I had the good fortune to be the official photographer for an association new to Oscar and Associates called PRSM.PRSM is the Professional Retail Store Maintenance Association. Though superficially viewed, conferences and trade shows appear to be more alike than not, but this just is not the case! The entire group of well over 1000 attendees represented an unusually warm, respectful, and egalitarian culture. Their Best Practices Handbook was a central pillar of the association which, among other things, strongly encouraged the sharing of ideas among all members (direct competitors included) with regard to efficiency and safety of maintenance practices. I was even told first hand that one direct competitor checked flooded stores of his direct competitor with no thought that it would be better to let the competition drown.
I will go on record saying I have never had more attendees shake my hand in welcoming me as their photographer, nor thank me for the photos. Over two hundred photos of the conference were shown continuously for over two hours for the last PRSM dinner function in Studio 17 Soundstage at Disney in Anaheim.
Robert Shiverts
Director of Photography