The Master of the Hat Trick

In as slickly produced a setting as any Hollywood or Silicon Valley product announcement, Randy Underwood, vice-chairman of the Honeywell Users Group Americas, welcomed the largest attendance in the thirty year history of the Honeywell User Group. The attendance had to be limited by hotel space and room size at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge (known to the locals as "Xanadu") to 1200 people. "The hotel has 950 rooms and we have 930 of them," said Honeywell marketing director Brian Chapman, " and we are begging them to give us the other 20. We've had to move overflow to another hotel." Underwood said that there were 820 customers, and a total of 1200 attendees, a new record for HUG. In keeping with Honeywell's long time commitment to safety, Underwood delivered an obligatory safety lecture, similar in tone to those you get when you are entering a refinery for the first time. "Use lots of sunscreen," he advised.