BICSI Winter 2026

This week was a bit of whirlwind. I spent most of it in Florida for work – it was busy, but it was also a nice change of scenery, and a lot warmer!

I was sent to Orlando to represent NATE in a booth at the BICSI Winter 2026 Tradeshow, and I’ve known for a couple of months that I would be going. For the most part, I was pretty excited to go. Who doesn’t love getting to go to Florida for a few days in January!? But I was also a little nervous. I’ve only been to one other tradeshow on behalf of NATE before, and it was not only over two years ago, but I also had another coworker with me. This time, I was going on my own.

Those of you who know me well know I’m not always the most outgoing person. I’m definitely a homebody, and conversing with strangers sometimes makes me pretty anxious. When Sunday morning came around – I had to get up at 3am to get to the airport – I told Dan I no longer wanted to go and “jokingly” said that I should call in sick. He told me I just had the jitters, and it would be much better once I was there. He was right… as usual. 😛

I didn’t have to set up the booth until Monday morning, so I took Sunday night to walk around the property and figure out where everything was. It definitely put my mind at ease to know exactly where I needed to go in the morning.

I won’t deny the first day of the show was a little rough. I was pretty nervous, and I got a little tongue tied when talking to the first few people that came to the booth. Luckily, I had two NATE members helping me in the booth, and they were fabulous. They were super helpful and it was great to have their expertise. And the more people who came to the booth, the easier it got.

Tuesday was the busiest and longest day of the show. I don’t know if it was just the thought of having one day done, or what, but I felt like a whole new person the next day. I felt much more confident and I was talking to everyone and anyone. It was amazing! I was completely drained at the end of the day, but I was pretty proud of myself for getting out of my shell a bit.

Wednesday was a slow day in the booth, there weren’t as many people still roaming the exhibit hall, but I was at least able to get some work done before tearing the booth down.

I had some free time Wednesday evening since I didn’t fly home until Thursday, so I rewarded myself with a run outside – it felt SO good running in shorts and not freezing my butt off! It was an excellent way to unwind and blow off some of the stress I had been feeling during the show.

And since I was all the way in Orlando, I was feeling a little guilty for not trying to get out and do something other than work. So, I hopped on a shuttle and spent a few hours walking around Disney Springs. I did a little shopping, got a little sweet treat, and hung out by the water and listened to some live music. It was really nice and it was a great way to end the trip.

Even though it’s literally 100 degrees colder here at home than it was in Florida, I’m happy to be back. I’m really happy with how the trip went, and I’m glad I can check it off the list. I’m definitely feeling more confident about doing it again in the future, and I look forward to growing even more in my job at NATE.

Until next time! 🙂

Megan Nelson