Easy to Get to and Easy to Get Around: With easy access through Dallas Love Field and DFW International Airport, traveling to Addison is simple. Once you’re here, getting around is convenient too, with Addison’s easy access to highways. The Renaissance Dallas Addison, our host hotel, is located near many of Addison鈥檚 attractions, making travel and exploration a breeze.

Great Food, Fun, and History: Addison offers a mix of flavors and entertainment that makes it a true Texas gem. Known as the 鈥渞estaurant capital of Texas,鈥� Addison boasts more than 200 restaurants within a few square miles. From Texas barbecue to international cuisine, your taste buds are in for a treat.
Looking for entertainment? Addison Circle Park is a fantastic venue for live events, and the Cavanaugh Flight Museum offers a glimpse into aviation history that you won鈥檛 want to miss. 

Cost-Effective Location: Addison is a great place for business travelers, offering affordable lodging, dining, and services compared to larger cities in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Both major airports nearby offer competitive airfare, making Addison an easy and cost-effective destination for attendees.
When you compare hotel rates, dining options, and local services, Addison holds its own against larger cities. It鈥檚 often recognized for its affordability, making it a smart choice for both business and leisure.

Business Conversations: The most impactful moments in Addison may just take place in the hallways during casual chats with colleagues. Whether you’re discussing supply chain challenges or exploring new business opportunities, the insights gained in these informal exchanges are invaluable.

Educational Opportunities: This year’s convention sessions will feature dynamic speakers covering important topics including reducing workplace turnover, a pre-election analysis on how upcoming legislation and taxes might impact your business, and insights for manufacturers on resale relationships.

Maximize Your FEMA Membership: Join us for an event packed with opportunities to learn, connect, and grow. The Marketing & Distribution Convention offers a unique chance to meet fellow members, share ideas, and foster new business relationships. Take this time to invest in yourself and your business. Learn more about the Convention at FarmEquip.org. As always, please contact the Association office at (314) 878-2304. We’d love to hear from you!

Keep the Conversation Going: As you prepare to leave Addison, don鈥檛 let the conversation end when the event does. The most impactful connections often happen afterward, so be sure to follow up with everyone you meet鈥攚hether you shared insights on industry challenges, explored business opportunities, or simply enjoyed a meal together. Be sure to ask about their experience, gather feedback, and explore ways to collaborate on future projects.

The 2024 Fall Meeting registration list is updated daily. See who’s attending:

If we were shocked on March 12, we are weary on August 18. Our Zoom meetings, virtual farm shows, and webinars may save time and money, but they cost us quality relationships and business prospects. We want to connect.

鈥淚 do not want to live stream anything anymore,鈥� the Association鈥檚 Joe Sampson said last week. 鈥淚 want to be in the same room with my customers having conversations about their ideas, their families, and what鈥檚 ahead for their companies. You don鈥檛 get that in phone calls.鈥�

Sampson, vice president of sales at Osmundson Manufacturing and chairman of the Association鈥檚 Supplier Board of Governors, convened supplier leadership in Kansas City last week to explore the host city for the 2021 Supply Summit and discuss the impact of the pandemic on the industry.

The issues they are facing are universal.

鈥淓mployers are thinking, 鈥榊eah, I鈥檇 love to get my sales team back on the road and bring guests into my plant,鈥欌�� said Mark Czopek with Sharon Tube, 鈥渂ut I don鈥檛 want to expose my workforce and risk people getting sick.鈥�

Czopek flew to the meeting and has been getting out to see customers. He said the airport experience, like so many things in 2020, has changed.

鈥淚 got through security in about three minutes on a Wednesday morning,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ut there was no place open to buy a cup of coffee when I got to the gate.鈥�

Czopek was comfortable in the airport and in the air, and findings from a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology suggest he should have been.

Arnold Barnett, a professor of management science at MIT, looked at the risk of catching COVID-19 in flight. He considered variables such as the odds of being seated near someone in the infectious stage of the disease, and the odds that the protection of masks (now required on most flights) will fail. He accounted for the way air is constantly renewed in airplane cabins, which experts say makes it unlikely passengers will contract the disease from people who aren鈥檛 in their immediate vicinity: their row or, to a lesser extent, across the aisle, directly in front of them or directly behind.

Barnett concluded that airline passengers have a one in 4,300 chance of getting COVID-19 on a full two-hour flight. In other words, about one in 4,300 passengers will pick up the virus, on average. If airlines leave a middle seat open, the odds improve to about one in 7,700, Barnett concluded.

Bloomberg published his findings in an editorial earlier this month.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 not to say flying is perfectly safe鈥攕afety is relative and subjective,鈥� the column said. 鈥淏ut as restrictions continue to change, the only way to move forward through this long pandemic is to start thinking in terms of risk-benefit ratios. Very little is without risk, but perhaps some risks, such as flying, are small enough to warrant taking.鈥�

That was the sentiment among suppliers last week, and they want to be part of a movement toward groups taking measured, reasonable risks. That said, the Association fully understands that members with higher risk profiles and family concerns may need to exercise a higher level of caution.

Let us know. The Association鈥檚 Board of Directors meets next week to discuss the viability of hosting the fall convention in Orlando. Directors would like to hear from you. Send an email to Kristi@farmequip.org. It can be two or three words: 鈥淟et鈥檚 meet.鈥� Or, 鈥淪ee you in 2021.鈥� Or, say more.

The challenges are significant, but if you want to make this happen, we will do everything we can to find a way.

Directors will consider:

• The safety of members;
• Networking potential amid restrictions and fewer anticipated attendees; and
• The financial viability of a convention.

Directors also will discuss alternatives to a traditional fall convention, such as staging a smaller event or providing interactive, online content in coming months.

鈥淭here are many layers to this,鈥� said Vernon Schmidt, executive vice president. 鈥淲e are thinking about the hotel experience if groups cannot gather or are required to wear masks. We are thinking about the availability of dining options. Our preference is of course to host this convention, but our priority is to assure it is worth members鈥� time.鈥�

The Association will communicate with members as quickly as we can to support you in planning your travel.