TMS 2016 - all over for another year

It’s Thursday morning in Nashville, and TMS is wrapping up. There’s a few technical papers still scheduled, and one or two commercial people still have meetings this morning, but the vast majority of attendees are now harden for the airport.

TMS 2016 can largely be remembered for:

• The horrible weather. Snow, wind, freezing rain, cold temperatures. Please TMS organisers - find somewhere different next time.
• Lower numbers. Some companies did not send a representative this year, while many others drastically cut their headcount.
• Fears about China/false rumours. Someone said something in a speech in a pre-TMS conference on Friday in front of 300 people. The misinformation spread like wild fire. A shame really - I have seen the PowerPoint presentation that the guy gave, and his technical information is very good, but his China information not so good.
• Trudging from hotel to hotel. Honestly, this year was better than some, because the hotels were all in easy walking distance. Except when it was snowing or raining, which is when Uber came very handy.
• The Omni bar. The bad news and negative outlook from so many quarters sent many people to the Omni bar. Friendships were renewed or built over a few drinks.

In 2017, TMS will be in San Diego - and most people I spoke to were looking forward to the better climate. San Diego’s hotels are further apart than here in Nashville, but presumably Uber will get a good workout next February. But here’s something that you may not know - TMS 2018 will be in Phoenix Arizona.