On Oct 13, 2004, at 12:02 AM, Automatic digest processor wrote:

> Subject: How was Long Beach?
>
> No one has mentioned much about Long Beach.

I thought the session content was the best it has been in recent years.
  As a vendor, there was tremendous volume of traffic through the
Exhibit Hall. Montreal after 9/11 was very slow, So was New orleans
during the Hurricane Season and Boston did not seem to attract the kid
of crowds we saw this year.  I know all of the Exhibitors were very
pleased.

Another thing you notice is that the Records Managers at this year's
conference seem to be a new breed with greater knowledge of the whole
spectrum of records management and well versed in the new technologies
they are being forced to interface with.

I think the new legislation has also empowered these records managers.
I had the feeling everyone in the Conference had just been promoted a
level by the authority they seemed to possess in looking at new
technologies.  This was not the crowd of pick up artists that ran
through the hall grabbing pens and bouncing balls and candy like there
was a contest for the largest volume of booty.

This was a conference filled with Records Managers intent on increasing
their knowledge base through the sessions and with serious discussions
with vendors. The sessions combined with who chose to spend money
exhibiting to this conference revealed that a lot more purchasing power
is being given to information managers entrusted with control of
electronic records management, selecting the data storage vendors and
software to control information in the coming years.

Ginny Jones session on Standards affecting the industry was well
attended and I thought Ginny gave a great tutorial on using Standards
to gain control of your records management program at all levels in the
organization.

I also thought the linkage between presenters was well done. You could
come away with a comprehensive feel for the industry and its direction.
While we will not overstate and say this was a move towards
"Paperless", I am sure it was certainly about "Less Paper" and
controlling records storage costs.

There were some great discussions on ARMA's move towards a Guideline on
Records Storage Proposals and Contracts and I heard several people talk
about ARMA finally providing the guidance that should be afforded
records managers about obtaining a realistic contractual relationship
with their vendors.  So I offer congratulations to those on the
committee who are working so hard to bring this new Guideline to the
ARMA body general.

All in all, a very impressive year for Records Managers and ARMA.

Hugh Smith
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