It is that time of the year where the 911 community makes their annual pilgrimage to the APCO conference.  Some of you are going to take classes, others go for fun, but many of you go because you want to do some shopping in the exhibit hall.  More specifically, we know some of you are looking for new dispatch furniture consoles. 

The exhibit hall can feel like hours and hours of listening to Billy Mays's OxiClean pitch on every product. I have been on both sides of the booth. Being "that sales dude" and "being a prospect", I understand just trying to learn a product, what I like and what will work best for my needs. I've found that the best way you can be prepared to handle the semi-dreaded sales pitch and vendor hall, is to have a bit of background knowledge and some questions ready to go. 

APCO 2018 is right around the corner and you may or may not have started thinking about what you want to get out of the long week spent in Las Vegas - besides hitting up the casinos, eating delicious food, and enjoying the nightlife! The conference offers a stacked agenda, which ranges from wellness programs, professional development sessions, networking events, comm center tours and an exhibit hall full of vendors that offer services catered to the Public Safety industry.

Tips from an expert

• It’s going to be a long day. No matter how you dice it. The days you are in Vegas are going to be looooong. Be prepared. Bring some waters and some snacks. No one likes a hangry person. Not to mention, usually the nearest place for food is a good ½ mile away.
  
  
• The expo hall is big! And it's going to be far away from your hotel room, even if you are staying at the host hotel, so bring comfy shoes, bring a couple pairs. Swap out your shoes. If you ever see me coming or going from a APCO, NENA or Navigator, I usually have on sneakers or flip-flops, that way I can easily change into my work shoes when I arrive. (If you’re from somewhere where there is snow, this is a common practice as an elementary aged child. You’d wear your snow boots to school and change into your sneakers for the day and then back into your boots for recess and going home. Same concept here.)
  

Time flies by from year to year and from trade show to trade show. I attend somewhere around 10 trade shows a year as a vendor and a couple as an attendee. As a vendor usually, a few weeks before the show, I start to dread going. This year, AHRA 2018 is in Orlando so I think to myself negative thoughts like 'man, it is going to be HOT in Orlando' or 'that's going to be a long flight, Ugh'. But, once the show is about a week away, for some reason my mindset flips, and I get excited to go. I guess this is because I do like going to the shows, meeting people and showing them all the cool stuff that we do. I will end up enjoying Orlando (mostly inside with the A/C) and I usually will partake in at least one good local restaurant. 

Congrats! You have been tasked with designing a telemetry room. Telemetry is an up-and-coming concept at major hospitals throughout the nation. As thrilled as you probably are to be on the side of innovation, it’s normal to have some questions. After all, where do you start? Who should you contact? Don’t worry; this blog is here to help!

Did you know that most dispatch furniture desks you purchase should come with a collision detection system? This feature is integral to lengthening the life of your furniture while ensuring your dispatchers and equipment stay safe. Ask your furniture manufacturer, if your desks have collision detection. It shouldn't be a costly add-on. In most recent models, the collision detection is built into the lift columns that raise and lower the desks. This ensures greater detection and sensitivity toward collisions with objects.

The way we buy...well just about anything, has changed. With websites offering quick service and simple shopping like Amazon, grocery delivery services like “Click-List” and of course there is Uber, there is no wonder why we've changed. We have all changed how we shop, buy and research products. Hello instant gratification! But what about those big purchases, a new car, a home or a vacation? Well, that part hasn’t changed much and neither has shopping for dispatch furniture.

The new innovation in hospitals is to maximize the efficiency of registered nurses by implementing telemetry labs. This allows better, continuous oversight of patients’ vitals, which frees up the professional staff to better physically care for their patients. If you are consider having one, make sure it is done with correct ergonomics.

When is the right time to start thinking about getting dispatch furniture proposals? The short and simple answer to this question is, that it all depends. Every state (really every Comm center) has a unique purchasing system that usually drives the speed at which you can get new dispatch consoles. Workstations are typically replaced once every 10–15 years. If you are in charge of getting the new workstations, it might be the first and last time you buy furniture with your agency. If you’re not sure where to start, don’t worry; most people aren’t too experienced at buying dispatch furniture.

When it comes to sitting at a desk all day,
nothing matters more than comfort and functionality. In order to make consumers happy, furniture manufacturers strive to make comfortable products that meet the latest ergonomic standards. This is an obvious goal of any furniture company, but where do these standards come from?