The Grain Elevator & Processing Society hosts its 78th annual Exchange Feb. 24-27 in Grapevine, TX, and at first glance it will resemble Exchanges of years past. But in several important respects, Exchange 2007 will be bigger and better than any of the previous 77.

The venue itself is gigantic. The entire technical conference and exposition will be held in the immaculate new Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center, just a few miles from the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. Under glass atriums, the Texan offers 1,511 hotel rooms and encompasses 4.5 acres of gardens, six restaurants, seven lounges, a world-class fitness center, rivers and riverwalks, retail shopping, a European-style spa and two swimming pools. Immediately adjacent to the site are a brand new nightclub, a lake with a marina and an 18-hole golf course.

The facility is unique, multifaceted, brilliant and huge, a perfect spot for the GEAPS Exchange, where mixing business and fun has been a tradition since 1930.

Also exceeding previous Exchange standards is the 2007 education program. It will stretch over three days and offer more than 24 hours of presentations, all focused on key topics in the grain-operations profession. Highlights include a morning-long workshop about the boom in ethanol industry and what it means for grain handlers, as well as a new Exchange innovation, equipment-oriented sessions in the expo hall. The sessions, to be held in a curtained-off "pod," will offer small groups of people great opportunities to handle various hazard-monitoring sensors and talk about them with experts in the field. In the past, most Exchange education sessions were PowerPoint programs in a lecture setting. The Exchange 2007 "pod" is a first experimental step in a process that will align the educational program more closely with the equipment and expertise available in the hall.

In response to numerous requests by GEAPS members, the Exchange will also take a fresh look about a continuing industry challenge: How to find, hire and retain good employees. The session is called "Understanding the Generations at Work: Who Are These People I've Hired?" and will examine the issues from the angle of how different generation, Boomer to Gen X and beyond, tend to view their jobs and careers.

Other sessions will focus on facility safety, grain-quality management, sampling systems, rail operations, the biodiesel industry, ground-pile design and management, grain scales, bird control, automation of country grain elevators, commodity risk management and the art of negotiation. An Idea Exchange will feature products that are new to the industry, and innovations put into practice at grain facilities. In addition, two forums organized in conjunction with the National Grain & Feed Association will concentrate on grain grades and weights; and safety, health and environmental quality.

Pat Greer, chairman of GEAPS Educational Programming Committee, noted that all of speakers for the Exchange are industry pros.

"The people we've lined up deal with these topics on a daily basis," he said. "None are professional speakers, but they really know what they're talking about, and that's what counts."

The Exchange education program has been planned and organized entirely by GEAPS-member volunteers and industry professionals.

Due to the proximity of Texas to Mexico (and Latin America generally) GEAPS is expecting a sizable contingent of Spanish-speaking professionals from beyond U.S. borders. As a result, several of the education programs will be simultaneously translated into Spanish.

As usual, the expo hall will be the largest in the grain-operations industry. Once again, the sold-out show will offer unparalleled opportunities to view the industry's newest and best products and services. Some 200 companies from around the world will be taking part.

Exchange 2007 will have many other components, too, and if you go, you'll be busy. In fact, events are scheduled from early morning to the middle of the night. There are board and committee meetings and a workshop for leaders of GEAPS' 30 regional chapters. But many activities are set up for networking and fun.

The Exchange will offer a reception and lunches in the expo hall, feature a comedian, and close down with an awards banquet and "Club GEAPS" — an event designed to honor volunteer members for their service — and for drinks, dessert, music and conversation. Also offered:

• A "Roadhouse Ranch Biker Barbecue" featuring a Texas-style barbecue buffet, motorcycle memorabilia, biker babes, billiards, horseshoes, dancin' and unlimited keg beer and wine.
• A Fun Run, new to the Exchange. It's a "full one-tenth marathon," or about 2.6 miles. If you can't run that far, sign up and walk, because it's just for fun, and
• A multifaceted "Guest Program," designed for spouses and others who want to get out and about in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The program includes a wine-tasting excursion to nearby Grapevine; a bus tour of Dallas; a Guest Breakfast; and a luxury motor-coach shopping trip to the ritzy Galleria mall in Dallas.

Although the Exchange proper will be held under the glass atriums of the Gaylord Texan, it's no secret that people who attend like to go outside from time to time to golf or sample the local flavors. When they do, they'll probably be in luck with the weather. At the end of February in Grapevine, TX, it's typically sunny, with afternoon highs in the mid-60.

Various registration options — including "Basic," "Complete" or "One-day" passes — are available. In all cases, GEAPS members receive a big discount.

For registration information about Exchange 2007 visit www.geaps.com, or contact GEAPS at (612)339-4625; info@geaps.com.