tons of literature and business cards and are actually interested to follow up and learn more.
We are not quoting actual stats here, and perhaps it was because we managed to speak with more contractors this year than last, but San Antonio seemed to be a more welcoming venue than San Francisco. I’m not complaining about San Francisco, but San Antonio is closer to most of the roofing contractor population in North America, less expensive to travel to, and less expensive to stay in. San Antonio is a nice convention town, especially if you seek to do business. It does not have the distractions that San Francisco does. Since Sept. 11, most people travel with a plan and a purpose rather than moving about casually. Nearly everyone we encountered at NRCA 2002 was there on business (but, of course, there was time for fun).