The industry’s leading thermal training experience offered that, and a whole lot more, as the 2015 InfraMation conference rode through downtown Nashville, Tennessee May 11-14 at the Renaissance Hotel. Approximately 60 paper presentations, training clinics & poster sessions provided the nearly 500 attendees with a wealth of learning and networking opportunities not seen anywhere else in the world of thermography:
About half of those in attendance took advantage of the
pre-conference training day on Monday, May 11, joining clinics run by industry
experts on a variety of topics, both beginning and advanced, in Condition Monitoring,
Building Performance, IR Software and Optical Gas Imaging.
The main conference continued on Tuesday, May 12 with an opening keynote by Brent Bushnell, CEO of Two Bit Circus, a Los Angeles-based experiential entertainment company. While Brent shared some of the work they do innovating in the realm of education and entertainment, including the use of thermal imaging, his larger message centered on their efforts to help inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers through their STEAM Carnival (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) aimed at kids of all ages:
The main conference continued on Tuesday, May 12 with an opening keynote by Brent Bushnell, CEO of Two Bit Circus, a Los Angeles-based experiential entertainment company. While Brent shared some of the work they do innovating in the realm of education and entertainment, including the use of thermal imaging, his larger message centered on their efforts to help inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers through their STEAM Carnival (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) aimed at kids of all ages:
Later in the day, the Tuesday evening welcome and networking
reception brought all attendees together for some great food, live music and, yes,
mechanical bull riding; likely a first for a thermal imaging conference. There were also prize giveaways, including
new thermal imagers and accessories, plus a chance to meet with the exhibitors in
the trade show expo. Among the variety
of organizations present, attendees were able to test the latest thermal
imaging equipment, review complementary NDT technologies and learn about the
variety of software solutions available for their reliability maintenance
program.
Wednesday kicked off with another keynote from Terrence
O’Hanlon, founder and publisher of ReliabilityWeb.com and Uptime Magazine. A well-respected voice in the predicative
maintenance industry for years, his presentation focused on the most common
failure found at many companies, that of reliability leadership:
The Wednesday evening “Phun with Physics” show satisfied the
science geek in every thermographer by showcasing a number of live experiments
that demonstrated the physical laws of the universe in which we live. While much of what we experience often seems
like magic, from optical illusions to the physics of motion, there is a solid
base of science behind how things work and this special presentation
highlighted much of it in a fun, entertaining and engaging manner.
On Thursday Al Peasland of Infiniti Red Bull racing stopped
by to talk about their partnership with FLIR Systems and how thermal imaging is
being utilized in Formula One racing to assist with everything from car design
and development to driver performance and health.
As for Nashville, the setting could not have been better as the “Music City” more than lived up to its reputation. After hours, attendees had the chance to revel in the dozens of live music venues and restaurants located throughout downtown. Whether your taste was for country western, rock or blues, or perhaps you just wanted to enjoy some great BBQ, there was something for everyone.
As for Nashville, the setting could not have been better as the “Music City” more than lived up to its reputation. After hours, attendees had the chance to revel in the dozens of live music venues and restaurants located throughout downtown. Whether your taste was for country western, rock or blues, or perhaps you just wanted to enjoy some great BBQ, there was something for everyone.
Following his closing remarks on Thursday afternoon John
Keane, Global Director for the Infrared Training Center, was asked what stood
out about InfraMation 2015 and made this year’s event such a great success; “Everything
fell into place this year which created an epic conference
experience. We had an amazing Nashville venue, an energetic
audience, great presenters and rich technical content. Attendees
from industries around the world came eager to learn, share and enjoy
themselves. Expectations are high for 2016 and we look forward to doing it
again in Las Vegas!”
Speaking of which, be sure to save the date for the next
InfraMation conference at the Rio Hotel and Casino on September 27-29, 2016
plus a pre-conference training day on Monday, September 26. Additional details coming soon on the
conference website at www.inframation.org
or by visiting the Infrared Training Center online at www.infraredtraining.com
