I've never made any bones about the fact that I love New York, so I will take any opportunity to travel to there. I must admit, my trip this week to attend the New York Pest Expo: Bed Bug Edition proved once again what a wonderful city it is.

For those of you who aren't aware (and if you aren't, you haven't been paying attention for the past two months), our magazine partnered with Bug Off Pest Control Center to host an educational session on bed bugs. New York was the perfect place to hold it because, as all-star session speaker Mike Potter of the University of Kentucky said, "New York is the buckle of the bed bug belt." (And a tip of the hat to Ed Bordes of the New Orleans Termite Control Board for inspiring Potter's wordplay.)

Andy Linares, the owner of Bug Off, is a bulldog of a man and I knew when we partnered with him it would be a great event. When he makes promises, he keeps them. But even I was surprised when I watched 500 pest management professionals (PMPs) line up out the door to attend the event.

The New York Pest Expo has always been a successful event, thanks to the support of Linares and his team (Jacque Sherman, Liz Balconi, Dave Lopez and Tony Pacheco). I've been a couple of times before and have always been pleased with the traffic at my tabletop. This event, however, surpassed all of my expectations.

Not only does Linares' energy infuse the entire process, but he commits to bringing in top talent to educate his customers. For this show, he brought in the aforementioned Potter and another bed bug researching all-star — Dini Miller from Virginia Tech. The pair spoke for nearly six hours between the two of them, and few (if any) left their seats. The PMPs in attendance all sat in rapt attention as these speakers provided them with practical tips on how to take care of bed bug problems.

Don't believe me that the show was good? Check it out for yourself. I was able to post some videos from the show on my blog, including videos from Potter's and Miller's presentations as well as The Great American Bed Bug Challenge (which I was honored and privileged enough to MC).

Thanks again to Linares and his team for allowing our magazine to participate so fully in his event and for his hospitality this week. You owe it to yourself to attend the Expo at least once — it will keep you coming back for years to come.

You can reach Andorka, editorial director of Pest Management Professional, by e-mailing fandorka@questex.com.