The camaraderie and energy were building on Monday, Sept. 10, as the remanufacturing industry geared up for what most expected to be its largest and best show ever. With literally thousands of man-hours already expended in preparing World Expo 2001, remanufacturers and vendors arrived at the Riviera in Las Vegas and began setting up booths, holding meetings and going to dinner with friends. Badges and pre-registration packets for roughly 3,700 attendees and 1,200 exhibitor employees waited for their recipients to arrive. So it was on Monday night.
In a single stunning moment the next morning, everything changed. World Expo 2001 went from a highly anticipated event to an afterthought as the world watched in speechless outrage as United States buildings and innocent people came under attack. Journalists from around the globe have described with eloquence and chilling precision the events of Sept. 11, and no additional news report is needed here. We take this space now to tell the some of the stories of those personally touched by this tragedy.
By Tuesday morning, more than 1,000 industry representatives had already arrived in Las Vegas for the show. They awoke to the news from the East Coast. Confused and uncertain, industry members struggled to function and took solace in the busywork of erecting show booths. News reports were broadcast into the exhibition halls. It was indeed a very solemn place.
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