Serving up SMTA—Texas Style

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Last week I had the pleasure of attending both the SMTA Dallas Expo and the SMTA Houston Expo, which was just two days later. It was great to see nearly 100 booths at the Dallas show and around 70 booths at the Houston show, many of which were showing equipment.

Each event featured interesting keynote presentations and several technical sessions throughout the day. I especially enjoyed the digital twin presentation in Dallas by Dr. Don A. Kinard, LM Senior Fellow of Lockheed Martin. Don shared how fighter jets are being built and simulated in the digital twin and the advantages it brings. In Houston, Joey Sanchez, founder of Cup of Joey, gave an excellent presentation on the need for people to connect with purpose. The attendance at each event was strong and encouraging to see many young students in attendance as well.

If you know SMTA then you know it’s positioned as a global association working at a local level; it was extremely evident at these events. To be able meet people in a smaller event that caters to booth exhibitors and attendees has a nice feeling. From the morning coffee and pastry for the exhibitors during the setup, to a very good catered lunch served on the show floor, everyone had a chance to focus their attention on connecting with each other.

If you have not been to a local SMTA expo, don’t despair. There are a more events scheduled—the association schedules about 30 regional events during the year. Be sure to check the SMTA calendar of events for details.

We asked several exhibitors what the show meant for them. The following video shares their thoughts.