For 15 years, Waymon Armstrong took an old friend to lunch in Orlando during the annual Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference, commonly known as I/ITSEC.
That lunch didn’t happen last year for the CEO of Engineering and Computer Simulations Inc., one of Central Florida’s biggest simulation firms. It didn’t happen for anyone.
The 2020 iteration of the trade show — the marquee convention of the modeling, simulation and training industry — was a completely virtual event due to health concerns regarding the Covid-19 virus. While some aspects of last year’s conference were salvaged, local simulation executives said the return of an in-person I/ITSEC to Orlando from Nov. 29-Dec. 3 was critical for the industry.