DETROIT—The organizers of the 146th National Guard Association of the United States’ (NGAUS) NGAUS General Conference & Exhibition, held earlier this week at Detroit’s Huntington Place Convention Center, have reason to celebrate. Out of a total of 330 exhibitors, 138 were new — approximately 42%. These included not only companies from the industry, “but also exhibitors we felt our attendees would like to visit on the show floor,” said Jim Simms, CW5 (Ret.), Conference Coordinator.
Among the new entrants were companies like Bluedrop USA, which provides state-of -the-art virtual and augmented reality for training purposes, and Compliant Technologies, which develops non-lethal solutions for law enforcement, corrections, security and health care professionals to handle dangerous situations.
Early preparation was key to attracting so many new exhibitors, said Simms. “NGAUS began contacting our corporate partners and other leaders in the military industry a year prior to the start of this conference,” he said. “This was accomplished with letters and through our trade show sales company with their attendance at other conferences of the same nature and vendors.”
Extremely useful, according to participants, was an artificial intelligence tool on the event app called the NGAUS AI Navigator. Developed by show organizer Tradeshow Logic, the Navigator allowed attendees to ask questions about both the conference and trade show, including booth and event logistics.
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A highlight was a video address from President Joe Biden and an in-person speech by Former President and 2024 Republican candidate Donald Trump. (An invitation was extended to Vice President Kamala Harris as well.)
The association has hosted at least one candidate for the nation’s highest office from a major political party in the United States during every presidential election year since 1992.
“NAGUS has had many different speakers in the past, to include elected officials, senior leaders of the military and leaders in industry,” Simms said. “Each of these speakers bring a perspective on subjects to our officers of the National Guard to enhance the development of their military careers.”
Also on stage were Bob Parsons, founder of GoDaddy, who told the audience that his time as a Marine made him a better businessman, as well as Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer; Representative John James, R-Mich.; and Senator Gary Peters, D-Mich.
Reach Jim Simms at james.simms@ngaus.org
