occurred only a day or two later , chances are the show would have gone on . Another fuel-related event set for late September pulled the plug less than two weeks from start , citing concerns over Covid-19 .
The HEAT Show , held at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Eastern Connecticut , had nearly 900 attendees and nearly 100 vendors on the trade show floor . I ’ d call that a success .
The HEAT Show had nearly 900 attendees and nearly 100 exhibitors on the floor . I ’ d call that a success .
Cota seemed relieved when I saw him on the show floor the second day . I commented that they were fortunate to have been able to pull the face-to-face event off , especially in light of the cancellations in recent weeks and months by other similarly positioned events .
“ We ’ ve been very lucky ,” said Cota , “ but it ’ s also a testament to the hard work of the NEFI Events Committee and the resilience of the liquid heating fuel industry .” He added , “ The folks you see here today are genuinely dedicated to their business and their association , and I want to thank them all for their support .”
It ’ s fair to say that nearly all of the people that I spoke with at the show commented that the body count was down , but seemed pleased that the show went off at all .
Sure , it would have been nice to have twice as many people there , but the folks that I saw and chatted with were obviously glad to be there and enthusiastic about the event .
I was surprised to hear a couple of the vendors comment that they got more traffic from their presentations at the training and education sessions than they did from show floor traffic . I had never heard that before .
I heard one story about a vendor who was obnoxious and abusive to the show ’ s staff . He was not of or from the fuel industry , rather someone who thought that the show might be a quick way to make some sales of his hard goods and signed up at the last minute .
The event had a total of 48 Education and Training sessions over the couple of days and from what I could see attendance of the sessions off the show floor was respectable . I heard from one presenter that his session was standing room only . l FON
Shane Sweet is principal of Shane Sweet LLC , a Vermont-based energy consulting firm to the propane , heating oil and motor fuel sectors . The company represents select products and services , works with trade associations , and , in April 2020 , co-founded VirtualPropaneExpo . com . In addition to 15 years in the retail oil and propane business , Sweet served as the executive for the Vermont Fuel Dealers Association , the New England Fuel Institute ( now the National Energy & Fuels Institute ) and the New York Propane Gas Association . Sweet can be reached at shanemsweet @ gmail . com
www . fueloilnews . com | FUEL OIL NEWS | OCTOBER 2021 35